Under Pressure: The Rising Strain on UK University Research Contract Teams

Workloads, retention issues, and complexity are stretching teams to breaking point.

Introduction

Research drives innovation, collaboration, and funding — but none of it happens without contracts in place.

Behind every successful grant, partnership, or commercial deal, there’s a university contracts team making it happen. Quietly, expertly, and often under huge pressure.

📈 This blog draws on findings from the 2023 Research Contracts Benchmarking Study by Research Consulting, covering the experiences of 24 UK universities from 2018–2023. It offers the clearest picture yet of the growing demands placed on this vital but often under-resourced sector.

Workloads Are High — and Rising

The study found that across UK and Australian universities, 240 full-time contract staff delivered 22,465 new research contracts in one year — around 100 contracts per person.

On top of that, many contracts require:

🔹Amendments or extensions

🔹Extra attention for complexity

In the UK, contract volumes rose 6% over five years, a clear sign that demand is growing — and capacity is being stretched.

Staff Retention Issues Make It Worse

Recruiting the right people is hard — keeping them is even harder.

🔸 Two-thirds of institutions rely on temporary staff

🔸 Salaries are lagging behind inflation

🔸 When experienced staff leave, they take valuable knowledge with them

This creates delays, slows down the research pipeline, and adds stress to remaining staff.

Contract Complexity Keeps Growing

It’s not just about volume — contracts today are:

🔹 More tailored

🔹 More legally sensitive

🔹 More resource-intensive

Smaller institutions, in particular, face challenges managing a broad mix of contract types without the benefit of large specialist teams.

⚠️The Result? Delays, Frustration and Burnout

There are many skilled and hardworking contracts professionals doing great work under pressure. But the system isn’t set up to handle the demand.

Teams are being asked to do more with less — often without the tools, time, or support they need.

A Potential Solution

There’s no single fix — but outsourcing contract work can help reduce the pressure without compromising on quality or control.

Our data shows the cost per contract is often lower than, or comparable to, the sector average.

An outsourced partner can offer:

✅ Bespoke support when and where it’s needed

✅ Experienced input for complex contracts

✅ Seamless integration with your team

✅ Lower or comparable cost to in-house delivery

Helping teams to:

✅ Handle surges in volume

✅ Cover staff absences

✅ Clear backlogs of time-sensitive agreements

In short: we help reduce the pressure — so your team can focus on other priorities.

We’re already supporting universities across the UK to ease contract pressures. If you're facing similar challenges, we’d be happy to talk through how outsourced support could help your team.

This blog references data and findings from the 2023 Research Contracts Benchmarking Study conducted by https://www.research-consulting.com/. The report is publicly available and offers further insights into the research contracts landscape across UK universities.