Hot Topics in the Law Impacting Research
SRAI members know how important the many laws and regulations that affect research are to the management of the research enterprise. From laws and regulations related to human subjects, to those governing the terms of the grants, contracts, and other agreements, to more arcane issues related to taxes, exports, national security, and intellectual property – the administration and management of research can sometimes seem to be nothing but a web of legalese and obscure rules that can be tough to find and almost impossible to understand.
Many SRAI members have attended presentations in the Research Law track of SRAI’s education and training. Programing of both online and live sessions covering every imaginable topic and a certificate program that provides validation of the effort participants put into learning the law related to research and research administration.
Those lawyers who present these sessions have agreed to prepare a series of articles in coming editions covering hot legal topics in research law. We anticipate covering AI, research security, the looming use of the False Claims Act to enforce institutional compliance with the DoD cybersecurity rules, the new EU/US data privacy agreement and the UK variation on that, a first look at legal differences between research in the Americas (North and South) and the impact of the personal data privacy legislation in contracts and research itself.
The legal topics that affect research are extremely broad and varied, so one of the things that the merry band of lawyers working with SRAI want to do is respond to your concerns and issues. Therefore, we ask that you communicate with the Catalyst to identify issues you would like addressed. Please keep your questions focused on a single topic we can cover in an article. Contact the Catalyst with Research Law questions at catalyst@srainternational.org.
As you know, lawyers are a cautious lot, so remember, the articles will not be legal advice and none of us represent any entity, employer or client in writing the articles unless expressed otherwise. The material provided in the articles is for educational purposes only. Also, particularly since we will be writing about hot topics, we will often be “speculating” about the future of legal issues and outcomes.
If any topics are particularly of interest, we will also be looking to add sessions on the topics for the 2024 SRAI Annual Meeting in Chicago and perhaps to the Society’s online offerings as well. We also invite other lawyers who are interested in any topic to contact us through the Catalyst, or directly and join in our efforts over the coming months.
Contact the Catalyst with Research Law questions at catalyst@srainternational.org.
Authored by J. Michael Slocum, President
Slocum & Boddie, PC
SRAI Distinguished Faculty
#Catalyst#January2024#researchlaw