Section 7: Research Services
Responsibilities
Research Services (RS) works in partnership with academic divisions, departments/faculties, University Administration and Services (UAS) and Isis Innovation Ltd to support Oxford's researchers. Its aim is to facilitate world-class research and knowledge/technology transfer.
Major areas of responsibility include:
- Reviewing and helping with the completion of applications for research funding
- Negotiating research-related contracts and agreements
- Advising on the costing and pricing of research
- Providing information on funding opportunities
- Advising on intellectual property (IP issues and facilitating the work of Isis Innovation Ltd (the University's technology transfer company)
- Enhancing information and training in research administration
- Supporting research planning and policy development
'Satellite', locally-based teams offer services 'tailored' to the needs of each division and their departments. Each of these Research Services teams builds close links with their divisional offices (co-locating wherever possible), academic departments and researchers, is familiar with the relevant major sponsors and schemes and collaborators, and has experience in dealing with the types of administrative issues that researchers face.
Other groups in Research Services offer specialised support in the areas of clinical trials and research governance, European Commission R&D funding, IP rights management, research-related insurance, research integrity, research activity data and research systems.
Some suggestions for new DAs
- Contact or visit your local divisional RS support team. Discuss with them what information or training you feel you require.
- Take part in the regular meetings between Departmental Administrators and RS.
- Bookmark and use the Research Support web site.
- Subscribe to the Research Services fortnightly News Bulletin
Resolve
Resolve provides administrators and principal investigators (PIs) with a tool for costing research grant applications. It allows the user to calculate the Full Economic Costs (FEC) of a research project and then adjust the price according to the requirements of each sponsor.
Under FEC, the Government requires higher education institutions in the UK to identify all direct and indirect costs for each research project, including space/estates charges, depreciation, an adequate recurring investment for infrastructure, equipment, consumables, travel and the cost of all staff working on the project (including PIs, technical and administrative staff).
- Please see Costing and Pricing on the Research Support website for full details.
- To become an authorised user of Resolve and for further information, please see the Resolve website.