Strong university-industry partnerships depend on relationships – but they also depend on the organizational structures, workflows, and leadership behind them.
This quarter, we are sharing practical considerations for strengthening research contracting, perspectives on recruiting leaders for evolving research organizations and prioritizing corporate relationships, and an opportunity to celebrate UIDP’s 20th anniversary and connect with UI Collab at UIDP Denver.
When Research Agreements Stall, Negotiation May Not Be The Only Issue
Agreement delays are often treated primarily as negotiation challenges. In practice, the underlying issues may begin earlier – or continue well after execution. As you consider your organization’s research agreement lifecycle, a few useful questions include:
- Is ownership clear from initial intake through post-signature handoff?
- Do stakeholders understand when and how decisions should be escalated?
- Are recurring issues being addressed systematically, or resolved one agreement at a time?
- Do teams have shared visibility into agreement status, responsibilities, and next steps?
Looking at the complete lifecycle can reveal opportunities to improve clarity, coordination, and consistency while supporting stronger relationships with research partners.
Introducing The UI Collab Research Contracting Assessment
UI Collab’s new Research Contracting Assessment is a structured virtual engagement designed to help organizations strengthen how research agreements move from intake through negotiation, approval, execution, handoff, and post-signature management.
Delivered over approximately four weeks, the assessment combines document review, stakeholder interviews, process mapping, and practitioner-informed leading practices. The result is an independent assessment of current practices and prioritized recommendations for near-term improvement, along with identification of areas that may warrant deeper investigation or implementation support.
Learn More About Contracting and Compliance
From UI Pulse
Executive Search Is Changing as Research Administration Evolves
As universities rethink how research, innovation, technology commercialization, and corporate engagement are organized, many institutions are creating leadership roles that did not exist in the same form only a few years ago.
UI Collab Search Consultant Mindy Cohen explores why institutions should define the role before defining the candidate – and why finding leaders for these emerging positions requires looking beyond familiar titles and traditional career paths.
Corporate Tiering
Corporate relations teams are being asked to manage increasingly complex portfolios while making the best use of limited resources. In his July article, UI Collab Consultant Todd Cleland explains how a corporate tiering framework can help institutions evaluate relationships consistently, focus attention on partners with the greatest strategic value or growth potential, and improve coordination across campus.
Beyond financial support, the framework can consider factors such as hiring history, local workforce, alumni presence, and the breadth of engagement across campus. Used thoughtfully, this data can help institutions assign appropriate relationship management and develop clearer plans for deepening engagement.
Celebrating 20 Years of UIDP
This year marks UIDP’s 20th anniversary, a milestone that will be celebrated at UIDP Denver, September 22-24.
For two decades, UIDP has brought together leading universities, companies, research organizations, and government partners to address shared challenges and develop better approaches to university-industry collaboration.
That foundation is a central advantage of working with UI Collab. As UIDP’s consulting and executive search arm, UI Collab draws on deep institutional knowledge, an extensive cross-sector network, and decades of experience with the issues shaping research, innovation, and partnership development. This allows us to bring each client and project not only specialized expertise, but also a broader perspective grounded in the experiences of organizations across the research and innovation ecosystem.
Tony Boccanfuso andKatie Levkoff will be at UIDP Denver and would welcome the opportunity to hear about your organization’s priorities and discuss where UI Collab might be helpful.
Start A Conversation
UI Collab is UIDP’s consulting and executive search arm, providing confidential, customized support across the research and innovation ecosystem.
Whether you are addressing an immediate operational challenge or considering a broader strategic initiative, we would be glad to learn more about your priorities.
Team UI Collab