Internal transfer to a research opportunity?

I work at a BB and have an opportunity to transfer to a position in equity research (within the strategy team), however a good part of my focus will not be equity research, but rather primary research. The bank is looking to work with a market research firm to develop some proprietary indices (e.g. along the lines of PMI indices, commodities indices) and I'd be the person managing the relationship, working with relevant analysts/economists and publishing on the findings of the primary research. While this sounds like an opportunity to develop something very original, I can also see how I could be an odd man out in the department with lower status than the coverage analysts. What are your thoughts on such an opportunity? Also what is the potential for this type of primary research to be monetized (or is it more of a franchise-building exercise)?