Research universities are critical contributors to our national research enterprise. They are the principal source of a world-class labor force and fundamental discoveries that enhance our lives and the lives of others around the world. These institutions help to create an educated citizenry capable of making informed and crucial choices as participants in a democratic society. However many are concerned that the unintended cumulative effect of federal regulations undercuts the productivity of the research enterprise and diminishes the return on the federal investment in research. Optimizing the Nation's Investment in Academic Research reviews the regulatory framework as it currently exists, considers specific regulations that have placed undue and often unanticipated burdens on the research enterprise, and reassesses the process by which these regulations are created, reviewed, and retired. This review is critical to strengthen the partnership between the federal government and research institutions, to maximize the creation of new knowledge and products, to provide for the effective training and education of the next generation of scholars and workers, and to optimize the return on the federal investment in research for the benefit of the American people. Table of ContentsFront MatterOverarching Summary1 Introduction2 Partners in Research and Oversight3 Federally Funded Research at Universities4 Regulations and Policies Related to the Acquisition and Use ofFederal Research Grants5 Regulations and Policies Related to the Conduct of Research6 Regulations and Policies Related to the Financial Management ofResearch Grants7 A New Regulatory Framework for the Nation's Investment inAcademic Research8 Introduction9 Ethical, Legal, and Regulatory Framework for Human SubjectsResearch10 Reporting of Intellectual Property and Technology Transfer11 Research with Select Agents and Toxins12 Export Controls13 Operationalizing the New Regulatory Framework for the FederalInvestment in Research InstitutionsAppendix A: Biographical Information of Committee and StaffAppendix B: Recommendations TableAppendix C: Committee Meeting AgendasAppendix D: Federal Obligations for Science and Engineering to the100 Universities and Colleges Receiving the Largest AmountsAppendix E: Federal Research and Development SpendingAppendix F: A Brief Primer on the Paperwork Reduction ActAppendix G: The Grants Process at the National Science Foundationand the National Institutes of HealthAppendix H: HHS and USDA Select Agents and ToxinsAppendix I: Report Briefings