Joining the Dots: research management across organisations
The 2006 Conference took place on 25-26 May at the Carlton Hotel, Edinburgh. Here you can find reports from each session and copies of the presentations.
Research management crosses many departmental boundaries in research organisations, but a truly 'joined-up approach' is not always promoted. The 2006 Conference focused on the promotion of joined-up research management and development, within and between research organisations, funders and other bodies. Plenary sessions included reflections from research leaders on the experience of managing large portfolios of research at organisation level whilst maintaining their own research, and a discussion of the different roles of central and faculty-based university research managers in preparing for RAE2008. Interactive workshop sessions included presentations of virtual research environments and a discussion of issues in PhD studentship management.
Copyright in presentations rests with their authors (or their employers, if appropriate). References to presentations should include both the name of the presenter and of the conference (i.e. "ARMA Conference 2006: Joining the Dots: research management across organisations, 25-26 May 2006, Edinburgh"). Copying and distribution of the presentations, or extracts from them, is not permitted without the express permission of the relevant authors. Please read our copyright statement.
Day 1: Thursday 25 May
Plenary 1: Shifting viewpoints: managing the research portfolioThis session addressed the challenges and rewards of managing programmes of research at organisational level, in different types of organisations, considering issues and needs such as opportunities for developing research activities in novel interdisciplinary and collaborative ways; balancing individual, departmental and corporate interests against the external environment; and how academic and administrative staff work together within and between departments to achieve common goals.
Presenters:
Professor Mike Smith Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Research & Enterprise), University of Teesside
Hugh Edmiston, Operations Director, Roslin Institute
Professor Vicki Bruce, Vice Principal and Head of College, College of Humanities and Social Science, University of Edinburgh
Parallel Plenary sessions:
A: The art of regional collaboration
Regional collaborations are becoming fashionable. Are they merely a passing fad or are they better suited to current trends in research funding and/or regional government? Will the benefits outweigh the extra "work"? Senior members from three examples of research collaboration initiatives, ScotCHEM, Great Western and N8 addressed the Conference about their experiences.
Presenters:
Professor David Jackson, University of Glasgow and Director Designate of WESTChem Research Pool
Professor David Billington, Executive Director, Great Western Research
Professor David Secher, Chief Executive, N8
B: Close-up on quality: benchmarking research support
In 2005, the Association of Commonwealth Universities (ACU) convened a series of workshops to consider approaches to benchmarking research support activities across the diverse range of member universities. The workshops developed a series of benchmarking statements for key areas of activity (e.g. pre-award, post-award). This session presented the process used and discussed the overall findings of the project, with two participants in the benchmarking workshops talking about the benefits they got from taking part, and subsequent effects.
Presenters:
Svava Bjarnason, Director of Research and Strategy, Association of Commonwealth Universities
Dr Michael Owen, Associate Vice President Research & Director of Research Services, Brock University, Canada
Richard Bond, Deputy Director (Research & Graduate Studies), Centre for Research, Innovation and Graduate Studies, University of the West of England
Day 2: Friday 26 May
Parallel Plenary sessions:
C: Keeping it in perspective: preparing for RAE2008
This session included an update on recent developments from the RAE Manager, followed by perspectives on preparations for RAE from central and local research managers in a large and a smaller university. The speakers addressed a range of issues related to the Code of Practice, and the university managers contrasted the different roles of research managers in different locations within universities and in different types of universities.
Presenters:
Ed Hughes, RAE Manager
Dr John Rogers, Director of Research & Knowledge Transfer, University of Stirling
Denise Davidson, Head of Faculty RAE Administration, Faculty of Medical and Human Sciences, University of Manchester
D: Focus on the future of clinical research
This session included two presentations looking at two key issues affecting clinical research in the future.
World class clinical research vs. the Research Governance Framework
This presentation expounded on the Southampton experience of an integrated approach to the identification of Research Sponsor and required RGF checks across the NHS and University and gave participants a chance to share their own examples of 'best practice'.
Presenters:
Dr Martina Dorward, Research Governance Manager, University of Southampton
Christine McGrath, R&D manager, Southampton University Hospital Trust
The implications of the new NHS R&D Strategy
The new NHS R&D strategy: Best Research for Best Health sets the goals for NHS R&D over the next five years and aims: to create a health research system in which the NHS supports outstanding individuals, working in world class facilities, conducting leading edge research, focused on the needs of patients and the public. Through implementation of the strategy the Department of Health will change completely the way in which NHS R&D is funded. A key challenge for NHS Trusts and their academic partners will be a move to competitive bidding for funds to support the new initiatives and programmes within the strategy.
Dr Nichola Seare, Head of Research and Development, LNR Healthcare Workforce Deanery
Plenary 2: The big picture: partnerships in research
The final conference session focused on relationships between organisations involved in research, nationally and internationally. Partners in these relationships include funding bodies and research organisations, in the public and private sectors in different countries and continents.
Presenters:
Dr Michael Owen, Associate Vice President Research & Director of Research Services, Brock University & SRA International
Dr Sean McCarthy, Hyperion Ltd.
Dr Richard Sullivan, Director of Clinical Programmes and Centres, Cancer Research UK
Workshop sessions:
Funders' Forum: perspectives on research partnerships
Dr John Wand MBE, EPSRC
Dr Lee-Ann Coleman, Deputy Chief Executive & Head of Policy Research, Association of Medical Research Charities
Amanda Crowfoot, Director, UK Research Office (UKRO)
Dr Stuart Fancey, Scottish Funding Council
An opportunity to join with funders from different sectors to discuss the benefits and challenges of partnerships between funders and research organisations, as well as between research organisations. To what extent are these interactions viewed as partnerships? What are the implications of 'partnerships' for the partners' ways of working?
RAE2008 data collection system
Jennifer Crook, RAE Systems Developer, RAE team
The closing date for higher education institutions to make a submission to the 2008 Research Assessment Exercise (RAE) is 30 November 2007. The software system to collect and submit the data for the exercise has been written from new. This workshop allowed delegates to have a "first look" at the data collection system for 2008 RAE before the pilot version is released in August 2006.
An introduction to European funding for research
Martin Hamilton, European Officer, University of Leeds
An introduction to the European Union as a research funder. The session included information on the Framework Programmes and advice on how to negotiate the complexities of applying to, and dealing with, the EU. It was partly aimed at participants attending the Fundamentals of Research Administration workshop prior to the Conference.
An introduction to research degrees administration
Sheena Bateman, Senior Research Administrator, Chelsea College of Art and Design, University of the Arts London
Offering an overview of research degree student administration, this workshop focused on the main structures, guidelines and processes including variations and examples of practice within the UK HE sector and facilitate a discussion in the context of the Quality Assurance Agency's Code of Practice on Research Degrees. It was partly aimed at participants attending the Fundamentals of Research Administration workshop prior to the Conference.
'The Virtual Research Environment' or 'The Pros and Cons of using IT to underpin Research Administration'
Ian Wilson, Head of Research Information Systems, University of Nottingham
The University of Nottingham is at the forefront of developing and using a Virtual Research Environment (VRE), established in 2003, in order to underpin its research (support) activities. The session:
- shared findings and experiences
- discussed the pros and cons of an integrated approach
- assessed the costs and benefits
- considered the bigger picture - including the growing complexity of the research landscape, the use of targets and KPIs, the impact of FEC and the requirements of the 2008 RAE
- explored how the culture of an institution impacts on its academic and administrative staff
and was aimed at administrators and managers at all levels wondering how technology may help - or indeed hinder - them in the many and varied research (support) processes.
The spirit and challenge of research ethics
Dr Edward Gabriele, Assistant Vice President for Research Integrity, MedStar Research Institute, Hyattsville, Maryland & SRA International
The question of integrity in research has had a long evolution arising from a creatively tense relationship between the processes of human inquiry, the desire for human advancement, and the concern of culture over the commitment to humane ethics. In the US, key standards for the responsible conduct of research emerged from the Office of Research Integrity at the Department of Health and Human Services, which require careful review and mature reflection by institutions, staff, and researchers to understand their implications and ensure their practice in the research setting. This presentation provided an overview of the nine standards for the responsible conduct of research, their historical evolution, and proposed strategies whereby institutions can begin to incorporate them into the research culture. In presenting this material, experiences from the US provided a set of comparative lessons for institutions in the UK who are currently establishing broader ethics review processes.
The RAE for beginners
Jen Shearer, Research Services Manager, Research Support Services Team, University of Stirling
This workshop aimed to de-mystify the RAE for administrators who are new to the experience. Jen Shearer, a veteran of three RAEs to date, explained WHAT the RAE is, WHY it matters, HOW to approach it and WHEN it all needs to happen. After a short presentation, groups discussed the principal administrative challenges associated with the various elements of an RAE submission. The session was partly aimed at participants attending the Fundamentals of Research Administration workshop prior to the Conference.
PhD studentship management
Mark Burgess, Assistant Director for Research Services, University College London
UCL has used the inherent flexibility built-in to funders' terms and conditions to 'pool' funding, top-slice awards to cover the cost of management and coordination, fund students with enhanced stipends and still recruit more students with the same initial funds. This is not a miracle, but it does require leadership, decision making, planning and monitoring, an unusual combination of skills, not generally seen in the HEI environment.
Managing your own career development
Alison Fenton, Director, Kaleidoscope Consulting
This personal development workshop, run by an experienced HR practitioner formerly of the University of Glasgow, aimed to enable participants to identify their career objectives and undertake a personal skills and competency analysis, and match these to their current job requirements. Participants were supported in grouping these competencies into meaningful categories and levels, identifying and prioritising gaps and developing a career development action plan.
US funding opportunities
Bill Schweri, Director of Federal Relations and Sponsored Program Development, University of Kentucky & SRA International
This workshop provided an overview of US funding opportunities available to research organisations based outside the USA. It aimed to raise awareness of some of the main potential US funding sources (including government agencies and foundations) and to highlight some of the issues that applicants need to consider when applying to these bodies.
