Tag: research administration

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Good morning, good afternoon, and good evening, Compliance Rockstars, Clinical Research Professionals, Ethics Enthusiasts, Legal Experts, and Investigators!

330+ subscribers and counting!

Happy New Year and welcome to the first CREST blog post in 2026!

For today’s article, I’d like to highlight top research administration and compliance conferences. These are events you don’t want to miss to develop professionally!

IMPORTANT: Events within this article were included only if they were a “conference” or “annual meeting” (i.e., no other event types such as workshops or webinars).

As a general reminder, these are my own interpretations. Any legal information discussed within this post should be discussed with your institution.

Table of Contents:

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Research Administration and Compliance 2026 Conferences Summary

Organization	Annual Conference(s)	Information Available?
WCG	MAGI	Yes, 2026 information is available.
Public Responsibility in Medicine and Research (PRIM&R)	PRIM&R	Yes, 2026 information is available as well as a call for session proposals.
Northwest Association for Biomedical Research (NWABR)	1. IRB, IBC, & IACUC Conference 2. Clinical Research Professional Conference 3. CyberBIO	Only a call for 2026 session proposals for each conference (as of 1/3/26).
Association of Clinical Research Professionals (ACRP)	ACRP	Yes, 2026 information is available.
Society of Clinical Research Associates (SOCRA)	1. Clinical Research Project/Program Management Conference 2. Quality Management Conference 3. FDA Clinical Trial Requirements, Regulations, Compliance and GCP Conference 4. Pediatric Clinical Trials Conference	No information at this time (as of 1/3/26).
National Council of University Research Administrators (NCURA)	1. Annual Meeting of the Membership 2. Financial Research Administration Conference 3. Pre-Award Research Administration Conference	For two conferences, 2026 information is available (as of 1/3/26).
SCOPE	SCOPE 2026	Yes, 2026 information is available.
Society of Research Administrators (SRAI)	1. Annual Meeting 2. Financial Management 3. Research Administration Conference	Yes, 2026 information is available..

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WCG’s MAGI Conference

MAGI is a WCG event that connects clinical research professionals who are committed to ensuring the quality, compliance, and efficiency.

Per the website, WCG is a partner to research sponsors, CROs, sites and participants in navigating the clinical research journey. WCG showcases their solutions in exhibit booths at various conferences. Further, they offer informative webinars (especially if you’re new to clinical research. You can view the following links below for educational materials:

• Past events
• Upcoming events

Upon review of the MAGI 2025 conference…

• Five education tracks were offered including:
  • Budgets: learning the nuances of ensuring your site is optimized for conducting clinical trials
  • Contracts: exploring field-tested, easily implemented negotiation tools and techniques that can help maintain control, improve turnaround times, and reduce last-minute scrambles
  • Billing compliance: strengthening research billing compliance development and program oversight
  • Quality and regulatory: ensuring adherence to the regulations on research participant protections
  • Clinical operations: mastering approaches to maintaining trial quality and effective tactics for protecting participant safety and data integrity
• You can review the 2025 agenda to view workshops within these educational tracks

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PRIM&R Annual Conference

The PRIM&R Conference educates those involved in research and research oversight to support and achieve the advancement of ethical, responsible, and high-quality research.

PRIM&R is a nonprofit, founded in 1974 that works to ensure the highest ethical standards in research by:

• Providing education,
• Membership, and
• Other professional resources to the research and research oversight community, including those who work with:
  • Human research protections programs (HRPPs),
  • Institutional review boards (IRBs),
  • Animal care and use programs, and
  • Institutional animal care and use committees (IACUCs).

Those who attend these conferences can use the session materials in preparation for the following certifications:

• Certified IRB Professional (CIP)
  • You can review about the CIP in the following post: Navigating Research and Regulatory Certifications: PRIM&R, SOCRA, ACRP, and HCCA Explained
• Certification Professional in IACUC Administration (CPIA)

Upon review of the 2025 PRIM&R Annual Conference…

This also includes the PRIM&R Social Behavioral Educational Research Conference (SBER25). Attendees have the choice to either:

• Attend PRIM&R 2025 only
• Attend SBER 2025 only
• Attend PRIM&R 2025 and SBER25

Educational tracks range from program administration, regulation-specific topics, quality control, post approval monitoring, emerging challenges, and many more!

• You can review the full PRIMR25/SBER25 agenda to view workshops within these educational tracks

You can also submit proposals to speak at PRIMR26!

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NWABR Annual Conferences

NWABR offers three annual conferences and is currently accepting 2026 submissions.

NWABR is dedicated to promoting the public’s trust in ethically conducted biomedical research. You can read more about this organization here: About Us.

IRB, IBC & IACUC Conference Series

This conference is PERFECT if you wear multiple compliance hats or in a small HRPP.

You can review the 2025 program to see the various topics within these compliance areas.

Clinical Research Professional Conference Series

This conference is for clinical research professionals who ensure the ongoing integrity of research within their institutions.

You can review the 2025 program to see this year’s focus: quality initiatives and artificial intelligence (AI)

CyberBIO Conference Series

This conference includes experts across government, industry, and academia to discuss issues at the intersection of biomedical sciences and cybersecurity.

You can review the 2025 program once it is available (as of 9/23/25).

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ACRP Annual Conference

ACRP is a registered charitable organization whose mission is to promote excellence in clinical research.

Their vision ensures that clinical research is performed ethically, responsibly, and professionally everywhere in the world. 

The ACRP 2026 website is available!

Educational tracks for this year’s conference include:

• Clinical operations
• Study and site management
• Regulatory/quality
• Innovation and change management
• Workforce and professional development

Those who attend these conferences can use the session materials in preparation for certification:

• You can review the various ACRP certifications in the following post: Navigating Research and Regulatory Certifications: PRIM&R, SOCRA, ACRP, and HCCA Explained

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SOCRA Annual Conferences

SOCRA is a non-profit, charitable and educational membership organization incorporated in 1991 committed to providing:

• Education,
• Certification, and
• Networking opportunities to all persons involved in clinical research activities.

Those who attend these conferences can use the session materials in preparation for the following SOCRA certification:

• You can review the Certified Clinical Research Professional (CCRP) certification in this post: Navigating Research and Regulatory Certifications: PRIM&R, SOCRA, ACRP, and HCCA Explained

Clinical Research Project/Program Management Conference

This conference is designed to introduce, affirm, or elevate your understanding of project management in the field of clinical research.

The program will broaden the participants’ knowledge of the regulatory framework, project management, planning and accounting, and achieving successful clinical trials. For more details, you can review:

• The program’s learning objectives
• The 2025 agenda

Quality Management Conference

This conference provides insights, practical tools, and real-life examples to navigate quality planning, control, assurance, and improvement in clinical research. 

The event delivers vital information on developing and implementing effective quality management systems in line with FDA Regulations and ICH guidance. For more details, you can review:

• The program’s learning objectives
• The 2025 agenda

FDA Clinical Trial Requirements, Regulations, Compliance and GCP Conference

This conference is designed to aid in the understanding of the FDA’s mission, responsibilities and authority and to facilitate interaction with FDA representatives.

The conference will focus on:

• FDA Clinical Research Requirements,
• Enhancing Success through Communication, and
• Financial Incentives, and Assuring Confidence in Clinical Research

For more details, you can review the program’s learning objectives and 2025 agenda.

Pediatric Clinical Trials Conference

This conference will improve professional skills and understanding of the responsibilities of conducting clinical research in the pediatric population. 

This program is designed to elevate attendees’ understanding and application across the:

• Regulatory environment,
• Informed consent and assent,
• Recruitment and retention,
• Feasibility,
• Budgeting,
• Contracting, and
• Financial management

For more details, you can review the program’s learning objectives and 2025 agenda.

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NCURA Annual Conferences

NCURA offers three annual conferences!

NCURA is a non-profit professional society dedicated to advancing the profession of research administration through:

• Education and professional development programs, the
• Sharing of knowledge and experiences, and the
• Fostering of a diverse, collegial, and respected global community. 

Annual Meeting of the Membership

This conference is held each year in August in Washington DC with workshops prior to the main event!

Various tracks and sessions relate to:

• Pre-Award,
• Post-Award,
• Compliance,
• Departmental,
• Global,
• Predominantly Undergraduate Institutions,
• Clinical Trials/Research, and
• Career-Skills

You can review the 2025 program schedule for specifics related to the conference sessions.

Financial Research Administration Conference

This conference is for those who work in the financial administration of research, specifically to discuss post-award issues.

Various tracks relate to:

• Accounting, Finance & Costing
• Clinical/Medical
• Financial Compliance/Audit
• PUI
• AI/Data/ERA/Systems
• Departmental
• Global
• Workforce, Wellness & Resilience
• Career Development
• Federal
• Pre-Award for Finance

You can review the 2026 program information here.

Pre-Award Research Administration Conference

This conference complements the conference mentioned above; however, pre-award issues are discussed.

Various tracks relate to:

• Clinical/Medical/Industry
• Departmental
• Professional Development
• Sponsors: Federal & Non-profits
• AI/Data/ERA/Systems
• Finance for Pre-Award
• Proposal/Research Development
• Compliance
• Global
• PUI

You can review 2026 program information here.

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SCOPE Annual Conference

The SCOPE 2026 website is available and proposals are being accepted!

Though an official schedule isn’t posted, the event brochure highlights the following educational tracks:

• Trial design and protocol development
• Feasibility and site selection
• Recruitment and engagement

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SRAI Annual Conferences

SRAI provides research administrators globally with the knowledge, resources, and community they need to excel, collaborate, and drive impactful research.

Directly from the website, this organization is the only research management society in the world whose membership spans the entire spectrum of research institutions, including:

• For-profit entities involved in research and development
• Public and private colleges and universities
• Research hospitals and institutes
• Charitable and research-focused nonprofits
• Federal, state, and local government bodies engaged in research

Annual Meeting

Folks who attend the SRAI 2026 conference will gain fresh perspectives on timely topics from the world’s leading research administration experts.

Educational tracks include:

• Financial and Post-Award Administration
• Management and Operations
• Professional Development
• Research Impact and Communications
• Research Ethics and Compliance
• Research Law and Regulations
• Sponsors and Agencies
• Sponsored Programs Planning, Development and Deliveries
• Technology Solutions in Research Administration

Financial Management Conference

The Financial Management Conference is a virtual professional development event focused on financial and post-award management in research administration.

This year’s tracks include:

• Grant accounting
• Departmental administration finance
• Non-financial post-award
• Financial leadership
• Advance finance topics

Research Administration Conference

The Research Administration Conference offers one year’s worth of online training in three days, with the flexibility to create your own schedule.

This year’s tracks include:

• Professional development
• Pre-award
• Contract and law
• Compliance and ethics
• Financial and cost accounting

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I hope you found this article informative!