Research administration has experienced dramatic changes over the past decades. As scientific research has evolved, higher education institutions have tried to adapt, with varying degrees of success. This paper presents a conceptual framework based on six cornerstones of research administration: mission, information, communication, collaboration, transition or transformation, and outcomes. Within these cornerstones are key strategies that research administrators can apply according to their needs, resources, history, and goals. The purpose and importance of such a framework is to give research administrators a strategic role in leading their institutions into the highly competitive scientific research environment of the future. (Contains 1 table and 2 figures.)