Developing Research Management in Tallinn University Kristel Toom Research Administration Office Tallinn University, Estonia 4th European Innovation Summit.

Developing Research Management in

Tallinn University

Kristel ToomResearch Administration Office

Tallinn University, Estonia

4th European Innovation Summit

Brussels, 10 October, 2012

What is the role of an Research Support Office in achieving the university’s strategic targets in university research strategy?

How can outcome-oriented management lead to better research performance?

Content of the Presentation

About Tallinn UniversityStructure, scope, research goals

Research support services Structure, scope

Performance indicatorsChallenges

Structure & Staff

Employees1075

26 academic units 19 research institutes

9 administrative units

Research scopeMain research fields – Humanities, Social and Educational Sciences Strategic research themes:

Cultural changes: new fields and mechanisms of meaning-making Changes in education and lifelong learning Personal and academic development of individuals Digital ecosystems Nano- and mesosystems in physics and analytical biochemistry Functioning of wetlands and development of ecosystems Scientific archaeology Historical development of Livonia during Middle Ages and early modern period Main trends in Estonian demographics

Priority research themes: Changes and adaptation in Estonian society from early modern period to 20th century Social changes in sociological perspective Comparative studies of cultures in Estonia Genesis of literary culture and its current state in Estonia Learning and teaching languages, their use and mutual influence in Estonia Learning politics in age of globalisation

R&D prioritiesdevelop high-profile and interdisciplinary R&D centres and research teams and increase the share of R&D in the university’s activities

implement research-based studies and to offer competitive doctoral programmes built on international experience

enrich society via different forms of knowledge transfer

build a working environment conducive to increasing and realising the R&D potential of the university members

increase and diversify the R&D financial resources

Research Administration Office4 units leaded by the vice-rector for research

Main activities: National funding National/university R&D regulations Collecting and analysing research performance data Administrates research board

Research Management

2002

2007

2008

2009

2010

2011

2012

R&D priority Unit is responsible for:

develop high-profile and interdisciplinary R&D centres and research teams and increase the share of R&D in the university’s activities

Development of R&D analysis capabilities and central services in order to offer quality support to researchers

Measure and analyse research performance

implement research-based studies and offer competitive doctoral programmes built on international experience

Development of a format for university-wide research seminars

enrich society via different forms of knowledge transfer

Initiation and support of projects which popularise science

build a working environment conducive to increasing and realising the R&D potential of the university members

Review of the academic staff reward and motivation system

increase and diversify the R&D financial resources

Initiation of new cooperation contracts with both Estonian and international R&D institutions

Main activities: Mapping funding opportunities Pre- and post-award international project support Structural funds Supporting project reporting and audits

Project Management 2009

2010

2011

2012

R&D priority Unit is responsible for:

develop high-profile and interdisciplinary R&D centres and research teams and increase the share of R&D in the university’s activities

Development of a support system for finding partners and for writing funding applications.

Systematic and methodical gathering and dissemination of funding opportunities information.

Creation of an environment for administering projects and managing project information, a system of reviewing and assessing the success rate of funding applications in the university.

Development of quality support to the initiators and implementers of research and development projects for the duration of their project’s lifecycle.

increase and diversify the R&D financial resources

build a working environment conducive to increasing and realising the R&D potential of the university members

Offering of continuing training opportunities for project managers and writers of project applications.

Main activities: Counselling PhD students and supervisors Supporting graduate schools Organising defenses Publishing PhD thesis

2009

2010

2011

2012

Doctoral Studies

R&D priority Unit is responsible for:

implement research-based studies and to offer competitive doctoral programmes built on international experience

Concentration of doctoral studies in doctoral schools (or similar networks) which are integrated into the international network of doctoral studies;

Increase in the number of international postdoctoral fellows in the university.

build a working environment conducive to increasing and realising the R&D potential of the university members

Negotiating agreements regarding professional development visits with partner universities and supporting short- and long-term mobility to cohesively integrate doctoral students into research and creative work communities.

Main activities: Engaging researchers and students in solving

R&D tasks that are a challenge to business partners

Knowledge Transfer Center

2004

2007

2009

2010

2011

2012

R&D priority Unit is responsible for:

enrich society via different forms of knowledge transfer

Development of support services facilitating knowledge transfer; compilation of a database of services and service providers.

Stepping up the cooperation with partners from private and public sectors; securing partners with long-term agreements.

Initiation and support of projects which popularise science and present the results of the university’s R&D results to a wider audience, both in Estonian and foreign languages.

increase and diversify the R&D financial resources

Finding new cooperation partners from public and private sectors in order to initiate and implement applied research projects and to create research-based applications.

How we measure performance (1)

develop high-profile and interdisciplinary R&D centres and research teams and increase the share of R&D in the university’s activities

•Number of high-level research publications per academic employee in a year•Number of intra-unit high-level research publications in a year•Number of ISI publications per academic employee in a year•TU’s share of total baseline funding•Total funding of funded interdisciplinary projects•Leadership and participation in national centres of excellence

implement research-based studies and to offer competitive doctoral programmes built on international experience

•Share of institutes which participate in the organisation of regular research seminars held at least once a month•Share of foreign nationals among regular TU academic staff•Number/share of doctoral programmes participating in doctoral schools or similar networks•Number/share of doctoral students involved in funded R&D projects•Satisfaction of doctoral students with their studies/supervision•Number of annually defended doctoral theses•Share of doctoral students who have completed their studies within the standard period of studies•Mobility rate of doctoral students•Share of international doctoral students•Number of postdoctoral fellows / international postdoctoral fellows

How we measure performance (2)enrich society via different forms of knowledge transfer

•Total funding for applied research projects•Number of conferences and cultural events organised•Textbooks, popular science books and articles (incl. in Estonian)•Number of monographs in Estonian

build a working environment conducive to increasing and realising the R&D potential of the university members

•Employee’s general satisfaction with management and working environment (on a 7-point scale)•Satisfaction of academic employees with the faculty’s readiness to cooperate / counseling competence (on a 7-point scale)•Number of days spent on a professional development visit in a foreign university or research institution in a year•Average remuneration of academic employees / its ratio to the national average

increase and diversify the R&D financial resources

•The university’s revenue base per employee•Three years’ average share of research, development and creative work receipts in the total budget/per one academic employee•Share of successful R&D project applications•Share of national funding•Total funding of R&D (projects, contracts, baseline funding)/share in the budget

Performance indicators for research supportSatisfaction of academic staff (feedback questionnaire) with research support:

readiness to cooperate counselling competencegeneral satisfaction with management

Indicate the units with weaker feedback more detailed feedback askedduring interviews

Improvement strategy

Collecting relevant performance data

Target performance indicators must be ambitious but realistic

ChallengesPeople Office University

Recruitment

Professional development

Training

IT & language skills

Structure

Flexibility

Leading

Resources

Strategy and leading

Structure (centralised and decentralised services)

Task dividing with other offices

Recognition

Changing landscape of research – more and more competition based fundingChanging landscape of research – more and more competition based funding

Changing regulationsChanging regulationsMore detailed reporting,

more metricsMore detailed reporting, more metrics

Need for more specialised support (changing roles)Need for more specialised support (changing roles)

Key elements in managing research

Working strategy

Correct and relevant data to measure performance

Strong leaders

Good and reliable team

What I have learned Teamwork is the key

doesn’t matter who wins, the whole team (office/university) wins

Meeting the challenge of change take risks

pay attention to what happening around – never create status quo, be opened to opportunities of future

Acknowledging weaknesses don’t run away it only grows in your head – strategy to get over

Learn from mistakes step back – digest experience – learn the lesson

"Face new challenges, seize new opportunities, test your resources against the unknown and in the process, discover your own unique

potential.” (John Amatt)

Thank you!

Kristel Toom

Tallinn University, Estonia

[email protected]

www.tlu.ee