The aim of the foRMAtion project – coordinated by HETFA – was to support students in higher education as potential research managers and administrators by reinforcing their high-level and transversal skills needed for developing and managing excellent European research, innovation and educational projects.

The foRMAtion Alliances Community of Practitioners meeting brought together members of the foRMAtion consortium, who gathered virtually to share their experiences and best practices in implementing the foRMAtion international curriculum and mentorship program. The event was a resounding success, paving the way for future advancements in education and mentorship practices.

Representatives from esteemed institutions participated in the meeting, including the University of Coimbra, Nicolae Testemitanu State University of Medicine and Pharmacy of the Republic of Moldova, and the University of Malta. Each institution played a vital role in contributing insights, highlighting the diverse perspectives and experiences within the foRMAtion Alliances.

The Formation Alliances Community of Practitioners welcomes interested stakeholders to join.

Join the foRMAtion Educational Alliances for higher education institutions: https://www.formation-rma.eu/partners/formation-module-alliance/

Join the foRMAtion Mentorship Alliance for research performing organisations: https://www.formation-rma.eu/partners/formation-mentorship-alliance/

Prior to the event, participants had the opportunity to submit posters on specific topics, including Research Information Systems, EARMA and professional associations, impact, professional development and recognition, international perspectives, leadership, open science, responsible research and innovation, policy, strategy, evaluation, and foresight, proposal development, project management, support services and team building. A total of 49 posters were showcased.

Focusing on the theme of professional development and recognition, HÉTFA’s foRMAtion poster highlighted the project’s partnership, key achievements and recently established alliances aimed at expanding the network and supporting the long-term adoption and adaptation of project results. The poster generated significant interest during the poster session as well as throughout the conference, leading to the recognition and awarding of the Expert Panel Prize. Moreover, the Expert Panel emphasized the project’s significance as a pioneering initiative in raising awareness about the profession among university students and professors, while also creating exceptional learning materials and other valuable resources for a broader community of professionals.

The poster will next be presented at the INORMS Congress (International Network of Research Management Societies) held in Durban, South Africa, from 30 May to 2 June 2023.

The poster prepared by Virág Zsár (HETFA Research Institute), Cristina Oliveira, and Margarida Trindade (NOVA University of Lisbon) can be downloaded here.

To learn more about the Alliance for the Educational Module, click here.

To learn more about the Alliance for the Mentorship Programme, click here.

ERA Action 17 is sponsored by two Member States – Germany and Hungary – and the Aurora network of universities. Their primary role is to stimulate discussions on the implementation of the Action, propose topics for workshops, and develop recommendations that can be incorporated into relevant policies.

The first ad hoc workshop of ERA Action 17 took place in Brussels on 16th March 2023. Representatives from Member States, leading stakeholder organizations, and exemplary projects were invited to attend. The primary focus of the discussion was on the recognition of RMAs, which involved showcasing existing regional and national initiatives and identifying gaps that should be addressed either by the European Commission or Member State governments.

The main results and impacts of foRMAtion were summarized by Virág Zsár, Senior Grant Advisory of HETFA. Among the initiatives presented, foRMAtion was the only one that specifically targeted university students, raising awareness about the profession and offering a potential career pathway. Additionally, partners elaborated high-quality, open-source materials which can be used by a wide audience across Europe, including students, teachers, professors, early career RMAs, and trainer providing trainings for researchers or RMAs.

The next workshop of ERA Action 17 is taking place in Budapest on 10 May 2023. The event is organized during the Ambassador Meeting of the RM ROADMAP project, hosted by HETFA Research Institute.

You can learn more on the foRMAtion results here.

You can learn more on the RM ROADMAP project and the involvement of HETFA here.

During the conversation they discussed numerous interesting topics, such as the particularities of the Erasmus+ Programme, the methods of developing and implementing a research management training for higher education students and the joy and challenges of project implementation. In these two episodes listeners can find useful advice, information and suggestions about the pre-award and post-award phases of EU-funded educational and research projects.

The other episodes of the “The Grant” podcast series are highly recommended for those who are interested in research management and the Horizon Europe Programme and would like to learn new tips and insights in the field of European R&D funding.

The podcast is available here.

More information about the foRMAtion project can be found here.

The agenda of the event was very ambitious, including opening speeches, presentations and a roundtable discussion. Among other high-level speakers, the keynote speech was delivered by Stijn Delauré, Policy Officer at DG R&I of the European Commission. During the event, colleagues of HETFA intensely participated in the event and delivered presentations. Virág Zsár, Senior Grant Advisor and coordinator of the foRMAtion project, and Judit Fekete, Senior Project Manager from HÉTFA Research Institute introduced the speakers and moderated the event. Gábor Balás, Managing Director of HÉTFA Research Institute talked about past and present initiatives of HÉTFA to advance the RMA profession internationally. Krisztina Kovács from HÉTFA Research Institute outlined the foRMAtion Mentorship Programme and the experiences of the pilot testing with six students that graduated from the foRMAtion courses.

The project has been an intense journey through multiple highs and a few lows, due to the pandemic, but the consortium can be genuinely proud of its achievements in the field of research management training in higher education. Although the foRMAtion project is coming to its end, we do not stop! Join the Educational Module Alliance and the Mentorship Alliance and become part of a unique RMA community. To get support and access to training events and online gatherings, contact us at hetfa_formation@hetfa.hu.

Presentations of the event: https://tinyurl.com/52vnp2hw

Event recording: https://tinyurl.com/5yw9khcs

The aim of the foRMAtion project is to support students in higher education as potential research managers and administrators by reinforcing their high-level and transversal skills needed for developing and managing excellent European research, innovation and educational projects.

 The final conference of foRMAtion entitled The Future of Research Management and Training in Higher Education: Insights from foRMAtion’s teaching and mentoring experience to professionalise research management will take place on 30 November, in Brussels, and will be hosted by the Liaison Office of APRE – the Italian Agency for the Promotion of European Research.

The main objective of the event is to promote foRMAtion’s innovative Educational Module, the Mentorship Programme, and to disseminate the Guide & impact assessment for educating and training RMAs in higher education, backed by policy recommendations.

Check out the agenda and register today!

For in-person participation, please register here.

Join us online! Registration for online participation is possible via the following .

The event streaming will be accessible via this .

On 27 September 2022, the foRMAtion partnership has organised a public event in Rome, Italy. Almost 50 participants, including experts in research management and university representatives attended the event. The focus was on the Research Manager and Administrator (RMA) profession and its role and place in Europe, with a focus on Italy, as well as national and international RMA training opportunities in higher education. The event has been organised by ISINNOVA in collaboration with Tor Vergata University of Rome, Politecnico di Torino and APRE.

The event started with a welcome note introducing the current Italian RMA landscape. Session 1 focused on the role of Research Managers and Administrators in Europe, while Session 2 shed a light on creating awareness about the RMA profession in universities. The next sessions focused on the national RMA scene by exploring the Italian community of RMAs.  Speakers shared and reviewed the local activities and networks around RMA in Italy and identified the steps forward to be made in this field.

The final and largest stakeholder event of foRMAtion on “The Future of Research Management Training in Higher Education – Insights from foRMAtion’s Teaching and Mentoring Experience to Professionalize Research Management” will take place in Brussels on 30 November 2022, 9:00 – 15:00. Agenda is available here and the registration form here.

More information on the event can be found here.

More information on the foRMAtion project is available here.

Following the success of the first event in Portugal, the second public event has been held in Ljubljana, Slovenia under the title “Learning RMA by doing RMA – Empowering Tomorrow’s Research Managers and Administrators through foRMAtion’s Mentorship Programme”. The Slovenian Forestry Institute hosted the event on their premises. More than 50 participants joined in person and online from more than 12 countries – including experts in the field of research management, policy makers and the National Contact Points’ Coordinator for Horizon Europe in Slovenia. The goal was to deliberate about various RMA mentorship programs around the world, including foRMAtion’s newly tested programme, as well as to discuss their possible implementation in the local institutional context. The event offered a great networking opportunity for those interested in incorporating mentorship into their institutional practice.

During the event, two colleagues from HETFA have delivered presentations. Virág Zsár, Senior Grant Advisor at HÉTFA, gave an overview of the foRMAtion project, including its goals and achievements so far. Judit Fekete, Senior Project Manager at HÉTFA, explained the novelty of the foRMAtion Mentorship Programme piloted this summer in 6 European research support offices with the participation of university students who have successfully completed the foRMAtion modules.

The public event in Slovenia has been a great success! The partnership is looking forward to the next events. The final and largest stakeholder event of foRMAtion on “The Future of Research Management Training in Higher Education – Insights from foRMAtion’s Teaching and Mentoring Experience to Professionalize Research Management” will take place in Brussels on 30 November 2022, 9:00 – 15:00. Agenda is available here and the registration form here.

21 September 2022, Ljubljana, Slovenia:

“Learning RMA by doing RMA – Empowering Tomorrow’s Research Managers and Administrators through foRMAtion’s Mentorship Programme” will be in the focus of the next public stakeholder event, to be held in the capital of Slovenia, hosted by the Slovenian Forestry Institute. The foRMAtion Mentorship Programme has been elaborated by HÉTFA Research Institute and has been piloted recently in 6 European cities from June to August 2022. This is a unique programme that combines research management training, mentoring and internship. It has been primarily designed to universities and research performing organizations that are interested in hosting and mentoring students.

Following a keynote speech by Silke Blohm (4Sciences Group Ltd, UK) on the importance of mentorship in career development of RMAs, we will take an outlook to various mentorship programmes all around the world, such as the ERA Fellowships – Science Management Programme in Germany, mentorship activities within ARMA and of EARMA, the Odyssey Mentoring Programme of SRAI as well as the Mentorship Programme of the Canadian Association of Research Administrators. As being mentor and mentee both advances research managers in their career, all these programmes are highly relevant if you want to develop your skills and knowledge in your profession.

The event will be organized in person, while online access will also be provided. Participants are invited to the networking dinner after the event which is a great opportunity to connect with the European RMA community.

More info & registration: Event flyer with the Preliminary Agenda, Online Registration Form, Access to the meeting venue and accommodation

27 September 2022, Rome, Italy:

ISINNOVA, our Italian RMA partner, will hold a local public stakeholder event in Rome on 27 September under the title “Research Managers and Administrators (RMAs) – Challenges & opportunities for education and training”. The event will take place at the premises of the Tor Vergata University of Rome, with the collaboration of Politecnico di Torino and APRE – Agenzia per la Promozione della Ricerca Europea.

The focus will be on creating awareness about the RMA profession, its role and place in Europe and training opportunities in higher education. Within the framework of the foRMAtion project, generator of innovative paths to shape tomorrow’s RMA training, experts will consider challenges to face and training opportunities to develop in order to give RMA the space it deserves as a potential key profession of the future.

A keynote speech by Stijn Delauré, PhD (European Commission, DG Research & Innovation, Unit R&I Actors and Research Careers) will shed light on the EU initiatives for Research Managers and Administrators.  The formation project outputs will be presented with a special highlight on the award-winning foRMAtion course taught at NOVA University of Lisbon. Representatives of EARMA and several Italian universities will take part in the discussions about the enhancement of the role of RMAs in the Italian research and innovation ecosystem. Opportunities to use the foRMAtion modules and mentorship methodology in higher education will also we explored.

More info & registration: Agenda, Online Registration Form

Please note that only Session 1 will be held in English, Session 2 and Session 3 will be in Italian.

Either you join our events online or in person, we are very glad to involve you in our activities!

Featured image: www.unsplash.com 

The foRMAtion Mentorship Programme, under the lead of HÉTFA, is one of the key activities of the project. In total six HEI students participate in the programme from Corvinus University of Budapest (HU), Sapientia Hungarian University of Transylvania (RO) and NOVA University of Lisbon (PT). The selected students participate in an 8-week mentorship programme at partner institutions, which consists of both online and physical mobility, thus providing a blended learning opportunity. The mentorship programme enables students to get practical knowledge and hands-on work experience in the field of RMA. The programme is based on a mentorship programme methodology. Each student is paired with a mentor who previously completed a training on the methodology.

HÉTFA Research Institute welcomes a student from Sapientia Hungarian University of Transylvania in the frame of the mentorship programme between 20 June – 29 July 2022. Apor Dániel Geréb currently studies at International Relations and European Studies BA. Apor spends 6 weeks at HÉTFA’s office in Budapest, in addition he participates in online consultation sessions both before and after his stay in Budapest with the support his mentors, Krisztina Kovács and Judit Fekete. His main tasks consist of the followings: project management and administration in relation to the foRMAtion project and other relevant projects, social media content management, research assistance, participation in online and offline meetings.  The main goal of the programme is to provide an insight for Apor to the everyday work of HÉTFA’s Division for International Cooperation, as well as hands-on work experience in the field of RMA. In addition, the foRMAtion Mentorship Programme aims at encouraging students to start building up their professional career in the field of RMA.

Methodological guide for the mentorship programme is available here.

More information about the foRMAtion project:

www.formation-rma.eu

www.linkedin.com/in/formation-rma

www.facebook.com/Formation-RMA-101684308047750