Trusted counsel for academic institutions in the areas of research grants and research misconduct.

Research Grants

Accepting research grants from the government comes with a host of compliance challenges. The federal government has historically played a major role in funding university-based R&D performance, and Feldesman attorneys have been right in the middle of major research grant policy decision making for decades. Our team of highly experienced attorneys help colleges, universities, academic medical centers, and other research grantees with a variety of services, including litigation, transactions, and counseling.

Feldesman attorneys frequently advise clients regarding evolving grant law and compliance across all funding agencies, not limited to health care. Our attorneys regularly appear in both state and federal courts representing higher education grantees at hearings, motions, trials, and appeals in a variety of controversies. Areas of experience include:

  • Sponsored and Collaborative Research
  • Government Reporting Requirements
  • Internal Investigations
  • Compliance and Audits
  • Litigations and Government Investigations
  • Mandatory Disclosures (Including Foreign Funding Disclosures)

Research Misconduct

We advise institutions facing matters involving allegations of plagiarism, fabrication or falsification of data in the context of sponsored research. Feldesman’s Federal Grants team helps clients with conducting internal investigations and responding to whistleblower complaints to resolve such disputes.

Our attorneys bring years of experience in cases involving misconduct that are subject to parallel government investigation under different civil, criminal, and administrative authorities. These cases have unique procedures and pitfalls that can be avoided. In sensitive matters, our team is highly experienced in:

  • Providing legal support in the inquiry phase and writing reports.
  • Managing investigations and delivering reports.
  • Advising research administration and general counsel about procedural issues and the rights of complainants and respondents.
  • Managing parallel investigations under criminal, civil, and administrative law.
  • Representing institutions in dispute resolution.

We also conduct research integrity training and provide support to Offices of Research Integrity on emerging areas of policy and enforcement.