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Parallel sessions for all research administrators

The parallel sessions detailed below are suited to all delegates, regardless of their level of experience in research administration and management in general, or in the topic being addressed. Please review the description of each session for further information about what it will cover.

For other sessions, see also:

104: Ethics, governance, research and enterprise: management approaches to conflicts of interest

Dr Peter Hooper, Head of Research Services, University of Keele
Prof Laetus O K Lategan, Dean: Research and Development, Central University Technology, Free State

With the developing agenda of 'user-engagement', enterprise and entrepreneurship, it is vital that universities and research organisations have clear procedures for dealing with real or perceived conflicts of interest in research projects. A fundamental strand of any policy in this area must the awareness of researchers (and others) of what is an appropriate approach and when to seek guidance. Not all cases of potential conflict of interest are clear-cut and institutions need to have clear, defensible and consistent approaches when dealing with these with these issues. The area of 'business ethics' and 'environmental ethics' are overlooked but increasingly important aspects of research and enterprise activity.

105: Profiling the Research Administrator: Who are we and where are we going?

Dr John Kirkland, Deputy Secretary General (Development), Association of Commonwealth Universities
Dr John Green, Chief Coordinating Officer, Imperial College London

Both the size and functions of research administration offices have increased in recent years. Often, this expansion has been ad-hoc in nature, responding to specific opportunities. There remains a lack of information about the background and motivation of the individuals that make up the profession.

This session will provide the first results of a major international survey conducted by the Association of Commonwealth Universities. It will address questions such as: what type of person becomes a research administrator? What are their backgrounds and aspirations? What skills do research administrators need, and what skills are lacking? What, in the view of those working in research administration, are the major challenges facing the profession?

107: Capacity building and managing research in emerging research environments

Prof Adelani Ogunrinade, Vice-Chancellor, University of Lesotho
Prof Ishekumba Kahwa, Head, Department of Chemistry, University of West Indies
Dr Hans Hagen, Senior Manager, International Grants, Royal Society

This session will focus on capacity building from the perspective of a UK funder, and of institutions in developing countries.

Newly emerging universities and research institutes, as well as established ones, in developing countries face a plethora of problems arising from lack of human and material resources, lack of research infrastructure, lack of mentors and role models often categorised as a 'lack of research culture'. The presentation will focus on how to get things done from scratch, often with little money but a lot of ingenuity and creativity, involving case studies on kick-starting and managing research in these institutions.

The second presentation will address approaches to supporting capacity building, including a discussion of reconciling the different needs and deliverables from the sponsor's and recipient's perspective, which will include support for both research and post-graduate training.

204: Accreditation: Pros and Cons drawing on experience in the US and UK

Michael Bone, Chairman, Association of Research Ethics Committees (AREC)
David Anderson-Ford, Vice Chair, Association of Research Ethics Committees & Chair, Research Ethics Committee, Brunel University
Ada Sue Selwitz, Director, Office of Research Integrity, Kentucky University

This session will compare and contrast the UK and US systems of University Research Ethics Committees/Institutional Review Boards with a particular focus on the issue of accreditation.

In recent years, UK universities have increasingly established research ethics committees to review research undertaken on human participants in both clinical but non-NHS, and non-biomedical projects. But this has been in a haphazard and disparate manner. They may not have any regulatory requirement, and each university determines its composition, terms of reference and standard operating procedures (SOPs). The University sector of AREC is currently producing guidance on SOPs, quality assurance and accreditation, planning to examine the lessons learnt from the NHS model of practice in order to make the system robust and fit for purpose yet responsive to the needs of the sector with its extremely broad interest and fields of activity.

In the US, however, the research ethics committee's composition and operation, and informed consent requirements, are strictly regulated by nineteen federal agencies and Food and Drug Administration policy. In addition, the research community has adopted an accreditation system which is designed to ensure that human subjects research being conducted by institutions meets the highest ethical standards. We will discuss lessons learned about obtaining and implementing accreditation for human research protection programmes.

205: Best Practice in using Business Intelligence in determining Research Strategy

Mark Hochman, Director, Research and Innovation Services, University of South Australia
Kim Davidson, Deputy Director, Research and Innovation Services, University of South Australia
John Green, Chief Co-ordinating Officer, Imperial College, London

Most universities collect data at both project and institutional level. We are well used to using such data for comparative or benchmarking purposes, yet often this is where the use of such data stops. There is a wealth of additional information - business intelligence - that can be gleaned from standard university data and readily available business data from external sources. This session will explore how using such data can assist in developing institutional research strategies, determining institutional distinctiveness, identifying new business opportunities and supporting strategic growth.

207: Researcher Development: Comparative perspectives on effecting institutional and national culture change

Dr Tracey Swift, Head of Research Development and Postdoctoral Research Training, Research Office, University of Sheffield
Dr Lucy Lee, Development Advisor, Medical School, University of Sheffield
Dr Robin Drennan, Executive Director, GMSA, National Research Foundation, South Africa

This session will provide a funder's perspective and an institutional perspective on researcher development.

The funder perspective will focus on the dual challange of improving global competitiveness whilst simultaneously developing a new cohort of researchers which better reflects the national demographic in South Africa. This part of the session will explore both strategies and practical tools used in supporting institutions in meeting these twin challenges.

The UK institutional focus will be on three key factors: Consultation, Engagement and Evaulation, which have emerged as being fundamental to researcher development at both university and departmental levels. Using the University of Sheffield as an example, the session will share lessons learned from models applied in two different faculties, Social Sciences and Medicine, showing how an alliance of research administrators is integral to the progression of development programmes across an organisation.

303: Good Practice in Internal Review

Jennifer Shambrook, Co-Director, Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Medical University of South Carolina
Steff Hazlehurst, Head of Research and Consultancy Services, Institute of Education, University of London

Winning research funding is becoming an increasing challenge for institutions worldwide with competition for limited funds growing all the time. However long-established and experienced they are in winning funding, research organisations need to find ways to increase their prospects of success in this environment. One approach which is widely accepted to be effective is the development of internal peer review of funding proposals before they are submitted to funders. This session examines the key features and functions of successful institutional peer review in different research organisations before going on to focus in detail on one particular model, the peer review group, an approach where each member of the group reads proposals individually before comparing notes and compiling a consensus feedback report to the proposer. The session will consider the conditions necessary to the success of such groups, including the training which may be required.

305: Mentoring, or "how was it for you?" (panel discussion)

Simon Kerridge, Assistant Director (Research), Academic Services, University of Sunderland
Dr Mark Hochman, Director, Research and Innovation Services, University of South Australia
Lita Denny, Head of Research Operations, University of Manchester

This panel session is designed to give a practical insight into setting up a mentoring relationship, reflecting on experiences in different countries of the mentoring process itself, from both a mentor and a mentee perspective. Each member of the panel will give a short presentation to highlight some key points, and then the discussion will be opened up to the audience. The session will be of interest to those involved in a mentoring relationship and those interested in becoming involved.

307: The UK Research Excellence Framework

Paul Hubbard, Head of Research Policy, Higher Education Funding Council for England

In November 2007 the Higher Education Funding Council for England published a consultation paper concerning proposals for the future assessment and funding of research. The Research Excellence Framework (REF) will consist of an over-arching framework for the funding and assessment of research that takes account of key differences between the different disciplines. Research income, research student data and a new bibliometric indicator of research quality will drive assessment and funding for the science-based disciplines. For the arts, humanities and social sciences (where quantitative approaches are less developed) the REF will use a light-touch form of peer review. The new framework will be phased in; it will inform funding gradually for the science-based disciplines from 2010. The light-touch peer review exercise for the other disciplines will take place in 2013. The new framework will drive funding for all disciplines fully from 2014. An analysis of the responses to the consultation exercise will be published in spring 2008. This session will provide an update on recent developments and next steps to be taken, and allow participants to debate key issues.

402: Research Facilitation - different models, different contexts

Prof Chris Marlin, Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Research), Flinders University
Dr Andrew Fairweather-Tall, Humanities Division Research Co-ordinator, University of Oxford
Dr Chris Ballinger, Research Facilitator, Social Sciences Division, University of Oxford

This session explores the role of research facilitators, who encourage and support researchers in seeking external research funding. The nature, background and role of these research facilitators may vary, depending on the model used by a particular institution, influenced by its context (size, research strategy, national context, etc.). There are nonetheless some common issues for such models, including:

  • the backgrounds of research facilitators (have they been active researchers? are they administrators? do they come from industry?);
  • whether research facilitators work alone or as part of a team;
  • the training and development needs of these facilitators and how these vary from other staff;
  • different models of facilitation (e.g., working with individuals or helping to form teams);
  • the relationship between research facilitation models and institutional research strategy; and
  • the respective roles of the research facilitators and a central Research Office in a university.

403: Comparative case studies of the management and organisation of research support

Tim Quigg, Associate Chair for Administration and Finance, Department of Computer Science, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
Kathy Heinze, General Manager, Contract Administration, Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation
David Langley, Director of Research and Enterprise Development, University of Bristol

This session will provide three examples of the review and re-organisation of research support offices. The three examples are University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, the CSIRO, and Imperial College London, and will illustrate the isues and the different approaches that can be taken.

406: Striving for Excellence: Strategic Planning and Capacity Building in Research

Jane Hobson, Manager, Research Quality, Policy and Planning, Office of Research Services, University of Western Sydney
Mogodisheng Sekhwela, Research & Development Office, University of Botswana
Aldo Stoebel, Head of Internationalisation, University of the Free State

This session will examine the role of strategic planning and strategic management of research in developing and sustaining research excellence and capacity. Case studies will be presented from three very different universities working with a diverse set of policy and strategic challenges. The session will include a panel discussion.

408: Internal Marketing for Research Administrators

John O'Dowd, Senior Grants Manager, Research & Enterprise, University of Glasgow
William F Schweri, Director of Federal Relations, University of Kentucky

This session will examine how research administrators can evolve an internal marketing strategy that understands and takes account of diverse customer needs and ambitions, whilst addressing behaviours that tend to prioritise individual interests above cooperative behaviour within Higher Education Institutions. It will explore how to perform a Marketing Audit across a diverse customer base; to discover and value the institution's diversity and strengths, and address the weaknesses in your research community, by understanding the 'political economies' within which it operates; and to understand diverse operating environments. The role of internal marketing in defining and communicating a unifying internal economy will be discussed.

507: Mobilising the Knowledge Base: working across boundaries and institutions in urban regeneration

Oisin MacNamara, Director, Research, Regional and European Affairs, Northumbria University
Alex Williams, Associate Dean for Enterprise, School of Art & Design, University of Salford

This session will present a case study of a £3.2 million multi-institutional, multi-regional and interdisciplinary project, which mobilises academic expertise across a consortium to work with practitioners on key urban regeneration challenges. The dual aim is to enhance the impact of research carried out by the universities and also to build a long term strategic alliance between the four core university partners. This will lead to the development of a distinctive form of knowledge transfer, which is both teaching and research driven, in order to meet the needs of organisations and professionals in business and the community.

508: The Researcher as a Research Manager - a hybrid professional?

Richard Bond, Head of R&D, Research, Business & Innovation, University of the West of England
Dr Jo Cresswell, Research Manager, Academic Radiation Oncology, University of Manchester

Increasing numbers of staff with research experience are being recruited as research managers and administrators (in UK universities at least). This session will examine the role that experienced researchers can and do play in supporting research and enhancing research quality, with examples from two UK institutions. It will explore whether this trend constitutes the emergence of a new hybrid professional, or someone caught between two stools - neither a professional administrator nor an academic. What are the prospects for the development of these roles, what career paths are open to those in them, and how can we best harness their abilities?

603: The challenges of running a Research Institute or Centre

Nigel Bilsbrough, Finance and Resources Manager, Centre for Research in Social Policy, Loughborough University
Mark Smith, Research Institute Manager, Institute for Science and Technology in Medicine, Keele University

It is increasingly common for universities to set up research institutes or centres as focal points for research activity, especially multi- or inter-disciplinary research. Such research institutes may be considered as academic departments in their own right, or may be more 'virtual' groupings crossing a number of departments. There are also many non-university research institutes, often in competition with universities for public research funding.

Research Administrators responsible for running such institutes face a range of challenges beyond those associated with day-to-day support of funded research projects. As well as routine departmental administration, from staff management to premises matters, these may include local policy interpretation and development, the challenges of overseeing the employment arrangements of a significant body of research staff, and the financial oversight of a varied portfolio of funded research.

The session will include presentations from two speakers responsible for running research institutes in different disciplinary areas, and will offer plenty of opportunity for participants to share their experiences and to identify examples of good practice.

607: Putting Open Access Publishing into Practice: funding mechanisms, institutional collaboration and building repositories

Matthew Cockerill, Publisher, BioMed Central
Stephen Pinfield, Chief Information Officer, University of Nottingham
Margaret Hurley and Nicola Perrin, The Wellcome Trust
Bill Hubbard, SHERPA Manager, SHERPA

This session includes talks from experts in the field talking about putting open access publishing into practice covering policies, institutional collaboration and funding mechanisms. It will include an introduction to the open access business model and how the success of the model is reliant on sustainable funding from research funders. The session features a presentation on how to set up an institutional repository from the point of view of policy, process and practicality. A case study will be presented on why and how to set up a central institutional fund for authors wishing to publish their work in open access journals. Representatives from the Wellcome Trust will discuss how to comply with their open access policy and the funding they provide for open access publishing.

See also: