Empowering R&I: A New Era in Research Management

ERA Action 19 in the ERA Policy Agenda (2025-2027)

As research processes intensify and the expectations on generating a societal impact grow, specialised support from research managers becomes crucial. This initiative seeks to strengthen the research management profession, still undervalued in the ERA, and provides support for its strategic development. It emphasises the need for coordinated EU and national policy support to create skilled professionals, better career prospects, improved working conditions, gender equality, training, and mobility.

Objectives

• Achieve better recognition of the research manager profession as well as attractive and clearer career paths for research managers;
• ensure broad and easy access to educational material and upskilling activities/tools of research managers, including early careers research managers, including guidance on AI tools;
• create a recognised Europe-wide learning and skills development scheme for Research Managers with peer-to-peer learning and mobility components ensuring the integration of ERA priorities and values, e.g., ethics and research integrity, open science and inclusive gender equality;
• improve networking with research managers from the public and the private sector, resulting in better awareness of schemes for professional development, career path and available training opportunities.

Expected outcomes

• Launching in 2025 and implementing an overarching and flexible careers and competence framework for research managers; implementing an evidence-based awareness campaign in Member States , the results of which will be published in 2026;
• Co-creating in 2026 a European Charter for Research Managers, creating a triangle approach of research performing organisations, research funding organisations, and European industry, ensuring recognition across sectors; designing approaches for capacity building; and analysing the role of research management in selected actions funded under the “Widening” programme part of Horizon Europe, to monitor the impact on the overall efficiency and effectiveness of the R&I system;
• Launching in 2027 a centralised online hub, preferably under the upcoming ERA Talent Platform, that collates current and new curricula, educational materials, alongside upskilling tools for research managers, and access to vital training and certification programmes for both current and aspiring professionals.

Background information

In the first ERA Policy Agenda (2022-2024), Action 17 contained the Research Management Initiative, which was about enhancing the strategic capacity of Europe’s public research performing and funding organisations (RPOs and RFOs), in line with the European Commission's European Skills Agenda (30 June 2020) and the Council Conclusions on the new ERA (1 Dec. 2020). The Action aimed at enhancing the training and skills development of research management staff, increasing networking and promoting the recognition of the R&I management profession at institutional and government levels.​ It was supported through the Horizon projects CARDEA - Career Acknowledgement for Research (Managers) Delivering for the European Area and The Research Management Roadmap.

For more information:

Horizon Europe support for research management | European Research Area Platform

RM Comp: The European Competence Framework for Research Managers - European Commission