​Contract negotiation and approvals

Funder contracts

Given the potential legal and financial risks associated with accepting research funding, the University has a system in place to protect staff and reduce risk. Consequently, individual academic staff are not authorised to accept research funding.

It is the Research Support team’s responsibility to negotiate the final terms and conditions of any funding awards and to organise formal acceptance of the award in conjunction with the PI. A key element of this process is to ensure that academic freedoms are protected (ability to publish and to use the research to underpin future teaching and research) as well as limit liabilities and risks.

Research agreements are sometimes called Intellectual Property (IP) agreements but they cover lots of areas, including: intellectual property; publication; cost/price; warranty disclaimer; indemnity, liabilities and insurance; and dispute resolution and termination. In some instances where there is a high level of risk, approval may need to be sought from the University's Senior Leadership team.

Partner/collaboration agreements

If your project involves external partners, collaboration agreements will also need to be negotiated by the Research Support team before your budget and its associated J-Code can be issued to you.

The Research Support team must review, negotiate and approve all contracts between the University and the organisations that fund or collaborate on its research.

Dean’s underwriting

If it becomes apparent that agreements will not be signed off in time to meet the project start date and there is a risk of losing the funding as a result, it may be appropriate to seek Dean’s Underwriting your project. This is where your School accepts the financial risk to allow the project to start.

If you are concerned that contracts will not be signed in time to start your project, please discuss whether Dean's underwriting is appropriate with the member(s)of the Research Support Team allocated to your project. Dean’s underwriting should be avoided as far as possible to minimise risks to the University.