The Nonprofit Funder–Research Institution (NFRI) Partnership is a collaborative initiative designed to enhance and streamline the relationship between nonprofit funders and research institutions. The partnership, coordinated through regular meetings and active working groups, focuses on three core areas: intellectual property and technology transfer, research project support costs (F&A), and streamlining administrative requirements. Key activities include regular subgroup meetings, the development and discussion of standardized processes for application submission and financial reporting, and efforts to clarify and improve the sustainability and efficiency of research collaborations. Working groups are composed of representatives from both funding organizations and academic institutions, striving to address and simplify shared administrative burdens, improve proposal and reporting methods, and enhance communication and consistency in handling policies and guidelines.
Notable initiatives highlighted in the document include efforts to expand the Federal Demonstration Partnership (FDP) Clearinghouse to better serve nonprofit funders, collaboration with grants management system providers like Altum to streamline electronic submissions, and the promotion of “just-in-time” processes to reduce unnecessary effort in compliance checks. The work also addresses challenges in contract negotiations by developing mutually acceptable templates and white papers, and explores more consistent handling of intellectual property and revenue-sharing issues arising from funded research. Special focus areas include improving patient access to therapies resulting from funded research, standardizing financial reporting and budgeting processes, and aligning expectations on royalty sharing, with the aim of facilitating more effective and less contentious negotiations. The partnership emphasizes open communication, data-driven analysis, and the development of broadly applicable guidelines, reflecting a commitment to continuous progress and collaboration across the nonprofit funding and research sectors.
