Abstract

Funding is granted and a research group is launched – how can RMAs continue to support groups to reach their research goals?

Once funding is secured, the success of a research project lies heavily on its PI or director. Especially in larger projects with multiple members the leadership skills of a PI are essential. RMAs can offer support and tools in the post-award phase to help bring focus into the project. This presentation describes the case of a multi-disciplinary, 40-member group and the GROW model for coaching.

The group described in this case study is organized in three research teams with one PI per team. The PIs had a series of coaching meetings with the administrative coordinator of the project in the second year of the 8-year project. The aim was to formulate a roadmap document that states the research goals in more detail than the research plan, and outlines the routes to reach these goals. In the context of the GROW (Goal, Reality, Options, Way forward) model for coaching, the current Reality was known. Coaching helped the PIs formulate concrete Goals and the Options to reach them. The Way forward was paved.

The roadmap document, updated yearly, proved to be an asset. Members of the research group were encouraged to find themselves in the document and thus in the bigger picture, resulting in concrete and well-aligned advances toward a shared goal over the course of many years. The document was utilized at the time of a midterm evaluation of the research project to showcase results and the ambitious goals. Toward the end of the project, the roadmap document has been useful in identifying key tasks where resources should be directed to reach highest impact.

The process produced a transferable tool: the model of a roadmap document and the coached activity of producing such a document for a research project. It showed in practice the multifaceted benefits of extending support to the post-award phase, where RMAs can be companions in producing the research environment of a particular project.