Abstract

Research support offices are constantly being asked to do more with less: managing expanding research portfolios, navigating fragmenting funding landscapes, and addressing ever-more-complex proposal requirements. Fortunately there are many tools available to us – not least in the immense promise of genAI. But how can we decide between the plethora of innovation options on offer?

This presentation is a concrete case study of how the Research Support Office at the Danish Technological Institute has been evaluating the processes we use. We present some of the approaches we've used to decide if, when, and where to make changes to our workflows – and how to prioritise those changes in our busy schedules.

We’ll discuss how we spot problematic areas in our work, and lay out four potential responses we’ve tried to them, along with the pros and cons of each: prioritising such tasks as-is, specialising our team, developing custom digital tools and automation, and genAI solutions. We've been actively assessing the potential of genAI tools for RMA work since early 2023, and believe that while AI will significantly improve our day-to-day productivity, it's not a panacea – and that the hype around AI risks that other forms of improvement getting overlooked.

So please join us for an exchange about how RMAs can critically evaluate and implement process innovations to maximise return on investment, ensuring your office remains at the forefront of research management. We invite you to share your experiences, and explore together how these strategies can be adapted to your institution's benefit.