Toyin Babarinde, PhD, CRA

How Institutions Should Prepare for 2026 Looking ahead, institutions that succeed in 2026 will focus less on chasing individual funding calls and more on building sustainable research capacity. The Takeaway 2025 clarified what the future of research funding looks like. Institutions that succeed in 2026 will not simply work harder, they will work more strategically,

A high-performing research enterprise requires more than strong investigators, it requires strategic infrastructure, coordinated support, and an institutional culture that enables faculty to thrive. Research Development (RD) and Faculty Development (FD) together function as the engine that drives research productivity, competitiveness, and long-term sustainability. Research Development Offices RD is institution-facing, building systems, tools, and strategic capacity. Faculty Development Offices

Research offices are the engine of academic and scientific institutions. In 2025, they face new pressures such as an evolving research funding landscape, increasing competition for grants and partnerships, complex compliance and reporting requirements, limited staff resources, and the need to support strategic research growth. A high-performing research office balances efficient operations with proactive research development, supporting faculty and institutional goals. This guide provides actionable strategies to strengthen both administration and development functions.

Is Your Research Office Positioned for Success? Start With a 10-Question Checkup Research administration and research development are evolving faster than most institutions can keep up. New funding models, global competition, shifting compliance demands, and the rise of strategic proposal development all mean one thing: research offices must operate smarter, not harder.