Research Administration as a Profession (RAAAP) Taskforce

Research Administration as a Profession (RAAAP) is an international survey which seeks to identify the key skills, attitudes and behaviours of successful research management and administration (RMA) leaders.

The initial RAAAP survey, held in 2016, was funded by NCURA. It was led by Simon Kerridge (University of Kent, UK) and Stephanie Scott (Columbia University, USA) as Co-PIs, and supported by an international advisory group. In June 2018, the Council of the International Network of Research Management Societies (INORMS) formally endorsed the RAAAP survey as an INORMS initiative

The Taskforce

The RAAAP Taskforce was formed in October 2018 and has evolved over the years. Initially it included many members involved in the initial (2016) RAAAP exercise, and expanded to include representation from each of the INORMS Associations and also some other related associations.

The aim of the RAAAP Taskforce is to continue the work of the initial RAAAP survey, by surveying Research Managers and Administrators every three years (or thereabouts), to collect and analyse longitudinal data about the profession. The Taskforce is also responsible for revising the initial survey and editing future iterations of the survey, as required.

The Surveys

The RAAAP survey now comprises two main sections. One section of the survey is a streamlined version of the 2016 survey. This section is intended to remain the same longitudinally. The other section of the survey focuses on a specific area of interest, of particular relevance at the time – the focus of this section will change with each iteration of the survey.

RAAAP-3 (2022): The third iteration of the RAAAP survey (RAAAP-3) is now live and focusses on “How I Became a Research Manager and Administrator” (HIBARMA) looking at the myriad of ways we find ourselves in this profession.
RAAAP-2 (2019): The second iteration of the RAAAP survey (RAAAP-2) was launched on 1 October 2019. The ‘guest’ section of the survey focused on “Research Impact”.
RAAAP (2016): The first iteration of the RAAAP survey attracted responses from over 2,600 individuals from 64 countries. The survey’s findings were presented at RM and INORMS conferences between 2016 and 2018.

The Outputs

The Taskforce will keep you updated on RAAAP work. It will do this primarily:

At RMA events: Taskforce members are delivering presentations and workshops on RAAAP at major RMA events. See the programme for your Association’s upcoming annual conference, for reference.
Through email briefings: The Taskforce has regular email briefings which highlight key updates, milestones and developments in RAAAP. If you would like to receive our email updates on RAAAP, please subscribe to our email discussion list.

You can also keep up-to-date with our work by checking #RAAAP on Twitter.

For further information contact your Association’s Taskforce member

RAAAP Taskforce Members

The TaskForce is directed by a Core Group comprising:

Simon Kerridge (Principal Investigator), University of Kent, UK

Madhuri Dutta (Co-PI), George Institute for Global Health, India

Melinda Fischer (Co-PI), Clemson University, US

Cristina Oliveira (Co-PI), NOVA Information Management School (NOVA IMS), Portugal

Deborah Zornes (Core Group Member), Royal Roads University, Canada

Nataliia Kutsmus, Polissia National University, Ukraine

The overall Taskforce comprises:

Key Findings and Outputs

Research Administration around the World – published in the Research Management Review journal in 2018
The award-winning poster which illustrates key findings from the first (2016) RAAAP survey.
You can find links to all RAAAP-related papers, blogs, datasets and material here