The June 2010 report from the Council on Governmental Relations (COGR) provides a detailed account of its biannual meeting, focusing on key developments, policy discussions, agency updates, and evolving issues in research administration and compliance. The report opens by welcoming new board members and highlighting a keynote address by Dr. Robin Stafin of the Department of Defense, who emphasized balancing use-inspired and curiosity-driven research, fostering stronger ties with universities, and reducing regulatory burdens, in alignment with new DOD guidance on fundamental research. The meeting also featured an in-depth panel on the STAR METRICS initiative, which aims to create standardized, cross-agency metrics for assessing the impact of federal science investments on job creation, innovation, and public outcomes, with a pilot being tested at several major universities.
A significant portion addresses costing policies, with a strong emphasis on Facilities & Administrative (F&A) cost reform and sustaining the financial viability of research-intensive universities. The report outlines ongoing concerns about federal caps and compliance burdens, and details advocacy strategies being developed in coordination with national associations such as APLU and AAU. It weighs the impact of recent policy developments, such as NIH’s adjusted F&A rate policy for Genomic Array services—criticized by COGR for inconsistency with federal cost principles—and issues emerging from DOE and ARRA reporting requirements. Updates also cover research compliance topics: NIH's proposed revisions to financial conflict of interest rules, the implementation of stricter animal welfare enforcement by USDA, ClinicalTrials.gov registration mandates, NSF's forthcoming data management plan requirement, and the 8th edition of the Guide for the Care and Use of Laboratory Animals. On contracts and intellectual property, attention is drawn to expanded federal efforts to promote commercialization of university research, related congressional hearings, updates on Bayh-Dole litigation, the rollout of the streamlined Federal Demonstration Partnership “Troublesome Clauses” website, DOD guidance on fundamental research, ongoing export control reform, and proposed regulations on government contracting, including organizational conflicts of interest. Throughout, the report highlights the complex interplay between university research enterprise management, evolving federal requirements, and national policy objectives, underscoring the need for ongoing dialogue, informed advocacy, and institutional adaptation.
