After INORMS Madrid 2025: Reflections on Our Study Tour Across Spain

When the INORMS Congress in Madrid concluded in early May, our journey didn’t end there. As a follow-up to the congress, EARMA organised the INORMS Study Tour across Spain, bringing together international and Spanish RMA communities through meaningful conversations, visits, and shared learning.

This was never about sightseeing; it was about immersion. Participants met with research management professionals across Madrid, Granada, and Barcelona, exploring how RMAs in Spain navigate strategy, collaboration, and professionalisation within a changing European landscape.

In Madrid, participants were welcomed by national institutions including the Universidad Politécnica de Madrid, CSIC, FECYT, idtUPM, Fundación Madri+d, and CDTI, opening discussions on the role of RMAs in Spain’s research and innovation strategies, certification, and talent attraction. A warm thank you to Almudena Carrero(CSIC) for coordinating the Madrid programme and bringing together such an insightful line-up of voices and perspectives.

In Granada, the group explored the region’s thriving research ecosystem, with visits to the Calar Alto Observatory(CAHA) and the Instituto de Astrofísica de Andalucía (IAA-CSIC). Our gratitude to Alicia Pelegrina (CSIC) for organising inspiring sessions with the participation of Universidad de Granada and IFMIF-DONES that showcased the different profiles of research managers and how they support scientific excellence in research performing organisations, universities and large research infrastructures.

In Barcelona, the tour concluded with visits to the Department of Research and Universities of the Generalitat de Catalunya (DREU), PRBB, Barcelona Supercomputing Center (BSC-CNS), and Barcelona Science Park (PCB), highlighting collaboration and sustainable research careers. A heartfelt thank you to Cristina Borràs (AGAUR) for designing a dynamic and forward-looking programme that perfectly captured the spirit of Catalonia’s research landscape.

And to Olga Roig (CREAF), our Study Tour Coordinator, a special thank you for your leadership, coordination, and vision in connecting all the threads that made this journey possible.

Throughout the week, discussions culminated in shared reflections and collective ideas for the future of research management, the beginning of what we hope will inspire ongoing dialogue and collaboration across borders.

To everyone who participated: thank you for your curiosity, openness, and enthusiasm. The study tour reminded us that professionalisation grows through connection across borders, institutions, and shared goals.

Here’s to continuing the journey together.