ARMA Training: Research contracts

Natasha Amponsah and Tom Morgan provide more detail on what to expect from the Introduction to Research Contracts course. 

Research contracts are a vital part of any research organisation and working with them can be complex and daunting. This course, aimed at those with less than a year’s experience of working with research contracts, will demystify how they work and best practice for negotiation and drafting.

It will be useful for those with no contracts experience at all, those with contracts experience but new to the research sector, or even those who work in contract-adjacent roles looking to understand how contracts work.

The course covers three foundational elements for a career in research contracts: The law, contracts, and you.

Part 1 – THE LAW

Focuses on key legal aspects of research contracts with a strong focus on practical implications. There will be no theoretical considerations of obscurities like ‘the postal rule’; instead, we’ll dissect common issues that you’ll come across time and time again and explain them using legal principles. We’ll run through how to identify common regulatory concerns that you’ll need to identify beyond pure contract law.

Part 2 – CONTRACTS

This section is a user-friendly explanation of the elements of a standard research contract and explains the implications of common amendments, and why they appear. We’ll discuss the parties’ incentives, the benefits and risks that are covered, and deviations from standard templates. This will include points to consider for drafting and negotiation.

Part 3 – AND YOU

Going beyond technical knowledge, we’ll discuss the personal skills required to succeed in a contracts role. This includes practical “how to” advice on:

• Guiding a contract from start to finish
• Overcoming obstacles
• Perceiving your role as contracts specialist
• Aligning internal expectations with academic and professional services colleagues, and more.

Who are we?

Natasha Amponsah is a qualified lawyer who has been working in the wonderful world of research contracts for over 15 years. Tom Morgan is a senior associate at law firm CMS with a prior history of over a decade in research contracts teams at universities. We’re both enthusiastic and inspired to introduce you to research contracts and provide you with the practical tools you need to succeed in the role.

The course will be held in person in Birmingham. Spaces are filling up fast on the course, and we look forward to welcoming new participants to the course and to the wider research contracts community. Click here to book your place.