The event, jointly organised by the CZELO, SLORD, PolSCA liaison offices, the National Research, Development and Innovation Office (NRDIO) as well as the Hungarian science attaché based in Brussels, marked an important milestone in regional cooperation. It brought together research management professionals from the CEE region and beyond for two days of presentations, workshops and discussions dedicated to enhancing excellence and strengthening the professional recognition of research management.

“Excellent Research Requires Excellent Support”

In her keynote address, Virág Zsár reflected on the progress made in recognising research management as a key enabler of research excellence in Europe over the past decade. Building on the legacy of the former BestPrac COST Action, her presentation – “Advancing Research Excellence in Central and Eastern Europe through Professional Research Management” – highlighted how bottom-up and top-down initiatives are paving the way towards the much-needed recognition of research managers across Europe.

She emphasised that this road towards recognition has been driven by strong community initiatives and recent EU-level policy support, such as the inclusion of research management in the European Research Area (ERA) Policy Agenda 2022-24 and then 2025-2027.

To further strengthen research management, her address underlined four key priorities:

1. Measuring and demonstrating the added value of research managers at institutional and national levels,
2. Building stronger partnerships between research managers, researchers, and institutional leadership,
3. Establishing structured career pathways and ensuring professional recognition,
4. Securing sustainable capacity and long-term support for the profession.

“Research managers should no longer be seen as invisible support staff, but as strategic partners who contribute directly to scientific excellence and the achievement of the EU’s research and innovation goals,” — said Virág Zsár.

Strengthening the regional community

The congress built on more than a decade of V4 training initiatives for research managers, consolidating this experience into a regional platform aimed at developing professional skills, exchanging best practices, and promoting regional cooperation. The HETFA led project V4WB RMA Network Plus was highlighted by the Director of the International Visegrad Fund as another successful and impactful initiative targeting the regional professional community.

The event covered a wide range of topics including:

• Importance of building institutional structures in research management,
• National RMA community building,
• Development of soft and transversal skills,
• The use of AI and digital tools in everyday RMA practice.

Outlook and next steps

The discussions throughout the two-day event reaffirmed the shared commitment of the CEE research management community to strengthen cooperation and recognition for the profession. Key outcomes included:

• Advancing the establishment of national RMA associations in Hungary and Slovakia,
• Deepening collaboration through the International Visegrad Fund,
• Enhancing regional networking across the full project lifecycle,
• Reinforcing the continued support of the European Association of Research Managers and Administrators (EARMA) for regional RMA initiatives.

The congress concluded with a strong message: by working together, research managers in Central and Eastern Europe can further strengthen their role in enabling research excellence and contribute to a more integrated and effective European Research Area.

The slides of the key note speech are available here.

In October 2025, the RM Framework project reached a key milestone with a two-day series of meetings in Budapest. Following the consortium’s General Assembly and Pilot Testers Meeting, the 1st Outreach Event on 22 October at Europe Point welcomed research managers, trainers, policy experts, and institutional representatives from across Europe and beyond.

The event introduced the project’s vision and first results, creating an open space for dialogue on the future of RM training and professional recognition. Participants from 15 countries — Belgium, Czechia, Estonia, Germany, Hungary, Italy, the Netherlands, Norway, Portugal, Romania, Slovakia, Spain, Turkey, the United Kingdom, and the United States — reflected the growing international interest in the field.

In his opening remarks, Gábor Balás, Managing Director of HÉTFA Research Institute, highlighted how research management has evolved from an emerging to an increasingly recognised profession:

“A decade ago, research management was hardly known as a profession in Europe. Since then, we have witnessed a strong bottom-up movement that has reached the European policy level. This has led to dedicated actions and funding to strengthen the visibility and professionalisation of RM.”

He recalled that HÉTFA has been at the forefront of these developments through several key initiatives:

“We launched the foRMAtion project to train university students as potential research managers — a flagship initiative that quickly gained European recognition. We also connected research managers from the Visegrad and Western Balkan regions and supported their capacity-building through regional cooperation. In the MAPIT project, we work together with Turkish, Finnish, and Dutch partners to strengthen participation in the EU’s research and innovation programmes.”

The day featured expert inputs from SRA International (SRAI) and ARMS, policy updates, and the RM Training Talk Roundtable with leading voices from across Europe. Participants agreed that the future European RM framework should be flexible, transparent, and interoperable, supporting mobility, peer learning, and professional recognition.

All presentations from the event are available here, and the full recording can be viewed on EARMA’s YouTube channel.
For more information about the project, visit www.rm-framework.eu.

The RM Framework project aims to support the development of a European qualification system for Research Management by standardising educational and training programmes and elaborating a quality label. This will enhance interoperability and contribute to the advancement of the Research Management profession within the European Research Area (ERA).

The event will serve as an interactive forum to present the project’s vision, objectives, and expected results. It will also provide a unique opportunity for knowledge exchange, professional dialogue, and for diverse stakeholders — policymakers, training providers, research organisations, and professional associations — to jointly contribute to the professionalisation of Research Management in Europe.

Key highlights of the event

• Presentations on the ERA Policy Agenda, European initiatives on Research Management, and the RM Framework project
• A roundtable discussion, where participants will share their experiences and expectations on a European framework for RM training
• An exclusive platform to discuss project results, exchange experiences, and foster collaboration

Participation is free of charge but requires registration. Please register here by 8 October 2025. The detailed programme and further information are available via the LinkedIn event.

📍 Venue and date: Europe Point (35 Lövőház Street, 1024 Budapest), Wednesday, 22 October 2025, 11:00–16:00

Learn more about the RM Framework project here.

RM Framework brings together the expertise of 16 organizations to build on past initiatives such as RM Roadmap, CARDEA, EURESTMA, foRMAtion, and BestPrac. The two-year project will deliver key outputs to support Research Managers, including:

• A handbook for developing high-quality training programs for RMs.
• A quality label to certify and standardize RM training programs across Europe.
• Pilot training programs to test and measure their impact on both individuals and institutions.

Beyond training development, RM Framework will conduct impact assessments to evaluate the effectiveness of these programs, ensuring they lead to meaningful improvements in skills, institutional performance, and research success.

To secure long-term sustainability, the project will also introduce a value proposition and business model for the quality label and develop policy recommendations advocating for the recognition of Research Management as a profession. Engaging institutional leaders and policymakers will be a key focus, ensuring that project outcomes contribute to policy discussions at both national and EU levels.

By increasing the availability and standardization of training opportunities, RM Framework will strengthen research-performing organizations, support excellence in research, and enhance access to competitive research and innovation funding. HETFA is leading the work to ensure the maximum outreach by the project and the best use of the results backed by impact assessment and policy recommendations.

The Consortium is coordinated by the European Association of Research Managers and Administrators (EARMA), Belgium. Partners, associated partners and affiliated entities are as follows:

• Centre for Higher Education (CHE), Germany,
• HÉTFA Research Institute Ltd., Hungary,
• University of Coimbra, Portugal,
• Agency for Management of University and Research Grants (AGAUR), Spain,
• Government of Catalonia Department of Research and Universities (DREU), Spain,
• 4EU+ European University Alliance,
• University of Warsaw, Poland,
• Charles University, Czechia,
• Sorbonne University, France,
• University of Milano-Bicocca, Italy,
• Centre for Science Management (ZWM), Germany
• Marie Curie Alumni Association,
• Corvinus University of Budapest, Hungary
• Technical University of Madrid, UPM, Spain,
• University of Medicine and Pharmacy “Carol Davila” Bucharest, Romania,
• Czech Association of Research Managers and Administrators (CZARMA), Czechia.

Stay tuned to learn more!

The main aim of the project can be summarized in 5 steps: to equip research managers with special skills through organizing trainings and workshops covering several areas of their daily work, give the research support offices visibility, build a strong network of research managers in the 4 Visegrad and the Western Balkan countries. An additional goal was to give a better understanding and recognition of the profession and enable the involvement of the RMA network in the RM-related EU initiatives.

A total of 67 participants from 12 countries attended the 2-day conference. The first plenary session was dedicated to the presentations of keynote speakers, such as Giulia Carpineti, Consultant at the European Commission, DG RTD, Teodora Konach, EARMA, Head of Professional Development and Borbála Schenk, NRDIO, Head of Department for International Affairs.  Their presentations focused on the research policy landscape in the European Union and in Hungary.

In the second plenary session, Virág Zsár, Research Attaché at the Permanent Representation of Hungary presented the results of the RM Roadmap survey mapping the Europe-wide landscape of research managers. After this, Edwin Kanters, EU Liaison Officer of the Utrecht University gave some advice on working together in an innovation and research ecosystem.

After the networking lunch, stakeholders of the V4WB region shared their views during a roundtable discussion about research management, focusing on what has changed in the recent past, and what changes are still needed.

We had the honour to welcome the speech of Linda Kapustová Helbichová, the Executive Director of the International Visegrad Fund, which is the donor of the project. After her speech, interactive workshops followed covering challenging topics such as intellectual property management, conflict resolution at the office, and how to make the best out of funding opportunities as EU and non-EU countries.

The second day kicked off with a campus tour at Corvinus University and an introduction of the Centre for Grand and Project Management and Liaison Office led by Judit Fekete, Head of Centre and Orsolya Lugmayer, Liaison Officer of Corvinus and ELTE in Brussels.

Finally, as an addition to the conference, colleagues of the NOVA University in Lisbon organised an interactive workshop in the framework of the RM Roadmap project, titled “Advancing Research Management Training in the V4 and Balkan Regions: Needs, Insights, and Future Collaborations”. In the second part of the workshop, 3 trainers of the region presented their institutions’ training programs for research managers.

This conference provided valuable insights through 12 presentations, 6 workshops, and a stakeholder discussion. Additionally, it fostered relationship-building, networking, and strategic collaboration, enhancing the competitiveness of the V4+WB region.

The main focus of the event is to present how the situation and status of research management has changed during the time of the project in the 4 Visegrad and the 3 Western Balkan countries, what are the improvements, opportunities and the achievements in the field.

Some policy makers from the European Commission, ministries and funding organizations and institution leaders will also be present at the conference, who will give an overview of the present state and further initiatives of research and innovation and research management from their perspective in the form of presentations and a roundtable discussion.

On the second day of the conference there will be a workshop organized by NOVA University of Lisbon with the title ’Advancing Research Management Training in the V4 and Balkan Regions: Needs, Insights, and Future Collaborations’ as part of the RM Roadmap project.

The conference attendance is free of charge, but we can only accept a limited number of registrations due to spatial limitations. You can register via the following e-mail address until the 21th of January:

v4wbrmaplusconference@gmail.com

Read more about the conference here, and access the agenda through this link.

The RM Framework project aims to support the development of a European qualification system for research management (RM), enhancing interoperability and improving RM within the European Research Area (ERA). The Framework is designed to guide policy makers, training and networking providers in empowering individual research managers through standardised professional development programmes. By offering a common framework yet maintaining a flexible approach, the project acknowledges the local and national differences across Europe and aims to develop training that raises awareness, improves quality, and supports sustainable RM careers.

This initiative involves stakeholders from ten countries (Belgium, Czechia, France, Germany, Hungary, Italy, Poland, Portugal, Romania and Spain), supported by an extensive network of European and national RM organisations. RM Framework emphasises collaboration with the leadership of research performing organisations (RPOs) to create a suitable transition model, and ensuring that innovative and practical solutions are identified and implemented by reflecting the current ways of working. A core element of the development of the Framework is the use of design thinking, a creative and human-centred problem-solving approach, to tailor RM training and accreditation processes. This methodology ensures that the Framework is both practical and grounded in the real-world needs of research managers.

By engaging key stakeholders to develop modular, tailored solutions, including the creation of a quality label, the project aims to foster sustainable, long-term improvements in the professional development programmes for research managers across Europe.

The main objective of these events was to showcase the activities of research support offices, explore the career paths of research managers and gather national and regional good practices on monitoring and strengthening the impact of RMA services. The forums have been organized in 6 countries so far: Slovakia, Poland, Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Hungary and Serbia.

The forums held in the different countries highlighted both common points and national specificities regarding the situation of research managers. In several countries, the issue was raised  that research managers are working on fixed-term contracts for  specific projects, which places them in a precarious labour market situation. At universities, research managers are often not involved in decision-making at organisational level, they have few training opportunities and get little institutional support. On the other hand, there is a positive trend towards the establishment of more and more university research grant offices. It is quite apparent that where such offices were set up, there has generally been an increase in the institution’s involvement in projects and the submitted proposals have been more successful.

Participants in the forums expressed the need for a standard career pathway in research management to progress through transparently structured, sequenced trainings. In a similar way, the need emerged for a transparent system of research manager job roles at inter-institutional level.

Overall, what was said at the national research management forums shows that the profession is evolving, but the experiences of participants suggest that there is still plenty of room for further development.

The conference was attended by more than 1,400 participants from 52 countries. The results of the RM ROADMAP survey  focusing on the current status, needs and obstacles of Research Managers across Europe were presented by HÉTFA colleagues in the form of a poster session and also on a panel discussion. HÉTFA was represented by Virág Zsár senior grant advisor and Blanka Csite junior project manager.

The survey reveals that in line with previous surveys, research managers are predominantly female and highly qualified: over 90 percent have either Master’s or PhD degree. Their academic qualifications are just as diverse as the fields covered during their daily work. It is also visible that most of them need expertise from different fields backed by a huge diversity of skills and competences as  45% of them cover 2 or 4 fields of Research Management during their daily work. The most preferred umbrella terms for this group of professionals are Research Manager, Research Manager and Administration and Research Management and Support Professional. Opportunities for career advancement often involve promotional aspirations towards leadership positions or moving to another institution. The biggest challenges in the profession are the demanding and stressful environment, low salaries and the lack of opportunities for professional development. The final and more detailed results will be available this autumn.

Beside Nik Claesen, Managing Director of EARMA provided an update on efforts to develop the profession and professional recognition in the frame of ERA Action 17, the research management initiative, by raising standards across research management and having a dedicated action in the 2025-2027 ERA Policy agenda.

Additionally, the topics presented at the conference included Responsible Research and Innovation, open science, research collaborations, and also recognition, upskilling, and better career frameworks for RMAs. Another focus point of this year was put on new technological opportunities and challenges provided by emerging technologies such as AI.

]]> https://hetfa.eu/2024/04/rm-roadmap-questionnaire-for-research-managers/ Wed, 24 Apr 2024 09:46:18 +0000 https://hetfa.eu/?p=11188 Are you helping researchers to submit proposals or implement projects? If you have extensive experience in research management and want to improve research managers’ prospects, now is your chance. Please fill in our questionnaire by 10 May, which is part of the RM Roadmap project, aimed at creating a framework and strategy for the future of the research management profession in Europe and building a community to support its implementation.

By assessing the current status and gaps in career opportunities, terminology, mobility and training opportunities within the research management profession, the project aims to contribute to improving the efficiency and quality of professional support for research projects and access more funding.

The questionnaire takes about 25 minutes to complete and will help shape the future of the research management profession.

The questionnaire is available on this link until 10^th of May.

Thank you for your contribution!