International Research Management Staff Development Programme

The International Research Management Staff Development Programme is an initiative of the Research Management Programme in Africa (ReMPro), being implemented in collaboration with ARMA. The programme contributes to ReMPro’s 4th strand on ‘developing individual capacity of research management staff’.  It is a practical skills and cultural learning programme for UK and African research managers. The focus is especially on knowledge sharing between individuals and the development of tools and resources for the wider research management community, co-created by international teams consisting of research management professionals from the UK and across Africa. Check out our publication – New approaches: Challenging the Status Quo – for an overview on the participating teams and the outputs!

Objectives

• Build capacity

• Strengthen collaboration and knowledge exchange among the participating institutions

• Foster South-South and North-North relationships, while at the same time strengthening international ties and,

• Increase diversity and enhance inclusion of under-represented institutions and groups in international programmes

Thematic Focus

• Research management support functions and infrastructure

• Professional development for research managers and administrators

• Funding and collaboration for research

• Research uptake and impact

Expected Impact

The expected long-term impact of the programme is strengthening and professionalising Research Management as a career in Africa. Within the programme’s own timeframe, the expected impact is in

• Having more research management staff professionally skilled and have more confidence to enact change and find solutions to real problems in their institutions/community

• Having staff working in research management increasingly recognise and value research management as a profession

• Enabling the Research and Innovation Management Associations have better understanding of the gaps and needs of research management professionals in their regions

Participants

The call for Expressions of Interest closed on 10th of August 2020. Following a rigorous selection process, 12 teams from Africa and UK were selected. The teams were consequently matched to form 6 international teams. African participants were from institutions in South Africa, Zimbabwe, Somalia, Tanzania, Uganda, Botswana, Kenya and Zambia. UK participants were from institutions in the North East, South East, London, North West and East Midlands regions.

Resources developed from the programme

Following 7 months of collaborative work and co-creation, the teams have developed open tools and resources for research management professionals which can be accessed below.

To help us continuously develop the resources and measure their impact, before you download, please fill in this short survey to let us know how you intend to use the material here

• Team 1: TREMOR – Toolkit for Early-career research Managers Online Resource 

This resource has been developed to help entry level and early career RMA to develop the experience and expertise required to succeed in their roles. 

• Team 2: Research Communication for Impact 

This is a toolkit for East African academics to assist engagement with policymakers.

• Team 3: Pre-award Tracking: A Glossary for Research Development 

The aim of this glossary is to provide individuals with the foundations in language, tracking and qualification of research development to better engage other research offices for ongoing research applications and encourage stronger relationships amongst Research Managers and Administrators (RMAs).

• Team 4: A Competencies Tool Kit for Research Managers and Administrators

These resources have been developed to provide top-tips to research managers on Research development, Grant writing, project costings, contracts and post-award support.

• Team 5: Cradle to Grave: A Research and Programme Management Knowledge-sharing Series

These resources has been developed to give tips and knowledge on the various stages of research management – pre-award and design, rollout and implementation, close-out and legacy.

• Team 6: Sustainable Management and Administration for Research: Training across the project Lifecycle (SMARTLife)

These resources have been developed to equip research managers on setting up and managing international collaborations/partnerships and areas of skills development on the same.