Research managers asked to get involved in efforts to professionalise their roles
An EU-funded project that is creating a plan to professionalise research management is calling for input from the sector.
The RM Roadmap project, which is being led by the European Association of Research Managers and Administrators, has received €1.5 million from the EU and plans to connect existing networks of professionals working in the field.
It also aims to clarify their roles and set out research management’s potential to support European research and innovation systems.
On 11 September, Earma contacted research managers in 40 European countries asking them to get involved in discussions about their jobs.
There will be one discussion group per country about the research management profession, which will be led by a national ambassador for the project.
Consensus documents
After the discussions, the ambassadors will create a consensus document for their country, on which the national community will then vote. The final consensus document will go forward to inform further European-level work on the project.
Earma’s coordinator of the RM Roadmap project, Nik Claesen, said the research management community in Europe had reached “a pivotal moment”, after previously describing the roadmap project as a “game-changer” for the profession.
“The participation of research managers from across Europe will ensure that a diverse range of perspectives is captured in the project’s outcomes,” he said.
“This will allow the RM Roadmap and the connected EU policy to create a better situation for research managers to benefit the R&I system.”
The conversations for the RM Roadmap project will take place online on a newly created Knowledge and Community Platform.
An online session demonstrating how to use the platform is scheduled for 25 September.