he next International Network of Research Management Societies (INORMS) Congress will take place in Cape Town, South Africa, in 2010. The congress will be jointly hosted by the Southern African Research and Innovation Management Association (SARIMA) and the Assoc iation of Commonwealth Universities (ACU) and will provide an opportunity to highlight much of the work taking place outside the economic north. The congress will be the first of its kind to take place in Africa, and it will reflect nearly a decade of international research management cooperation.
The INORMS community has grown signif icantly in the last few years in response to regional efforts and demand and, by the time the 2010 congress comes round, we can expect to see further growth, with regional societies for India, East Africa and the Caribbean. The 'northern' research management societies are becoming more engaged with each other, sharing their results and best practice, and have also played a major role in developing research management in the economic south – with some developing, enhan cing or reviewing their respective international chapters to accommodate this growth.
Thus, the INORMS 2010 Congress will not just be about international networking; it will also be about the internationalisation of research management societies, the pooling of resources and the increasingly borderless nature of research management.