In this article, the author reflects on research management and administration (RMA) as a profession. RMA arose from the need to manage growth in the number and complexity of research awards over the last fifty years, and is an activity and profession that continues to mature. It has grown in parallel with the increasing complexity of research…

The Department of Health in England released a new health research strategy in 2006 with far-reaching implications for both health research and research management. The explicit policy shift is towards centres of excellence and away from historical block allocations of funding to National Health Service (NHS) healthcare organisations--with these…

It is not uncommon to find that the research support office in a university or organisation has been, is going through or is about to be restructured. This observation may reflect the ever-changing requirement and roles of those based within these functions, yet it might also be a symptom that traditional models are sub-optimal and below standards…

The increasing complexity and diversity of a typical portfolio of research awards coupled with advancing technology makes successful implementation and delivery of system benefits more challenging than ever. Moreover, the role of systems in knowledge management is a fundamental issue faced by all research active organizations. One of the principal…

PRINCE2, which stands for Projects in Controlled Environments, is a project management method covering the organisation, management, and control of projects and is widely used in both government and commercial IT and building projects in the UK. This paper describes the application of PRINCE2 to the management of large clinical trials…