The document provides a comprehensive update from several key committees involved in university research administration and policy, highlighting recent activities, regulatory issues, and strategic priorities. The Costing Committee, chaired by representatives from leading research universities, reported ongoing discussions with federal agencies, including the HHS and NIH, regarding finance and compliance concerns such as the FCTR and DCAA audits, which have raised issues about timekeeping and labor charging expectations. Significant efforts are underway to finalize a detailed F&A (Facilities & Administrative) white paper for advocacy purposes, with a planned rollout in early 2019.
Parallel updates from the Research Regulatory Reform Committee address developments in research rigor, human subjects protections, gene therapy regulation, and animal research oversight, where administrative burden and congruency review elimination are focal points. The committees are actively engaging with NIH and federal representatives on compliance, transparency in foreign funding disclosures, regulatory reform under the 21st Century Cures Act, and harmonization of conflict of interest policies. Additional sections discuss emerging administrative challenges, such as subrecipient monitoring reforms, the design of standardized award notices, and the impact of biosecurity and biodefense policy changes on institutional research capacities. Intellectual property and technology transfer issues were reviewed in the context of ongoing NIST initiatives, with input on federal technology transfer procedural consistency and statutory recommendations. The report concludes with summaries from partnership workshops on funding and ROI, as well as updates on controlled unclassified information, protection of critical technologies, and concerns around foreign influence, demonstrating a holistic and proactive approach to navigating the contemporary research policy environment.
