What is an MRA?
Most industry-sponsored projects with universities are covered by one-off contracts, customized for each project. Negotiating these contracts can be a slow and frustrating process for both university researchers and industry sponsors. An MRA, on the other hand, sets terms and conditions in advance for a stream of yet-to-be-defined future projects. Once established, new projects are set up as task orders under the MRA, with pre-negotiated terms allowing quick agreement on the scope of work, deliverables, and budget. This significantly reduces the time and overhead to launch new projects.
Benefits of MRAs
MRAs streamline the process of starting new projects, saving time and reducing administrative overhead. They are particularly useful for long-term partnerships with a steady flow of research projects, allowing both parties to focus more on the research itself rather than on contract negotiations.
Challenges of Negotiating MRAs
MRAs are, however, more complex to negotiate than one-off agreements. They must cover a range of unknown, future projects, requiring thorough consideration of various hypothetical scenarios. This often involves extensive legal reviews and input from senior leadership, stretching the negotiation time to several months or even a year.
When to Consider an MRA
MRAs make sense when both parties are committed to an ongoing research relationship, with at least three or four projects per year. They are ideal for existing partners with a track record of regular sponsored projects. For new relationships, it’s better to start off with standard one-off contracts. If several projects are successfully completed this way, it becomes clearer whether an MRA is worth the effort.
Pitfalls to Avoid
Avoid using the existence of MRAs as an engagement metric. While it may sound impressive to have MRAs with well-known entities, this can lead to unnecessary resource expenditure on underutilized agreements. Focus on the quality and frequency of the research projects rather than the existence of MRAs.
Conclusion
MRAs are a great engagement tool for well-established partnerships with a steady flow of projects. They can be a waste of resources if not sufficiently utilized. Carefully consider your research relationship’s nature and frequency of projects before investing in an MRA.
Todd Cleland
UI Collab Consultant