Introduction to the RMA by Country Chapters
The Emerald Handbook of Research Management and Administration Around the World
ISBN: 978-1-80382-702-5, eISBN: 978-1-80382-701-8
Publication date: 29 November 2023
Abstract
This section of the book brings together descriptions of the current state of research management and administration (RMA) in individual countries – or in some cases regions. There are over 50 countries included, the first time that such a comprehensive overview of RMA around the world has been brought together.
Keywords
Citation
Kerridge, S. (2023), "Introduction to the RMA by Country Chapters", Kerridge, S., Poli, S. and Yang-Yoshihara, M. (Ed.) The Emerald Handbook of Research Management and Administration Around the World, Emerald Publishing Limited, Leeds, pp. 419-421. https://doi.org/10.1108/978-1-80382-701-820231034
Publisher
:Emerald Publishing Limited
Copyright © 2024 Simon Kerridge
License
These works are published under the Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY 4.0) licence. Anyone may reproduce, distribute, translate and create derivative works of these works (for both commercial and non-commercial purposes), subject to full attribution to the original publication and authors. The full terms of this licence may be seen at http://creativecommons.org/licences/by/4.0/legalcode
Structure
Initially, we had hoped that each country chapter would be able to use the same structure, in order to aid with comparisons. While some have been able to adhere to the suggested structure well, many, for various and valid reasons have diverged to provide additional detail in some aspects and less in other areas. Additionally, a few country chapters do not focus on an entire country, or a single country, as appropriate for the region in question.
Each chapter has been able to give some information about the research ecosystem in the country, cover some of the major research funders, and give an idea of the number of universities and other research performing institutions. Normally, this is followed by a description of the evolution of research management and administration (RMA) in the country. Some can claim this to be a profession (or at least a semi-profession), but others are less able to do so. Where there is an RMA association (or in some cases more than one) then this will also be described. In some areas, there is as yet no formal association, and some looser networks may be included.
Often the reader may find it useful to refer to the appropriate regional history chapter in Section 1 for more detail on the development of the profession in the continent. In some cases, there is an unavoidable overlap between the continental history and the evolution of RMA in individual countries, particularly in Australasia and North America where the country count is small.
The demographics of the RMA community in the country, or at least an indication of it, should then be provided. Some countries have undertaken their own surveys, often through the local RMA association. Others have utilised data from the various Research Administration as a Profession (RAAAP1) surveys, ideally the most recent RAAAP-3 dataset (Kerridge, Dutta, et al., 2022). Some countries have been unable to do so due to low response rates, and have perhaps provided a personal perspective. Readers should be aware data provided in these instances may lack robustness due to the small number of responses.
Finally, some authors have attempted to predict what the future will bring for RMAs in their countries and have given some concluding remarks.
It should be noted that while these chapters, and the book as a whole, tend to use the term Research Management and Administration, and the acronym RMA, these terms are not ubiquitous. Each chapter has used its national context and so the reader will observe other monikers being used interchangeably, for example Research Administration is common nomenclature in North America. This divergent identity is explored by Yang-Yoshihara, Poli, et al. (2023, Chapter 3.7) and more briefly by Kerridge (2021a, 2023a).
The chapters are ordered alphabetically by country (or region) name within an overall continental-scale block: Africa; North America, South America, Asia, Australasia; Eastern Europe, Western Europe, and the Middle-East. The chapters from each region were coordinated and corralled by a particular regional editor (and some of the regional editors also contributed to and coordinated other chapters in the book, and indeed the relevant country chapter in this section).
The first three chapters, covering African countries (Kenya, Nigeria, and South Africa), were overseen by Therina Theron. The following three chapters on North American countries (Canada, Caribbean*, USA) were managed by Melinda Fischer (*one by Fernanda Oliveira). There are then a pair of South American chapters (Brazil, Colombia) provided by Fernanda Oliveira. Next are seven chapters from Asia (China, India, Japan, Malaysia, Pakistan*, Singapore, Viet Nam) that were managed by Makiko Takahashi (*one by Mark Hochmann). Then two Australasian (Australia, New Zealand) ones were sourced by Mark Hochmann. The grouping of eight chapters from Eastern Europe (*Baltic States, Belarus, Cyprus, Czechia, Poland, Romania, Slovenia, Western Balkans) was managed by Virág Zsár (*one by Jan Andersen), and the penultimate Western Europe group of 14 chapters (Austria, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Iceland, Ireland, Italy, Netherlands, Norway, Portugal, Spain [Catalunya], Sweden, UK) was coordinated by Jan Andersen. The final group of three chapters from the Middle-East (Qatar, Saudi Arabia, and United Arab Emirates) was also managed by Mark Hochmann.
Overall, the 42 geographic chapters in this section provide information on the state of RMA in 52 countries across 6 continents.
Summary
It is hoped that this section will be useful to all readers. Even if the country you are interested in is not to be found within this section, it is likely that there will be a country chapter that matches the state of RMA in the area of your interest. At the end of the section, you will find a short chapter (Kerridge, Andersen, et al., 2023, Chapter 5.44) from the regional editors reflecting on some of the similarities and differences in RMA across and between regions.
References
Kerridge 2021aKerridge, S. (2021a). Research administration around the world. Journal of Research Administration, 52(1), 11–14.
Kerridge 2023aKerridge, S. (2023a). Is research management and administration (RMA) a profession? Journal of Research Management and Administration, 2(1), 1–5.
Kerridge, Andersen, Fischer, Hochman, Oliveira, Takahashi, Theron, & Zsár 2023Kerridge, S., Andersen, J., Fischer, M., Hochman, M., Oliveira, F., Takahashi, M., Theron, T., & Zsár, V. (2023). Reflections on research management and administration in various countries around the world. In S. Kerridge, S. Poli, & M. Yang-Yoshihara (Eds.), The Emerald handbook of research management and administration around the world (pp. 799–806). Emerald Publishing.
Kerridge, Dutta, Fischer, & Oliveira 2022Kerridge, S., Dutta, M., Fischer, M., & Oliveira, C. I. (2022). RAAAP-3 HIBARMA main dataset. figshare. https://doi.org/10.6084/m9.figshare.21120058
Yang-Yoshihara, Poli, & Kerridge 2023Yang-Yoshihara, M., Poli, S., & Kerridge, S. (2023). Evolution of professional identity in research management and administration. In S. Kerridge, S. Poli, & M. Yang-Yoshihara (Eds.), The Emerald handbook of research management and administration around the world (pp. 297–307). Emerald Publishing.
Acknowledgements
The author would like to acknowledge the huge effort and experience that all of the 100 contributors brought to this section. Of particular note is the huge organisational and management effort from the book’s regional editors that was needed to bring this section to fruition: Jan Andersen, Melinda Fischer, Mark Hochman, Fernanda Oliveira, Makiko Takahashi, Therina Theron, and Virág Zsár.
- Prelims
- Introduction and Structure
- Introduction to Part 1
- Section 1: History
- Chapter 1.1: The Contribution of International Donors to African Research Management
- Chapter 1.2: History of Research Administration/Management in North America
- Chapter 1.3: Research Managers and Administrators in Asia: History and Future Expectations
- Chapter 1.4: History of Research Management in Australia and New Zealand
- Chapter 1.5: History of RMA in Central and Eastern European Countries
- Chapter 1.6: The Development of Research Management and Administration in Europe: A Short History
- Chapter 1.7: The Establishment and History of the International Network of Research Management Societies
- Section 2: Context
- Chapter 2.1: A Novel Definition of Professional Staff
- Chapter 2.2: The Research Administration as a Profession (RAAAP) Survey
- Chapter 2.3: Routes into Research Management and Administration
- Chapter 2.4: Research Management as Labyrinthine – How and Why People Become and Remain Research Managers and Administrators Around the World
- Chapter 2.5: Where Do RMAs Work?
- Chapter 2.6: The Establishment of a Research Project Management Office at a Medical School in University of São Paulo, FMRP-USP, Brazil
- Chapter 2.7: RMA Education, Training and Professional Development in North America and Europe
- Chapter 2.8: Pathways Towards the Creation of RMA Associations
- Section 3: Identity
- Chapter 3.1: From Conceptualisation to Action – The Quest for Understanding Attitudes of Research Managers and Administrators in the Wider World
- Chapter 3.2: Exploring Forms of Knowledge and Professionalism in RMA in a Global Context
- Chapter 3.3: Understanding Organisational Structures in RMA – An Overview of Structures and Cases in a Global Context
- Chapter 3.4: Research-related Information Management: Reflections from Southern African Practitioners
- Chapter 3.5: Empirical and Empathetic Approaches Taken by Science, Technology and Innovation Coordinators in Southeast Asia
- Chapter 3.6: The Influence of RMA Associations on Identity and Policymaking Internationally
- Chapter 3.7: Evolution of Professional Identity in Research Management and Administration
- Section 4: Professionalism
- Chapter 4.1: Professionalisation of Research Management and Administration in Southern Africa – A Case Study
- Chapter 4.2: Professionalisation of Research Support in Hungary Through the Lens of the Non-research Specific Requirements of Horizon Europe
- Chapter 4.3: Professional Staff in Support Services in Education and Research – How to Connect Research with Practice
- Chapter 4.4: Professional Associations and Professional Development Frameworks
- Chapter 4.5: RASPerS: Prevalence of Occupational Stress and Associated Factors in RMA Professionals
- Chapter 4.6: A Profession in the Making: Insights from Western Balkan Countries
- Chapter 4.7: Key Perspectives for a Long-term Career – Statistical Analysis of International Data for a New Profession
- Chapter 4.8: Diversity and Internationalisation: A New Core Competence for Research Managers?
- Part 2 - Section 5: Country Specific Chapters
- Chapter 5.1: Introduction to the RMA by Country Chapters
- Africa
- Chapter 5.2: Research Management and Administration in Kenya in a Challenging Research Environment
- Chapter 5.3: The Profession of Research Management and Administration in Nigeria
- Chapter 5.4: The Profession of Research Management and Administration in South Africa
- North America
- Chapter 5.5: The Profession of Research Management and Administration in Canada
- Chapter 5.6: The Profession of Research Management and Administration in the Caribbean Community
- Chapter 5.7: Research Administration in the United States
- South America
- Chapter 5.8: Research Management and Administration in Brazil
- Chapter 5.9: Maturity in the Professionalisation of the Research Managers and Administrators in Colombia
- Asia
- Chapter 5.10: Development of RMA in China
- Chapter 5.11: The Profession of Research Management and Administration in India
- Chapter 5.12: The Profession of Research Management and Administration in Japan
- Chapter 5.13: Development of Research Management in Malaysia
- Chapter 5.14: Research Management and Administration in Pakistan's Context
- Chapter 5.15: Research Management and Administration (RMA) in Singapore: Development of RMA Capability in Nanyang Technological University (NTU)
- Chapter 5.16: Research Management and Administration in Vietnam
- Australasia
- Chapter 5.17: The Emergence of the Research Management Profession in Australia
- Chapter 5.18: The Profession of Research Management and Administration in Aotearoa New Zealand
- Central and Eastern Europe
- Chapter 5.19: The Profession of Research Management and Administration in the Baltic Countries: Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania
- Chapter 5.20: RMA in Belarus: Not Yet a Full-Fledged Profession But an Important Part of R&D Activities
- Chapter 5.21: Research Management and Administration in Cyprus
- Chapter 5.22: The Profession of Research Management and Administration in Czechia
- Chapter 5.23: Research Management and Administration in Poland
- Chapter 5.24: The Profession of Research Management and Administration in Romania
- Chapter 5.25: Evolution of RMA in Slovenia
- Chapter 5.26: Research Management and Administration in the Western Balkans
- Western Europe
- Chapter 5.27: Areas of Research Management and Administration in Austria
- Chapter 5.28: The Profession of Research Management and Administration in Denmark
- Chapter 5.29: The Profession of Research Management and Administration in Finland
- Chapter 5.30: The Profession of Research Management and Administration in France
- Chapter 5.31: The Profession of Research Management and Administration in Germany
- Chapter 5.32: The Profession of Research Management and Administration in Iceland
- Chapter 5.33: The Profession of Research Management and Administration in Ireland
- Chapter 5.34: The Profession of Research Management and Administration in Italy
- Chapter 5.35: The Profession of Research Management and Administration in the Netherlands
- Chapter 5.36: The Profession of Research Management and Administration in Norway
- Chapter 5.37: The Profession of Research Management and Administration in Portugal
- Chapter 5.38: The Development of the RMA Profession in Catalonia (Spain)
- Chapter 5.39: The Profession of Research Management and Administration in Sweden
- Chapter 5.40: The Profession of Research Management and Administration in the UK
- Middle East
- Chapter 5.41: Research Management and Administration in Qatar
- Chapter 5.42: Research Management and Administration in Saudi Arabia: Transitioning From an Oil to a Knowledge-based Economy
- Chapter 5.43: Research Management and Administration: An Emerging Profession in the UAE
- Chapter 5.44: Reflections on Research Management and Administration in Various Countries Around the World
- Section 6: Reflections
- Chapter 6: Emerging Trends and Insights in Research Management and Administration
- Glossary
- References
- Index