The 2009 Annual Conference of the Association of Research Managers and Administrators took place in Southampton on 2/3rd June 2009. The 2009 event was an opportunity for research managers and administrators to meet major funders and policy makers, as well as each other, to discuss and debate the future challenges facing us all. With more than thirty sessions, the range of topics on offer spanned the needs of everyone - from those new to the research support profession through to the most experienced managers.

With three pre-conference events on offer on 1st June (Fundamentals of Research Administration, a half-day Expert Seminar (focussing on Identifying and Demonstrating the Impacts of Research) and an Executive Forum, plus the opportunity for delegates to participate in the Poster Session, which will run throughout the conference, the whole event aims to showcase the best of existing practice and future thinking.

In addition to the thought-provoking programme, the ARMA Conference offers colleagues a chance to network and build career-enhancing relationships, as well as the opportunity to meet professional providers of services to the research support community at the ARMA exhibition.

Poster Exhibition

ARMA members were encouraged to contribute poster abstracts for the 2009 Poster Exhibition, opening at 6.30 p.m. on Monday 1st June and continuing in the Mayflower Suite throughout the conference.

We regret that we cannot now consider any new poster proposals.

Conference Sponsors

We are grateful for the generous support of our Conference Sponsors: Agresso, Avedas, Evidence and Symplectic and from our Press Partner, ResearchResearch.

Venue

The De Vere Grand Harbour Hotel is an iconic, modern conference venue, with a stunning glass atrium, located directly on the Southampton waterfront, overlooking the Solent, the medieval town walls and the harbour from which the "Mayflower" sailed.

About the Conference

The event will include six parallel sessions of 75 minutes, spread over two full days and structured under eight themes:

Research Funding and Funding Opportunities (FUN)

Funder presentations about their programmes and schemes; methods of managing funding opportunity information; proposal facilitation and preparation

Policy and Strategy (POL)

Development and implementation of policy; strategy and target setting; the national funding environment; culture development and change; organisation capacity building

Research Integrity, Ethics and Governance(GOV)

Encouraging good conduct in research and handling misconduct; setting up and operating ethics committees; managing the regulatory environment

Operations, Systems and Structures for Research Support(OPS)

Research support process and operational practice; institutional research management systems and funder application and administration systems; office and support structures and skill sets

Developing professional research managers and administrators(RMA)

Career stages and paths; skills required for research management and administration.

Developing and supporting researchers(RES)

Approaches to support for and development of postgraduate research students and postdoctoral research staff; administrative processes underpinning these activities

Assessing Research(ASR)

Approaches to assessing research, including the Research Excellence Framework (discussion of the technical approaches and experience of the pilot process) and institutional internal review processes

Dissemination, Use and Exploitation(DIS)

Publication strategies; public engagement and outreach; knowledge transfer and exchange; user involvement and professional practice

Vendor Sessions - Tuesday June 3rd

Session 107 - Agresso: a Case Study with the University of Southampton. The benefits of d elivering a consistent research administration system within a major Russell Group university.

Session 207 - Is digital different? How the British Library is adapting to changing researcher behaviour.

Session 307 - Avedas: Converis - an end-to-end solution for managing your contracts, publications and the REF

Make your choice of parallel sessions when booking online.

PROGRAMME:

Pre-Conference: Monday 1st June

Fundamentals of Research Administration (one-day training seminar)
Executive Forum (discussion forum, a.m.)
Pre-conference Expert Seminar - "Identifying and Demonstrating the Impacts of Research" (p.m.)

All bookable separately.

For conference delegates:

Registration 16.00-18.00, Mayflower Lobby
Newcomers Reception and opening of Poster Exhibition, the Atrium (De Vere Hotel) 18.30

Delegates arriving on Monday evening who may like to meet up with other members to dine in the hotel restaurant should add their names to the list at the registration desk and meet in the Reception area of the De Vere at 7.30 p.m.

Conference Day 1: Tuesday 2nd June

Registration: 8-9.15 a.m., Hotel Reception area

0915 Welcome and Plenary 1

James Towner (RCUK, Shared Services Centre Ltd.)

Professor Bill Wakeham (University of Southampton)

1030 Coffee

1100 Parallel Session 1

1215 Lunch & ARMA AGM

1345 Parallel Session 2

1500 Tea

1530 Parallel Session 3

2030 Gala Dinner, Mayflower Suite - preceded by Drinks Reception

Conference Day 2: Wednesday 3rd June

0915 Parallel Session 4

1030 Coffee

1100 Plenary 2

"Any research admin. questions?"

Alastair Ulph,Vice President and Dean, University of Manchester

David Sweeney, Director (Research Innovation and Skills), HEFCE

Andrew Le Masurier, Chair, Research Admin. Convergence Grp. RCUK

Glen Swafford. Director of Research Services, University of Oxford

Interviewer: William Cullerne Bown, Chief Editor, Research Fortnight

1215 Lunch (& Fundamentals Lunch)

1330 Parallel Session 5

1445 Tea

1515 Parallel Session 6

1630 Close

Accommodation for Delegates

Delegates are responsible for booking their own hotel accommodation, but may care to take advantage of specially negotiated rates at:

the conference hotel (De Vere Grand Harbour)
the Holiday Inn (directly opposite the De Vere)
the Novotel (10-15 minutes walk, near the central railway station)

Bookings can be made now by quoting "ARMA Allocation". Prices quoted are rate per night per person and include breakfast and VAT. Please note that special rates will be available only until April 30th and provided that there are still rooms available. Early booking is advised to avoid disappointment.

De Vere Hotel: £130 single occupancy, or upgrade to a de-luxe room for £150. Double occupancy, please add £10. Indoor pool, fully equipped Technogym, E-Spa, wi-fi inernet access and traditional style, air-conditioned rooms. Free car parking for hotel residents. Contact: Petra Trossbach, email: petra.trossbach@devere-hotels.com or phone 02380 633033 (Option 2 - Groups)

Holiday Inn: £95, single occupancy, £115 double occupancy. All rooms with AC and high speed internet access. "Spirit" Health Club (gym and indoor pool). Panoramic views over the waterfront. Free car parking for hotel residents. Contact: Marie Privett, email: marie.privett@ihg.com or phone 023 8038 8141

Novotel: £90, single occupancy or £105 to upgrade to a superior room. All rooms have wi-fi internet access. Indoor pool and fitness centre. Car parking on site (charge applies). Contact: Angela Ludford, email: h0173@accor.com or phone 023 8033 0550.

All three hotels are near the West Quay Shopping Centre.

Nearby budget hotels (near the Novotel): Ibis and Etap

Directions to the conference venue:

The De Vere Grand Harbour Hotel is on West Quay Road on the Southampton Waterfront (A3) on Map. (Holiday Inn -A5 and Novotel B5).

By road: M3 South, leave at Junction 13 (M27). Exit M27 at Junction 3 and follow signs to Southampton Waterfront. Sat. Nav. co-ordinates - Lat. 508998, Long. 14077

The National Express coach terminal is in the city centre, on Harbour Parade. There are direct and connecting services to destinations around Britain, including central London, Heathrow and Gatwick airports.

Car Parking: Charge for parking at the De Vere Hotel is £5 per day for non-resident delegates.

By rail: five minutes by taxi from Southampton railway station (leave the station via Platform 4). Or ten minutes walk through West Quay Retail Park (between John Lewis and IKEA). Typical journey times to Southampton Central: 67 minutes from London Waterloo, 74 minutes from Oxford or 15 minutes from Salisbury.

By air: Southampton airport offers flights to over forty destinations in the UK and Europe. The Airport Parkway station boasts one of the fastest plane-to-train connections in Europe (8 minutes to Southampton Central station). Check out the live transport updates on the new screens in the Arrivals Hall. The station is a very short walk from the terminal - turn left at the main exit and you are just 99 paces from the rail connection!

Taxis must be booked at the taxi desk in the Arrivals Hall before proceeding to the terminal forecourt. Alternatively, leave the airport terminal, walk over to the Airport Parkway station, cross the bridge and use the taxi rank there.

Two local bus operators offer services to the city centre from the airport (journey time approximately 35 minutes) . Unilink U1C for the University/City Centre/Waterfront (every 15 minutes) of the First Group 14/14A (an hourly service).

Volunteers required!

How would you like to help with the smooth running of the Conference? Whether this is your first time, or you're an experienced attendee, volunteering is a great way to help the organisers and meet other members.

There are a range of opportunities for volunteers, including working on the registration desk or in the conference office and/or acting as a room monitor.

Room monitors are responsible for liaising with their session speaker(s) and the session chair (if there is one) and for helping 'lost' delegates (making sure attendees are in the right session). The role includes timing the session so it doesn't overrun and sorting out room problems.

Volunteers will be able to attend their pre-booked sessions, but must agree in advance of the conference which session(s) they will monitor. As a monitor, you will be relied on to attend the session(s) committed to. Full details will be sent to you when you volunteer, and there will be a briefing on the day.

If you are interested in volunteering, please e-mail Linda Parker. Go on, give it a try!

Conference Gala Dinner

This year the Gala Dinner will be held in the Mayflower Suite at the De Vere Hotel. The post-dinner entertainment will be provided by DJ Dave Haslam, famous throughout the late 1980s for his time at the Hacienda Club in Manchester. Dave's impressive and eventful DJ history includes touring with the Stone Roses, film premiere parties (Twenty Four Hour Party People and Control) and aftershow parties for New Order, Depeche Mode, Gorillaz and the Charlatans. Dave still has an international reputation, playing gigs in Detroit, Berlin, Zurich, Paris, Reykjavik, Ibiza and Peru.

Gala dinner menu

Price:

Member's rate: £395

Non members rate: £452 until 31/3/08, thereafter £458. If you are booking for more than one event, the non-member supplement is only payable once per person.

Fees include lunches, refreshments and the conference dinner (including wine, entertainment and pre-dinner drinks reception).

Members of ARMA groups wishing to register after April 1st should first contact their group co-ordinator to check that the group invoice has been raised, in order to avoid individual, full-rate membership fees being added automatically to their invoice.

A limited number of day-delegate places are available (either 2nd or 3rd June) at £200 per person per day - this rate does not include the conference dinner. Please contact Rosemary for a special booking code.

The price for additional guests/partners attending the conference dinner is £50 per head, which includes wine, entertainment and the pre-dinner drinks reception. Places can't be booked online, but must be booked in advance of the conference -please contact Jenny if you wish to bring a guest.

The higher rate for non-members will include annual membership of ARMA for the period until 31st March 2010. For tax reasons, ARMA events are open to members only. If you are not yet a member, you will be able to join in the course of making your booking. If you are already a member, you will be required to use your membership number when booking.

Terms & Conditions of booking

Queries

The contact for general queries is Rosemary Hatch. For queries related to the conference programme, please contact Ian Carter.

Dress Code

We know that first-time delegates may be uncertain about the dress code for the conference. We'd like you to feel comfortable while you are in the sessions, so we'd advise 'smart casual' or 'business casual'. We also know that some of you may wish to wear something smarter - so please make your own choice about whether to bring a suit. People do generally dress up for the conference dinner, however.

Booking

Booking is now open. Please remember to log in before registering if you are already an ARMA member.

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