Periodic Reporting for period 1 - RM ROADMAP (CREATING FRAMEWORK CONDITIONS FOR RESEARCH MANAGEMENT TO STRENGTHEN THE EUROPEAN RESEARCH AREA)
Reporting period: 2022-09-01 to 2023-08-31
The RM Roadmap project (Creating Framework Conditions for Research Management to Strengthen the European Research Area, 2022 – 2025) will create a roadmap for the future of research management (RM) in Europe and a community to support its delivery. To enhance access to excellence, the overarching objective of RM ROADMAP is to identify and adapt the research management capital base of the EU, including the widening countries, of its current and future research management workforce to emerging needs to improve the EU's competitiveness and sustain its economic performance.
The RM ROADMAP consortium is proposing a state-of-the-art pan-European network of research managers (the RM Roadmap Ambassador Network) , supporting the establishment of strategic, cross-border partnerships between research managers in industry, Research Funding Organisations, higher education and research institutions. RM ROADMAP will connect existing European networks on a smart community platform (the RM Roadmap Knowledge and Community Platform) which will enable an unprecedented co-creation process in research management in Europe. This co-creation process will gather the existing communities and expand upon them to reach two main objectives:
1. Create and inform a bottom-up consensus on the future of RM in a roadmap.
2. Inform the community about existing training, networking, funding and mobility opportunities.
The RM ROADMAP consortium is proposing a state-of-the-art pan-European network of research managers (the RM Roadmap Ambassador Network) , supporting the establishment of strategic, cross-border partnerships between research managers in industry, Research Funding Organisations, higher education and research institutions. RM ROADMAP will connect existing European networks on a smart community platform (the RM Roadmap Knowledge and Community Platform) which will enable an unprecedented co-creation process in research management in Europe. This co-creation process will gather the existing communities and expand upon them to reach two main objectives:
1. Create and inform a bottom-up consensus on the future of RM in a roadmap.
2. Inform the community about existing training, networking, funding and mobility opportunities.
By the end of August 2023, 4 milestones have been achieved. This includes the establishment of the RM Roadmap Website (Milestone 1) in Month 2 of the project in October 2022, including information on the project website such as the project timeline, the Ambassador network and the community connect. The Knowledge and Community Platform (Milestone 2) was described in Month 6 of the project in February 2023. The onboarding of the community was initiated in September 2023. The Recruitment of Country Community Ambassadors (Milestone 3) was finalised in Month 9 of the Project, in May 2023. A total of 114 Ambassadors for the country communities on the Knowledge and Community Platform were recruited by October 2023. The overarching Roadmap Plan was finalised in Month 12 of the Project in August 2023.
Additionally, 12 deliverables have been finalised by the end of August 2023 including the dissemination, communication and exploitation plan, the Online Knowledge and Community Platform, the Quality Management Plan, the Data Management Plan, a Preliminary Report on ERA- wide landscape, a Preliminary report on professional Development Opportunities, a Short Policy Brief, the Overarching Roadmap Plan, the Activity Report on the Knowledge and Community Platform, the Preliminary Dissemination, Communication and Exploitation Report, the first Management and Coordination Report, and the Sustainability Plan.
Additionally, 12 deliverables have been finalised by the end of August 2023 including the dissemination, communication and exploitation plan, the Online Knowledge and Community Platform, the Quality Management Plan, the Data Management Plan, a Preliminary Report on ERA- wide landscape, a Preliminary report on professional Development Opportunities, a Short Policy Brief, the Overarching Roadmap Plan, the Activity Report on the Knowledge and Community Platform, the Preliminary Dissemination, Communication and Exploitation Report, the first Management and Coordination Report, and the Sustainability Plan.
RM Roadmap is based on a diverse consortium, bringing in various backgrounds and experiences, who will, together with its boarder community, networks, the Advisory Board, other complementary projects and the target groups, through co-creation and the forging of synergies, and mindfulness of cross-cutting issues, create insights and derive the best practices regarding the most innovative, inspiring and creative methods and tools for charting a course for the future of research management (RM) in Europe and a community to support its delivery.
This aims to build the target groups’ capacities through empowerment and fostering co-creation and necessary skills using digital tools, on an unprecedented scale.
Socio-cultural impacts
• The creation of a local, national and European RM identity
• An increase in access and participation for RM to local and international networks and shaping its future
• Increase in innovative, collaborative and effective RM through sustainable networking actions. Where RM networks or associations were inexistent so far, community building at national level started.
• Increased awareness about relevant EU and national policies, with a special regard to ERA Action 17.
• The increased reciprocal understanding and goal alignment among the local and international target groups.
• Increased mindful approaches regarding inclusiveness, gender equality, and environmental protection among consortium members and target groups regarding all aspects of RM practices.
• Empowerment and capacity-building of the relevant target groups through the development of impactful, accessible, inclusive and transferable material (to be adapted, please see what would be correct here, in additional to be platform, if any: workshops, webinar, impactful media and the online toolbox).
• Increased synergies, knowledge exchange, training, creative thinking, initiative, innovation and training among target groups through the learning network.
Economic impacts
• Improved professional and career experiences for RM professionals, leading to better and more sustainable working environments, stronger commitment and increased self-esteem and productivity.
• The empowerment of the target groups to engage with and harness the potential of RM through improved co- creation, synergies, skills, empowerment and capacity-building of the target groups.
• An improved understanding of roles and tasks of a RM professional.
Environmental impacts
• An increased movement towards the digitalisation of co-creation via sustainable networks.
• Increased attention to environmental issues throughout all planning and implementation processes.
This aims to build the target groups’ capacities through empowerment and fostering co-creation and necessary skills using digital tools, on an unprecedented scale.
Socio-cultural impacts
• The creation of a local, national and European RM identity
• An increase in access and participation for RM to local and international networks and shaping its future
• Increase in innovative, collaborative and effective RM through sustainable networking actions. Where RM networks or associations were inexistent so far, community building at national level started.
• Increased awareness about relevant EU and national policies, with a special regard to ERA Action 17.
• The increased reciprocal understanding and goal alignment among the local and international target groups.
• Increased mindful approaches regarding inclusiveness, gender equality, and environmental protection among consortium members and target groups regarding all aspects of RM practices.
• Empowerment and capacity-building of the relevant target groups through the development of impactful, accessible, inclusive and transferable material (to be adapted, please see what would be correct here, in additional to be platform, if any: workshops, webinar, impactful media and the online toolbox).
• Increased synergies, knowledge exchange, training, creative thinking, initiative, innovation and training among target groups through the learning network.
Economic impacts
• Improved professional and career experiences for RM professionals, leading to better and more sustainable working environments, stronger commitment and increased self-esteem and productivity.
• The empowerment of the target groups to engage with and harness the potential of RM through improved co- creation, synergies, skills, empowerment and capacity-building of the target groups.
• An improved understanding of roles and tasks of a RM professional.
Environmental impacts
• An increased movement towards the digitalisation of co-creation via sustainable networks.
• Increased attention to environmental issues throughout all planning and implementation processes.