Author(s): Valeria Kolesova

Supporting early-career faculty in navigating the complex world of research funding is a crucial role for research administrators. As these researchers embark on their academic journey, securing funding from multiple sources becomes a strategic move to enhance financial stability. This blog post offers essential guidance for research administrators working with early-career faculty, emphasizing crucial aspects such as indemnification, risk management, and the added complexity introduced by different types of sponsors.

Alignment of Objectives:

Assist early-career faculty in ensuring that the goals and priorities of each funding source align with the objectives of the research project. Clear alignment from the outset can set the foundation for successful collaboration and mitigate potential challenges down the line.

Budgetary Harmony:

Provide guidance to understand the budgetary restrictions, guidelines, and reporting requirements of each funding source. Assist early-career faculty in developing budgets that comply with the rules of all sponsors, leveraging your experience to streamline the process.

Compliance, Reporting, and Indemnification:

Familiarize early-career faculty with compliance standards, reporting mechanisms, and indemnification requirements (where applicable) of each funding body. Offer support from your institution's research administration office to ensure a comprehensive understanding of these crucial aspects, particularly indemnification.

Communication and Coordination:

Facilitate open and transparent communication between early-career faculty and each funding source. Provide mentorship and guidance on effective communication strategies, helping researchers navigate potential challenges and build positive relationships with sponsors.

Intellectual Property and Publication Policies:

Offer expertise on intellectual property and publication policies. Collaborate with early-career faculty to align these policies and ensure that indemnification clauses are clearly understood and integrated into their research strategy.

Risk Mitigation Strategies:

Work alongside early-career faculty to identify potential risks associated with each funding source and develop effective mitigation strategies. Share your insights and experiences to guide researchers in navigating the complexities of risk management successfully.

Types of Sponsors and Administrative Complexity:

Recognize and communicate the impact of different sponsor types on administrative processes, especially when combining funding from sponsors of different types in one research project. Guide early-career faculty in navigating the administrative complexities associated with government, industry, or non-profit sponsors, drawing on your institutional knowledge.

Timeline Alignment:

Collaborate with early-career faculty to align timelines effectively. Leverage your experience in coordinating proposal submissions, milestones, and reporting deadlines to ensure smooth progress and meet the expectations of all funders without unnecessary delays.

Conflict Resolution Mechanisms:

Familiarize early-career faculty with conflict resolution mechanisms. Provide mentorship and advice to establish processes for addressing potential conflicts, ensuring a positive and collaborative research environment.

Supporting early-career faculty in securing funding from multiple sources is a collaborative effort that requires the expertise of research administrators. By guiding researchers on the alignment of objectives, budgetary implications, compliance requirements, indemnification, types of sponsors involved, and other key factors, research administrators play a pivotal role in ensuring successful and sustainable research endeavors. Collaborate closely, share your knowledge, and leverage institutional support to help early-career faculty thrive with the support of diverse funding streams.

Tags: funding, early-career, contracts