Abstract

In matryoshka puppets, one doll appears at a glance, but it contains many others, the facets of the Research Manager profile. All puppets must be properly equilibrated among them with the most miniature doll (the seed, the ground knowledge) well centered (with a good overview of the different processes within the Department).

In 2012, the Department of Management of the University of Bologna boarded a research manager within its administrative staff to face the primary need of managing ongoing competitive projects.
Was this enough to answer the requests coming from different sides?
Due to the transversal aspects characterizing research activities and projects, the RM has faced a crescendo of related activities over the years.

The ground RM tasks have thus enlarged coherently with the Department faculty’s needs, the University strategies, and, last but not least, national and international R&I policies and rules.

Does it mean that the RM should take root at first and grow as a tree with its branches, potentially endless? Where’s the balance between specialization and completeness of support?

The RM at the Department of Management, from the pioneer (the seed puppet), has become increasingly part of a network and a community within the university (the external matryoshka puppets).
Indeed, in 2022 the Department of Management has decided to further enlarge its staff with a Communication Manager devoted to research dissemination. How is the tree going to grow from now on?

Learning outcomes: How RM’s tasks and relationships develop in time in a big research-intensive university department and how the skills improve coherently.
Inputs for the audience: to define their role within their Institution.