Research Commercial Management Team
The RO’s Research Commercial Managers (RCMs) are embedded in Faculties and Institutes to support you develop and convert your conversations with commercial partners into research agreements.
They will assist in you considering many aspects of your contract research project, including pathways to market, deliverables and working with your industry partner to ensure the contract is framed in line with UQ’s Business Principles and to the mutual needs of your partner.
RCMs are responsible for the management and negotiation of contract research proposals and will support the progression of your contract research agreements for execution.
Please work with your RCM as early as possible to help speed up the negotiation of the contract and to support the health of the relationship going forward.
Senior Research Commercial Manager (SRCM)
SRCMs fulfil the role of the Research Commercial Manager with a focus on the more complex or high-risk negotiations, and are usually the University’s representative in negotiations concerning:
- Research Umbrella Agreements – where a sponsor wishes to engage with the University on a variety of research activities under an over-arching set of terms
- Research Centre Agreements – where the University is establishing a research centre that will have multiple contractual relations with a wide range of partners in a single endeavour
- Complex Multi-party Agreements – where the University has a multi-party, mult-faculty initiative, part-funded by multiple bodies which might include industry, government and research councils.
- Enterprise-level Research Agreements – where the Strategic Partnerships Office has led a large-scale initiative which needs commercial framing and contracting.
SRCMs also work closely with the Faculty/Institute Executive, particularly the Associate Deans/Deputy Directors (Research) and liaise with other University divisions and parties on significant issues.
Research Commercial Manager (RCM)
- Reviews, negotiates and agrees best terms and funding possible for University that support the aims and objectives of the endeavour, and enable the collaboration to flourish
- Assesses risk in key areas, such as intellectual property, publication rights, confidentiality terms, limitations on liability. Also considers risks to the University such as reputational and financial
- Liaises with CIs to understand their research portfolios and obligations, to ensure the negotiation process remains centred on the requirements of the collaboration.
RCMs also liaises with divisions and the wider University to ensure the negotiation supports UQ’s agenda and the mutual needs of the partner.