Managing awards and projects
A high professional standard of management and administration of research and knowledge exchange projects is required in delivering high quality, timely results. Funders and customers of the University’s research and knowledge exchange capability increasingly expect delivery of outputs to specification, budget and deadline.
Externally-funded activity is usually subject to terms and conditions that may penalise the University for late delivery of outputs or reports, or outputs that do not meet the specified requirements. Equally, the University and its staff need to ensure that we maximise the benefits of the results of our research and knowledge exchange activity through the publication, dissemination, translation, application, exchange, transfer and exploitation, as appropriate. The University and its researchers are increasingly measured on our outputs and their impacts.
The operational support for research and knowledge exchange activities is provided by a combination of school/department-based and centrally-based professional support staff.
- Responsibilities
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There is a range of responsibilities undertaken by investigators, heads of departments and schools, and professional support staff. An overview of these responsibilities is available.
- Investigator Checklist
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This checklist provides a rapid entry point to the number of elements of information and processes that are required to manage a project. [To be provided.]
- Award Acceptance and Set-up
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The formal acceptance of an award or contract is undertaken by R&E, and recorded in the research management system. If necessary, additional institutional authorisation will be sought before the project is activated. Authorisation of the project will enable creation of a project cost centre in the Finance system. Projects requiring research ethics or sponsorship approval cannot start until such approval has been received and is recorded. R&E will provide an award pack to the investigator(s) and school R&E Co-ordinator(s), and alert their HoD/S(s).
- Managing Research Staff
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Research staff and students are important members of the research team, and should be actively managed and supported. The Concordat to Support the Career Development of Researchers sets expectations of employers and funders of researchers, and of the researchers themselves.
- Financial Regulations
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The management and administration of research and knowledge exchange activities are subject to the Financial Regulations, which contains the University’s rules and regulations on all financial matters.
- Postgraduate Research (PGR) Students
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Postgraduate research students are administered through the Academic Registry, with the Doctoral School providing strategic oversight. Where an externally-funded project includes a PGR student, R&E will provide the relevant funding information and approval to the Student system.
- Publications and the University Repository
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The University wishes to encourage the widest possible dissemination and potential use of its research. One way of achieving this is by making the outputs of research, typically publications, available electronically via a repository (where the publisher’s copyright conditions allow). The University has such a repository, and staff are required to record details of and where possible lodge their research publications in it. The repository, Sussex Research Online, is managed by the Library.
- Intellectual Property
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Intellectual property rights are the rights associated with creative and intellectual effort or commercial reputation and goodwill. The different types of intellectual property rights protect a wide variety of property, including literary and artistic works, computer programs, inventions, designs, and marks used to identify goods and services. The nature of the University's activities, in particular its research activities, often gives rise to the creation of intellectual property rights. For detailed information on intellectual property, and how inventions should be disclosed and can be developed and exploited, refer to Intellectual Property.
- Open Access
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Most funders now require any publications they have funded as part of a Research Award to be made Open Access.
- Find out how to make your publications Open Access and comply with publisher mandates.