The Research Organisation should already know all relevant statutory requirements. It should accept responsibility for complying with them. In New Zealand, these may include the Resource Management Act, the Health and Safety in Employment Act, the Hazardous Substances Act to name a few. If the Research Organisation is uncertain which laws apply, it is responsible for finding out. It is not unreasonable for a Client to request an indemnity in respect to costs, damages and fines arising from any failure by the Research Organisation to comply with applicable legal requirements.
Some research projects are riskier than others.
Testing a new drug on humans is riskier than testing a new drug on mice. All things being equal the riskier the project, the more careful a Research Organisation must be before accepting responsibility for legal compliances. In rare cases, the Research Organisation and the Client share responsibility for legal compliance. That attitude can work to a Client's disadvantage. This could happen where a Research Organisation performs a service in-house when it could have contracted out the service at a greatly reduced cost.