The Research Office formulates, and is the College custodian of, research funding policies for good governance, best practice and maximising research income. It provides expert advice, manages audits, oversees compliance, and supports and develops systems to underpin the management of research.

Local research support is provided by Research Services teams in the Faculties of Natural Sciences and Engineering and Imperial Business School, and by Research Services teams in the Joint Research Office within the Faculty of Medicine. These teams deliver operational and transactional activities; organisationally they sit within, and report to, each Faculty. The Research Office provides the policy and system frameworks within which the Faculty Research Services team operate.