Testimonial
RM Roadmap Ambassador of Spain
Cristina Borrás
Agency for Management of University and Research Grants, Catalonia, Spain
Rm Roadmap Podcast:
1. If there is a formal national network in your country, how has this helped you to spread awareness about the RM Roadmap project? If there is no formal network present, please describe your community-building activities.
There is no formal network or association which supports ‘Research Management’ as such for the whole country in Spain, whereas there are several networks and working groups related to research management across the country which have been created as forums to share experiences and insights. They are either regional or sectorial, as such, they are focused on Universities, Research Performing Organizations or supporting Knowledge Transfer.
As RM Roadmap Ambassadors, we sent direct announcements on the opportunity to contribute to the project to the networks and working groups in which we are involved or that we acknowledged. We asked them to provide their position as individual networks on the topics discussed to have a more consistent representation and to encourage the participation of their members in the KCP platform.
Indeed, the RM Roadmap project has been key to raising awareness among the different networks on the relevance of the momentum for RM recognition. It raised the need for the different networks to join forces and discuss common challenges, and, for the first time, work on a joint position to approach the Spanish Ministry on this issue.
2. Through your experience of RM Roadmap co-creation session 1, what challenges do national RM communities encounter in contributing to national and European R&I systems? Please state whether the presence or absence of a formal national network is a factor in these challenges.
The participants encountered several challenges which are still not well addressed due to a lack of a formal National network, such as the need to devote resources to ensure common objectives, an adequate budget for organising regular RM support activities, periodic meetings between the networks and working groups, tailored training offers covering RM needs, and proper communication tools/channels, both internal to each forum and towards external audiences.
In line with this, contributors denounced there is little communication between the different networks/groups and the difficulty for the RMs community to have their voice heard to actively contribute to the creation of regulations that would support the sector. They expressed the need to have a voice at a national level so that key findings that emerge from these European RM initiatives can have an impact on their career advancement, considering the specificities of the country's legislation.
This first co-creation exercise emphasised the lack of recognition of the RM role from both governmental bodies and institutions in the country, underlined the missing definition of the job, as well as drawing attention to the need for dedicated strategies and resources to secure RM career development and stability. Overall, it raised a consensus on the importance of addressing these issues to enhance the effectiveness and clarity of research management within the Spanish context.
3. From your involvement in the RM Roadmap project process so far, have you noticed an increase in engagement within your national RM community?
Yes, certainly, the RM Roadmap project has raised awareness of the European Research Management Initiative and has been of great inspiration for issuing discussions on RM challenges on different forums.
The RM's contributions from Spain are remarkable, representing the largest community in Europe on the KCP discussions with 2497 views, and well represented in the ongoing surveys. I would also highlight the effort of the 4 voluntary representatives working as National Ambassadors and 5 Thematic Ambassadors from the country. This has allowed for broad discussions among us, ensuring awareness of the co-creation process of the RM Roadmap project to the Spanish community and having a good representation in the related European forums.
This initiative has opened broader strategic debates on how to support RM professionalisation and recognise their work, both at the National and regional levels. Take as an example, the before-mentioned joint position to approach the Spanish R&I Ministry or the Research Managers event in Catalonia with more than 350 attendees. The event compelled good practices exchanges on professional development, emotional well-being, or the value of research management, among others, and pointed out the participative opportunities and results from the European projects, RM Roadmap and CARDEA on the research management competencies and career framework proposals.