T1.       Pre-Award: Proposal Development and Funding Opportunities

Track leader: Katrin Reschwamm

• Proposal preparation: issues and proposal writing
• H2020 Projects
• Other Funders e.g. NIH

This track concerns practical pre-award issues (including proposal preparation). It therefore covers a diverse range of topics, from building a collaborative network to how to increase your chances of funding. The track also examines funding opportunities, both H2020 and other opportunities across the globe. It examines where simplifications can be made and also highlights any national funding that could be accessible to the wider international community.

T2.       Post Award: Grant Management

Track leader: Jagdees Pabla

• IPR and consortium agreements (e.g. DESCA)
• Responsible Research and Innovation
• Open Access
• Data Management and data protection
• Gender
• Compliance and scientific integrity
• Financial and General Management of Grants

This track covers a diverse range of topics related to the above themes. It also presents an opportunity for professionals (including legal experts and other qualified managers) to exchange views and innovative ideas. In addition, The track also looks at general issues with respect to post award grant management, including financial aspects. This includes particular rules relating to funding programmes (H2020 and others) as well as experiences with national and international funding agencies such as NIH etc.

T3.       Professional development and Career Development; Generic Training

Track leaders: Evelina Brännvall

• Professional development and recognition of the profession
• Expertise needed within profession
• Models for training and certification
• Professional Certificate courses
• Generic Skills (e.g. time management, presentation skills and negotiation or leadership skills)
• Software tools

This track looks at how one defines the profession of RMA and examines the expertise needed as well as support structures (e.g. central or devolved), career development and the international environment in which research managers and administrators operate.  Professional development and recognition of the profession and career development are key objectives of EARMA. The track addresses key questions such as: How do we define RMA and which areas of expertise belong to it? How does this compare internationally? The Track also covers topics related to the certificate programme, though subject topics (i.e. topics within the programme itself) will be covered in one of the other tracks.   A further example is support structures needed to fulfil the task of RMA an examines different models of support offices. Finally, the track covers all areas related to generic training (e.g. time management, use of software tools, presentation and communication skills).

T4.       Post-Award: Research Strategies and Policies, the Global Dimension and Collaboration with non-Academic Partners

Track Leaders: Emmanuel Babatunde / Anja Hegen

• Research strategies and policies at institutional level
• Metrics: innovation and valorisation indicators
• External pressures, changing funding landscapes and coping strategies
• Research assessment frameworks and league tables
• Academic-Industrial Academic-public sector Collaboration (or academic-non-academic collaborations)
• Proof of concept: Research from idea to exploitation
• Complexity in the European Funding Landscape
• This track touches on themes such as institutional development of strategic research policies; strategic network building, but also on the development of innovation and valorisation techniques.

Furthermore, the track examines how external pressures, such as reductions in public funding, the increasing use of metrics and associated research assessment frameworks and new technologies are all changing the way universities develop their external strategies.

The Track also covers the global dimension of research funding: specifically, it will look at how research is increasingly globalised and examine how research managers need to develop new ways of working to engage fully with these changes. [Note, international funding programmes are covered in Track 1].

Finally the Track examines various aspects of collaboration with non-academic partners (e.g. Public-Private Partnerships), exploitation of research and proof of concepts. Also as a result of a new emphasise on innovation, the importance of improving academic-industrial collaboration is increasing.   In particular the track will focus on an improved understanding of these relationships and how RMA should respond to these.

T5. Track EARMA

Track Leaders: Emmanuel Babatunde / Anja Hegen (Susi Poli: New members, GA and Closed Meetings)

• General Assembly
• Working Group Activities
• New Members and Newcomers meetings
• Ambassadors Meeting
• Closed Meeting (Groups hosted by EARMA)

This track is for specific activities related to EARMA, including, but not limited to, the General Assembly, Newcomers (or New Members) events, and ambassadors, reserved sessions dedicated to Working Group meetings and closed meeting for hosted groups (e.g. the Leiden Group)

T6. Track Sponsors

Track Leader: Susi Poli

This Track is specifically for sponsored sessions, which can be relevant to any of the Tracks above.