14:45-15:15: 30 min presentation by Helle Elisabeth Lyngborg, Elina Drakvik, Rita Araujo, Lara Quirós and Marie-Alix Fauvel

New demands in a new era: Cluster building for greater impact- Taking advantage of the experiences of the EURION cluster

With the increasing emphasis on impact of research and synergies across research activities and projects, new requirements are emerging for research managers and administrators to facilitate and support this strive for greater impact. This session will scan the horizons for new requirements, opportunities, skills and potential obstacles for joint collaboration across EU-funded research projects. We will share ideas, experiences and lessons learned on joint efforts from research management/administration as well as communication and dissemination perspectives.
 
Two Scientific Project Officer from the European Commission will, via video, explain how they use clusterbuilding as an instrument for the commission at a policy level. You will also learn how the clusterbuilding is used for the benefit of two Horizon 2020 projects.
 
The session will build on the experiences of a thematic cluster, EURION, that exemplifies the novel approach by the European Commission to bring together a portfolio of research projects addressing a particular challenge. The EURION cluster consists of eight H2020-funded research projects that focus on the development of novel methods for testing and assessment of endocrine disrupting chemicals (EDCs). EURION was established in January 2019 by DG Research and Innovation in order to optimise synergies and avoid overlaps between the projects selected for funding from the call SC1BHC-27-2018 ‘New testing and screening methods to identify endocrine disrupting chemicals’. The cluster is coordinated by rotating teams consisting of two projects at a time to cover the 5-year life span of the projects. Importantly, EURION enables effective collaboration across the projects and facilitates sharing of knowledge, data and expertise as well as it allows joining forces especially for common dissemination and communication activities in order to maximize impact.
 
In this session, we will focus on four key aspects, namely understanding 1) benefits, 2) challenges, 3) skills and instruments, as well as 4) stakeholders and other actors which can be crucial for successful cross-project collaboration and greater impact. In particular, we will discuss the added value that research and project managers can bring in to support joint activities and novel collaborations.
 
By the end of the session, the participants will have formed a better picture on:
- Benefits and synergies of cross-project collaboration for greater impact
- Potential obstacles and challenges affecting joint efforts
- New skills, attitudes and instruments to work effectively across projects
- Stakeholders and other actors that can enable, facilitate and multiply the joint efforts and their impact
 
The session does not require previous experience from cross-project collaboration or thematic clusters, but rather contributes to the readiness of the participants to promote such collaborations for greater impact and synergies. The session focuses especially on collaborative research projects and their clustering within an EU framework programme context, but many of the experiences could be generalised and applied to other aspects of research collaboration and management.
 
To ensure wide dissemination of the key aspects and messages, a summary report and an article will be published through various communication channels after the conference.
 
This session is co-organised by the EURION cluster and the European Commission.

15:15-15:45: 30 min presentation by Worktribe

Towards a one platform approach to research management

In a shifting and complex higher education environment, administrative processes need to be collaborative, efficient, and transparent. 

Managing a changing portfolio of research projects can be particularly challenging. Academics, researchers, administrators, research managers, contracts managers, library and many other staff are involved in different parts of the lifecycle of a research project, often working in their own silos, with their own processes and targets. A myriad of research systems, duplicated information and inconsistent approvals processes can mean that researchers and academics find themselves spending too much time focusing on administration. On the flip side, university leaders need access to accurate, up to date research information to inform strategic decision-making more than ever before. 

For over 10 years, Worktribe has been working with universities across the UK to enable researchers and administrators to manage the full research lifecycle on one cloud-based platform. The continuous development of software on the platform is driven by users and based on best practice across numerous universities in the sector. 

In this session, we’ll explore case studies from across the UK of how institutions are harnessing an integrated research management platform to support world-class research. Topics will include how rich data from across the research lifecycle can inform strategic decision-making and how integrations with other university systems can lead to more reliable data and improved processes. 

Speaker

Jon Hackney, Worktribe
Jon is an Account Manager with Worktribe, provider of collaborative research management software for higher education. Prior to joining Worktribe, Jon spent 14 years at UCL as a manager, administrator, and data analyst, with particular expertise in research management systems.