A Concurrent Session is a 60-minute session that could be in the form of presentation, case study, discussion, panel or step-by-step presentation. The majority of sessions at SRAI meetings typically fit in this category and form the core of conference offerings. Presenters are encouraged to use active learning techniques to engage audiences, distribute materials, and respond to follow-up requests for more information. The Concurrent Sessions are marked with an "T," or "W" for the day of the week that they are presented, followed by the time slot. 

Concurrent Sessions

Tuesday - April 28th

Wednesday - April 29th

Wednesday - April 29th

10:10 AM - 11:10 AM

"Research administrators face an increasingly complex landscape where traditional university systems struggle to support the agile requirements of modern research entities. This practitioner-led study demonstrates how Design Science methodology and integrative thinking can transform daily operational challenges into systematic improvement opportunities.
 
The research tackles a problem familiar to research administrators worldwide: research entities caught between the need for institutional support and the demand for operational flexibility. Traditional solutions force a choice between university affiliation (with its bureaucratic constraints) or independence (with its resource limitations). This study shows how research managers can move beyond such either/or thinking.
 
Using a structured Design Science approach, research administrators and managers at UCT’s Faculty of Health Sciences collaboratively examined these tensions through Business Model Innovation sessions. Rather than accepting existing trade-offs, the team applied integrative thinking techniques to develop a “Workaround Model” - practical solutions that preserve institutional benefits while addressing administrative inefficiencies.
 
The methodology produced concrete tools: real-time information, streamlined workflows, and automated processes. These solutions were tested through safe-to-fail experiments, demonstrating how research administrators can lead innovation within existing institutional constraints.
 
This case study provides research administrators with a replicable framework for addressing similar operational challenges while building professional capabilities in systematic problem-solving and stakeholder engagement."

Content level: Basic

Learning objectives:

  1. Practical Problem-Solving Framework: Learn to apply systematic design thinking to daily research administration challenges
  2.  Stakeholder Engagement Strategies: Techniques for facilitating collaborative solution development with researchers, faculty,

Track: Professional Development

Leadership Certificate Required Session: LD-VIII: Risk Management and Compliance

Speaker(s): Carmelita Sylvester, Centre Manager, University of Cape Town, CIDER, Jacqueline Sylvester, University of Cape Town

International scientific collaborations are essential to the development of scientific understandings and the solution of societal challenges. However, it is challenging to create and maintain effective scientific partnerships. Challenges include collaborating across time zones, distance, and languages. An additional challenge is the necessity for sufficient research management and administration capacity across participating research institutions to ensure that team members are supported as they develop research grant proposals and implement funded research.
 
Research management and administration capacities vary widely across institution types and sizes, within and between countries and continents, making it even more difficult to create and support international research collaborations. This session focuses on describing two international collaborations designed to enhance research administration capacity across diverse research institutions and regions. The first is the West African Research Innovation and Management Association (WARIMA), an association with a long history of developing, engaging and enhancing capacities around research management and administration to support regional sustainable development. The second is the international Research Administration Capacity Building at Emerging Research Institutions (ERIs) across the Americas (RACIMA) project with the objective to build bilingual research administration resource sharing and training across North and South America. WARIMA and RACIMA are collaborating to share lessons learned and resources across diverse regions.
 
This session describes how and why the collaborations were created, what they have learned about barriers to effective research management and administration within our regions, the training needs across our regions, and the types of resources we are developing and sharing to address these needs. We will share lessons learned about developing research management and administration capacities through international collaborations between researchers, research administration leaders, and research management staff.

Content level: Intermediate

Learning objectives:

  1. Understand some of the barriers to effective research management and administration across diverse regions.
  2. Be more skillful in developing international research administration partnerships to better support international research collaborations at their institutions.

Track: International Collaborations

Speaker(s): Kathleen Halvorsen, Associate Vice President for Research, Integrity and Facilities Michigan, Eme Owoaje, Professor of Public Health, The University of Ibadan, María Cid, Director of Institutional Partnerships and Interdisciplinarity, Universidad de Buenos Aires, Pete Larsen, Associate Vice President for Research, Development, Michigan Technological University

This interactive session will explore how implementation research in resource-limited settings can be translated into impactful, community-based health models. Drawing on the case study of Tele_ESSI, a school-based epilepsy intervention from India, participants will examine how research design, stakeholder engagement, and digital tools can drive real-world change. Through group activities and strategic mapping, attendees will analyze barriers and enablers to implementation and create practical pathways for translating their own research into sustainable impact. The session will emphasize actionable strategies for engaging communities, tracking outcomes, and aligning academic research with societal needs—especially in the context of global health disparities. Participants will receive a digital toolkit to apply these approaches in their own institutions or collaborations.

Content level: Advanced

Learning objectives:

  1. Describe strategies for designing and implementing impact-driven research in low-resource settings.
  2. Identify enablers and barriers to community-based neurological or NCD intervention scale-up and apply a structured mapping tool to link research outputs with real-world societal impact.

Track: Output Driven Research

Speaker(s):Sulena Sulena, Doctor, Guru Gobind Singh Medical College and Hospital, 

This session explores the complex regulatory frameworks governing clinical trials and the export of clinical trial materials and technologies. It will address compliance challenges faced by institutions conducting international research, with a focus on navigating export controls, ethical approvals, and cross-border data and material transfers. No names suggested, but I'm sure there will be several ideas.

Track: Regulatory Landscapes

Global Research Management Certificate Required Session: Research Governance, Legal & Compliance (GRM-I)

Speaker: Allen Mukhwana, Head of Programmes, Science Knowledge in Society, Science for Africa Foundation 

The Clinical Research Enterprise (CRE) was established six years ago as a small, shared service team with just 8 staff members, supporting 3 divisions within the Department of Medicine. Today, our team has grown to nearly 60 staff, now providing comprehensive support to 6 divisions within the Department of Medicine and 8 additional departments across the Heersink School of Medicine. As our scope of work expanded, the traditional methods of tracking and reporting clinical trial activities became insufficient. With over 100 Principal Investigators under our purview, it became imperative to develop a more efficient and streamlined approach to managing and communicating trial data. 
While most institutions utilize clinical trial management software, these systems often have multiple potential failure points and rarely provide all pertinent details. As clinical trial management has become increasingly nuanced, with multiple vendors involved in study startup, the need for transparent and accurate tracking has become more complex. To address these challenges and meet industry demands, we leveraged free, open-source tools to automate and enhance data tracking. This initiative has not only reduced inefficiencies and staff frustration but has also empowered investigators and leadership with clearer, more accurate insights into their clinical trial portfolios. The result has been a marked increase in confidence and improved communication between our shared service team and the divisions and departments we support.
By integrating these open-source tools with our institution's existing clinical trial management software, we have created resources that can be developed and managed by clinical trial administrators, regardless of their technical expertise. These tools have been successfully implemented within our large, shared service team, the Clinical Research Enterprise (CRE), to support the six divisions and eight departments we currently collaborate with. We believe these resources can be adopted in full or in an ad-hoc manner to benefit administrators across a variety of settings.
These resources have been well received by divisional and departmental leadership, investigators, and our clinical trial support staff. We have successfully reduced the time spent on administrative tasks while providing greater transparency to our collaborators. This has enabled the CRE to operate more efficiently and deliver excellent customer service through an easily reproducible, scalable, and cost-free platform.

Content level: Intermediate

Learning objectives:

  1. Identify and utilize cost-effective data management tools to enhance research efficiency
  2. Implement automation techniques using scripts and AI tools to reduce manual workload.

Track: RMA Ruturescapes

Speaker(s): T. Patrick Frazier, Director of Clinical Research, University of Alabama at Birmingham, Robert Adkins, Clinical Research Administrator II, University of Alabama at Birmingham, Sarah Houston, Research Nurse Manager, University of Alabama at Birmingham, Jane Vines, Research Nurse Coordinator III, University of Alabama at Birmingham

Navigating research funding in regions where the research ecosystem presents unique operational challenges, that require tailored sponsor office strategies. Unlike many global contexts, funding mechanisms within the Middle East for example, often impose various restrictions such as fiscal period restrictions, prohibiting carryover and demanding precise financial planning and execution. This session explores how Sponsor, Pre-Award and Post-Award offices can proactively address regional constraints to facilitate successful research awards.
 
Drawing on real-world examples from Middle Eastern institutions, we will examine sponsor planning techniques, award setup protocols, and operational workflows that align with regional funding models. Attendees will gain insights into how sponsor offices can collaborate with researchers to anticipate hurdles, optimize budget structures, and ensure timely project delivery. The session also highlights the importance of cross-functional coordination including with Pre-Award and Post-Award teams, building resilient research support systems. This session offers practical guidance for turning regional constraints into opportunities for research excellence.

Content level: Intermediate

Learning objectives:

  1. Insights into regional funding restrictions whether it be from an operations perspective or from the perspective of developing research collaborations with institutions with regional restrictions. 
  2. Build-in strategies in Sponsor, Pre-Award and Post-Award operations for research award success.

Track: Sponsors & Funding Agencies

Leadership Certificate Required Session: Team Building (LD-II), Risk Management and Compliance (LD-VIII)

Global Research Management Certificate Required Session: Proposal Development & Research Development (GRM-III)

Speaker(s): Jaiyana Bux, Acting Associate Director Internal Programs & Research Development, Khalifa University, Aseela Al Dhaheri, Sponsored Research, Khalifa University, Farah Ahmed, Research Development Senior Specialist, Khalifa University

The session will be a case study identifying key research priorities and aligning them with institutional goals. The session will walk attendees through the process of: engaging with stakeholders, defining measurable outcomes, and the methodologies for resource allocation for developing and implementing an organizational research strategy. Using real world examples from academic medical centers; attendees will understand how developing a research strategy that the meets the needs of the community and is understood by the community and can impact both the organization and the local community. 

Content level: Advanced 

Learning objectives:

  1. Develop a Research Strategy
  2. Communicate a Research Strategy to the community

Track: Output Driven Research

Global Research Management Certificate Required Session: Research Governance, Legal & Compliance (GRM-I)

Speaker(s): Marcos Garza, Assistant VP of Research Operations, University of Miami, Miller School of Medicine

11:30 AM - 12:30 PM

Across the world, research support staff are navigating rapidly evolving expectations, emerging competency frameworks, and a growing demand for structured professional development. This session brings together four international perspectives that collectively illustrate how professional pathways for Research Managers and Administrators (RMAs) are being designed, implemented, and scaled across diverse research ecosystems.
From global training frameworks and modular capacity-building programmes to immersive fellowships and institution-level initiatives, this panel provides a cohesive view of how structured development models can support RMAs in different roles, institutions, and settings. 

Presenters from Northern Europe, Central and East Africa, and India will share practical insights into approaches ranging from competency-based training and Trainer-of-Trainers models to immersive mentorship, placements, and local communities of practice.

Following brief lightning talks, a moderated panel discussion will explore points of complementarity across these models, differences in regional needs, and lessons learned for building scalable, culturally responsive, and sustainable professional development pathways. The session will conclude with Q&A, inviting delegates to reflect on how global models can be adapted to their institutional and national contexts.

Participants will leave with a clearer understanding of the variety of structured professional development options available globally, and with practical ideas to inform capability building, training strategies, and workforce development within their own organizations.

Content level: Intermediate

Learning objectives:

  1. Compare diverse professional development models and approaches for Research Managers and Administrators, and gain insights into how elements of these models can be adapted to your own context.
  2. Apply practical principles from international case studies to design or strengthen scalable, sustainable, and culturally responsive professional development pathways within your institution.

Track: Professional Development

Leadership Certificate Required Session: Diversity in the Workforce (LD-III)

Global Research Management Certificate Required Session: Research Impact, Valorization & Leadership (GRM-V)

Speaker(s): Olaf Svenningsen, Independent Research Advisor, Research Lighthouse, Ellen Schenk, Research Funding Advisor, DrEAMS Funding Consultancy, Luke Banda,Senior Project Manager, Malawi Liverpool Wellcome Programme, Melissa Nakiyaga, Grants Officer Makerere University, School of Public Health, Jackie Nakabira, Makerere Lung Institute, MLI, Ivan Mutyaba, Departmental administrator and UASP fellow, Makerere University, Martina Savio, Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine, LSTM, Shruti Srivastava, Senior Manager Ashoka University 

Moderator: Floris van der Leest, Manager, Research Performance Information, University of the Sunshine Coast, Distinguished Faculty

 

The globalization of research and the increasing complexity of the funding environment have underscored the importance of international collaboration, particularly for advancing research administration in Africa. The Noguchi Memorial Institute for Medical Research has a long-standing collaboration with the Yale University since 2007. This collaboration has not only led to scientific exchange programs but has also led to the training of research administrators at the Yale Office for Sponsored Projects. This presentation will focus on the multifaceted impact of the Noguchi-Yale collaboration on funding mechanisms, capacity building, and policy alignment for Noguchi. The presentation will also highlight how the collaborations have facilitated knowledge transfer through exchange program, enhanced administrative efficiency, and fostered sustainable research management at Noguchi. Finally, the presentation will also discuss how the collaboration led to funding from NIH for two G11 capacity building grant, and significantly strengthened research administration in Noguchi, despite the cultural differences.

Content level: Advanced

Learning objectives:

  1. List the importance of international collaborations and partnerships.
  2. State the necessary steps to take to establish and sustain international collaborations. 

Track: International Collaborations

Speaker(s): Griselda Osae Amoako, Principal Research Administrative Assistant, Noguchi Memorial Institute for Medical Research, University of Ghana, Nana Oye Akuffo, Senior Research Development Officer, University of Ghana, Distinguished Faculty

As a young nation, the United Arab Emirates (UAE) has leveraged its agility to position itself on the global stage with a future-driven vision, underpinned by national strategies such as the UAE National Advanced Science, Technology and Innovation Agenda and the UAE National AI Strategy. These frameworks place strong emphasis on mission-oriented, applied research and industry-driven challenges rather than basic sciences, aligning research activity with ambitious technology and innovation priorities in areas such as health, sustainability, digital transformation, and smart cities.
 
Major national AI investments, including dedicated AI universities and institutes, sector-specific AI programs, and large-scale digital infrastructure, have positioned the UAE as a leader in government-level AI implementation and are rapidly establishing the country as a healthcare research and innovation hub. Streamlined regulatory processes and pro-innovation policies enable accelerated go-to-market strategies, particularly in health and med-tech, creating new expectations around the pace and impact of research translation.
 
These developments are reshaping the role of higher education institutions, driving a shift toward more applied, interdisciplinary, and partnership-oriented research portfolios. Universities are increasingly required to align their research mandates with national priority areas, demonstrate clearer pathways to commercialisation and societal impact, and compete for funding based on relevance to national innovation and AI agendas. This session examines the implications of these shifts for research management in the UAE, highlighting opportunities and challenges in aligning institutional strategies, funding models, and support structures with evolving national priorities in research, innovation, and AI.

Content Level: Intermediate

Learning Objectives:

  1.  Analyse how the UAE’s national innovation and AI agendas are reshaping institutional research priorities and identify at least two strategic implications for research management practice within higher education institutions.
  2. Develop practical approaches for aligning institutional research portfolios and funding strategies with UAE
    national priorities in applied, industry-driven research, while recognising key challenges and opportunities in a rapidly evolving regulatory and healthcare research environment.

Track: Output Drive Research

Speaker(s): Blake Ashwell, Executive Director, Khalifa University Enterprises Company

As research becomes increasingly globalised and collaborative, data privacy regulations present both challenges and opportunities for international research partnerships and open science initiatives. This panel brings together experts from three distinct regulatory environments to explore how different approaches to data protection shape research practices and cross-border collaboration.
The session will examine the European Union's General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), which has established comprehensive data protection standards affecting research data sharing and international collaborations. We will explore Brazil's Lei Geral de Proteção de Dados (LGPD), which demonstrates how emerging economies are developing their own frameworks whilst engaging with global research networks. Finally, we will consider approaches in the United Arab Emirates and wider Middle East region, where data protection frameworks are evolving rapidly, including the UAE's Federal Decree-Law No. 45 of 2021 on Personal Data Protection, Qatar's Personal Data Privacy Law, and Saudi Arabia's Personal Data Protection Law.
The panel will address key questions facing research administrators and institutions: How do differing regulatory requirements impact international research collaborations? What practical challenges arise when transferring research data across jurisdictions with varying privacy standards? How can open science principles be reconciled with data protection obligations? What strategies can institutions employ to facilitate compliant cross-border research whilst maximising openness and impact? By comparing three distinct regulatory approaches, this session will provide attendees with practical insights for managing data privacy compliance in international research projects and help shape more effective policies that balance protection with the collaborative imperatives of modern research.
 

Content level: Intermediate

Learning objectives:

  1. Understand how regional variations in data protection frameworks impact international research collaboration and open science practices.
  2. Identify practical strategies for managing cross-border data transfers and compliance requirements across different jurisdictions.

Track: Regulatory Landscapes

Speaker(s): Goret Paulo, Director, Fundacao Getulio Vargas, Rob Johnson, Managing Director, University of Nottingham, Mohamad Mostafa, Community Specialist, DataCite

Institutions worldwide are increasingly being required to prove not just academic excellence but also the broader impacts they are having on society - the “third mission” of modern universities. Policy impact is a large part of this: the degree to which an institution’s research and researchers are influencing local and international best practice, guidelines and regulations. In this session we’ll guide the audience through what’s involved in collecting and cleaning policy impact data - especially citations and mentions - from and about their researchers, with an emphasis on practical tips and considerations. We’ll then describe a simple framework for interpreting it - Goals, Indicators, Stories - that you can adjust to suit your own institution’s goals and the level of resource available to you. Throughout the session we’ll share best practice from a variety of international universities, and our own recommendations gathered over the course of Overton’s role working at the intersection of government and academia.

Content level: Intermediate

Learning objectives:

  1. Understand why institutions collect policy impact data, what form that normally takes and what it is used for 
  2. How to use the Goals, Indicators, Stories framework to think about how your institution can best present policy impact data to meet its needs

Track: Coming soon

Speaker(s): Euan Adie, Overton.io 

This session will unpack timely and emerging concerns in the oversight and ethical governance of human subjects research, with a focus on how regulatory frameworks are evolving regionally and internationally in response to scientific innovation, geopolitical shifts, and societal demands for accountability and equity. Session speakers can examine recent developments in data privacy laws, emerging technologies, big data, and/or Indigenous Knowledge Systems and community-based research. 

Track: Regulatory Landscapes

Speaker: Lama Choufani, Assistant Director, Research Ethics and Governance, New York University Abu Dhabi

1:40 PM - 2:40 PM

This presentation examines how research administrators, leaders, and support offices can effectively navigate periods of financial uncertainty and organizational volatility while also addressing the growing challenge of change fatigue within research institutions. Participants will gain insight into how shifting funding environments and government mandates contribute to organizational “whitewater,” often resulting in change fatigue. Through shared strategies and active discussion, attendees will learn approaches for developing resilient employees and strengthening institutional support structures. By integrating resilience-building practices with agile research management, this session will equip attendees with tools to maintain research momentum and support their teams amid ongoing and future change.

Content level: Intermediate

Learning objectives:

  1. Participants will identify key drivers of rapid change and coping mechanisms to stabilize research programs. 
  2. Participants will learn the tools to develop a personalized/organizational resilience plan. 

Track: Professional Development

Leadership Certificate Required Session: LD-I: Change Management/LD-VII: Employee Engagement (Culture)

Speaker(s): Lakeisha Wilson, Senior Program Administrator, University of Maryland, Baltimore, Elizabeth Demski, Assistant Provost and Director of Sponsored Research, Wellesley College,

Since early 2023, the University of Oxford and OUCRU Indonesia have been collaborating with local trial sites in Indonesia to prepare for a Phase II malaria vaccine trial — the next step following Phase I research in the UK. 
 
Establishing this international trial required navigating complex administrative, regulatory, and cultural landscapes. OUCRU Indonesia, administered by the University of Oxford, acted as the sponsor’s representative in-country, managing key processes including site selection, timelines, budgeting, and securing local ethics approvals, while maintaining continuous communication with the University of Oxford. 
 
From the UK side, the University of Oxford sought funding from multiple sources, working closely with Indonesian partners to finalize the protocol, prepare the combined budget, and present cohesive funding application. Progress was shaped by dependencies on Phase I completion and the necessary lead time for trial initiation in Indonesia. 
 
The collaboration prioritised fairness, transparency, and shared decision-making, ensuring alignment between all parties before commitments were made. Cultural and ethical considerations were integral to trial planning — from engaging local communities to recruiting locally based clinical staff who understand patient contexts.  
 
This case study highlights practical strategies for building impactful, compliant, and culturally sensitive research collaborations across borders — offering insights for funders, sponsors, compliance officers, and government stakeholders. 

Content level: Intermediate

Learning objectives:

  1. Gaining a deeper understanding of the factors that influence the establishment of international collaboration, particularly across diverse contexts.
  2. Developing more effective plans when establishing international collaboration

Track: International Development

Speaker(s): Diana Kesumawati Janizar, Grants Management, University of Oxford

African research universities increasingly rely on cross‑border RMA partnerships to mobilize resources, harmonize procedures, and scale research impact. Strategic science communication converts these collaborations into trust, visibility, and uptake by government, industry, and communities. The focal problem states that fragmented policies, uneven RMA capacity, and limited engagement with end‑users reduce the uptake of research outputs. Messages are often technical, untimely, or poorly aligned with decision cycles. Objectives:(1) Align communication with national development priorities. (2) Standardize RMA information flows across partners. (3) Translate evidence for policy and public audiences. (4) Build capacity for media, data storytelling, and stakeholder engagement. Methodology adopted a Systematic Literature Review and Policy Analysis): A structured review of 2015–2025 African RMA/HE policies and peer‑reviewed studies; screening, thematic coding, and triangulation with continental frameworks informed the synthesis. Best practices include the use of co‑created communication plans; designating RMA liaison officers; adopting open‑access repositories; and monitoring communication KPIs linked to project logframes. Lessons learned considered early stakeholder mapping reduces friction; plain‑language summaries increase media pickup; rapid‑response briefs timed to policy windows improve influence. Case studies examined East Africa: joint data‑sharing MoUs accelerated ethics approvals and cross‑site trials. West Africa: a multi‑university press office produced bilingual briefs, doubling policy citations. Audience‑segmented products (policy briefs, infographics, radio spots), an editorial calendar synced to national events, and a crisis‑communication protocol; dashboarding of reach, sentiment, and uptake. Tentative results have indicated that partnerships reported shorter grant cycles, higher media visibility, and clearer compliance; policy dialogues evidenced improved evidence uptake. In conclusion, international cooperation, when paired with disciplined RMA communication, improves legitimacy, coordination, and societal impact. It is highly recommended that institutionalize RMA communication units; fund shared repositories and data standards; mandate plain‑language outputs; embed KPI‑based monitoring; support multilingual outreach.

Content level: Advanced

Learning objectives:

  1. Understand the Process of Leveraging International Cooperation for Science Communication Strategy in National Research Management Administration (RMA) Partnerships in African Research Universities
  2. Appreciate the role of science communication in promoting research communication by university academics in Africa and globally

Track: Output Driven Research

Leadership Certificate Required Session: Change Management (LD- I)

Speaker(s): Dr. Wilson Okaka, Professor, Kyambogo University, Aminah Namugenyi, PhD  Scholar, Kyambogo University

 As research institutions increasingly emphasize innovation, entrepreneurship, and translational science, the push to bring discoveries from the lab to the marketplace has introduced new complexities in the realms of research regulation and compliance.  This session explores the evolving role of research compliance offices in supporting—and regulating—the pathways through which research leads to technology transfer, startup formation, and industry partnerships.

Track: Regulatory Landscapes

Speaker(s): Coming Soon

There is an urgent challenge that granting councils must address regarding how to select fundable research proposals. The current tradition of choosing funding proposals relies heavily on review reports from external reviewers. While this method is effective, it faces significant challenges, especially in developing countries where there is a limited number of reviewers. This limitation is often exacerbated by a decline in ethical standards among reviewers. 
 
This decline may stem from various motivations behind the review process. Some reviewers are driven to conduct thorough evaluations for their career advancement, while others may participate merely because it is a requirement of their institution. Additionally, some reviewers may be motivated by the fees associated with the review process. These factors can negatively impact the quality of evaluations, ultimately affecting the selection of viable research projects. 
 
In certain cases, it has become increasingly common for granting councils in developing countries to receive review reports with scores that do not accurately reflect the quality of the research proposal. There are instances where strong research proposals receive low scores, while weaker proposals score higher. Due to existing granting procedures, many developing countries do not allow for questioning the reviewers' results; they simply accept them as they are. This practice has led to the funding of less impactful proposals while overlooking more significant research endeavors.
 
To address this issue, we propose a new quality check procedure for selecting proposals for funding. We recommend that, before sending proposals to external reviewers, the granting council should organize an internal review committee meeting with relevant experts. This committee can review the proposals, ensuring they align with the thematic areas of the call for proposals and the council's interests. The committee would then select a substantial number of research proposals deemed impactful and provide guidance for further evaluation by external reviewers. This approach could resolve the dependency on sometimes ineffective review reports, leading to better funding decisions for high-impact research proposals. 

Content level: Intermediate

Learning objectives:

  1. Strengthen the selection process of research proposal for funding by the global research councils.
  2. Learn on how to strengthen the selection process of research proposal for funding by the global research councils.

Track: Sponsors & Funding Agencies 

Speaker(s): Philbert Luhunga, Chief Research Officer, Tanzania Commission for Science and Technology

Coming Soon

3:00 PM - 4:00 PM

The MORU-OUCRU Discovery Research Academy (MODRA) is a leadership training programme targeted at early career post-doctoral researchers in South and Southeast Asia.  MORU and OUCRU are Wellcome-funded Major International Programmes, and part of the University of Oxford overseas diaspora.  We realised that MODRA cohort members from MORU and OUCRU enjoy comparatively huge amounts of research management support, whereas members from less well-resourced organisations can struggle to meet even the most basic due diligence requirements of funders and international collaborators - which is a major barrier to equitable participation in the research landscape.  
 
In response to this, we have conducted a pilot study to understand the research support deficit in this region, and design low-cost interventions that might help researchers and research organisations build their capacity, utilizing the expertise present in the MODRA network.  This presentation will discuss what we have learned doing this project, and open discussion to the audience. 

Content level: Advanced

Learning objectives:

  1. Describe the research administration and management landscape in LMICs in South and Southeast Asia
  2. Understand capacity building strategies that can enhance equitable partnership between well-resourced, and less well-resourced research organizations.

Track: Professional Development

Speaker(s): Katrina Lawson, Grants and Communications Manager, Oxford University, David Gandy, Grants and Contracts Manager, Mahidol Oxford Tropical Medicine Research Unit, Diana Janizar, Senior Grants and Contracts Administrator, OUCRU

Coordinating large complex grants is a challenging task. But as multinational grants becoming the norm, program managers and research administrators must rethink traditional communication channels to deliver capacity strengthening initiatives effectively and ensure knowledge and resources flow seamlessly across institutions. This particularly holds true for research administrators based in the global south who can leverage new models of communication to advocate and work towards ensuring equity in global health research collaborations.  
 
In this session, we draw on our experience of coordinating a diverse cohort of five institutions across four countries to share emerging best practices for strengthening communication. We will showcase qualitative and quantitative tools we use to track process efficiency and demonstrate how these can be adapted to different institutional contexts. 
 
Participants will also take part in a 20-minute peer-learning activity using a discussion table format, identifying common communication challenges and sharing practical solutions. Together, we will enrich our collective lexicon of strategies for improving communication across large, complex grants.

Content level: Basic

Learning objectives:

  1. Learn how to build a strategy to deliver an efficient RCS (research capacity strengthening) and knowledge exchange program embedding trust building, team building and effective communication
  2. Understand the use of dashboards for tracking performance and internal communication and process metrics

Track: International Collaborations

Speaker(s): Aakanksha Mehrotra, Project Manager (Research Capacity Strengthening), George Institute for Global Health

A decade if research impact at the University of Limerick, Ireland Since 2014, University of Limerick (UL) has been growing its research impact program to become a cornerstone of organizational strategy and identity. A national leader in the research impact agenda, UL’s Research Impact program is in line with international best practice (OECD 2017). Through this program, we have developed a library of case studies demonstrating our excellent research and its impact across a range of sectors. We continue to evolve how impact is recognized. Key initiatives include the President’s Research Excellence and Impact Awards recognizing outstanding research collaborations, early-career researchers and research outputs. Our research impact program has been enhanced to include mechanisms to support and enhance the impact journey across all career stages, including case study development, public engagement activities, Research Week, and our awards scheme.
In this presentation Christine Brennan, Research Strategy and Policy Manager, Yvonne Kiely, Research Impact Officer UL will provide an overview of how organizational strategy was realized and sustained by forging synergistic collaborations between academics and professional staff.
We share what we’ve learned across strategic planning, case study development, staff research awards, research communications and engagement activities and highlight how global agendas such as reform of research assessment, Open Science have shaped the journey for the better.

Content level: Intermediate

Learning objectives:

  1. Identify factors which are critical for building research impact/knowledge valorization into organizational strategy
  2. Highlighting the role RMA can play in the impact agenda and the skills which are central to this.

Track: Output Driven Research

Speaker(s): Yvonne Kiely, Research Impact Officer University of Limerick, Christine Brennan, Research Strategy and Policy Manager, University of Limerick

In a world of trade wars, kinetic wars, funding instability, ethical research and security concerns, how does an institution maintain and ensure successful research collaborations across national borders. What are the top risks facing international research today and what tools we can use to mitigate those global risks? From dollars to data and the ethical quandaries in between, this session will use a discussion/case study format to identify top risks facing research in different countries and identify solutions to navigate those risks.

Content level: Intermediate

Learning objectives:

  1. Identify up to five top risks in international research
  2. Identify tools and options to mitigate risks in international research

Track: Regulatory Landscapes

Speaker(s): Cindy Kiel, Chief Conflicts Officer, Stanford University

 

With the growing trend of AI's engagement in various professions, professionals across the World are in a state of dubiousness. Same goes for Research Administration as a profession. Research Administrators and faculty members need to think ahead and plan for the integration of AI into research and grants administration and hence this study aims to study the perceptions of investigators and research administrators in AI replacing the role of research administrators in three countries (Canada, United Arab Emirates, and Pakistan). This multi site study, through a self administrated questionnaire will ask specific questions from investigators and research administrators to understand their perceptions, apprehensions, concerns and then analyze the data using selected Focus Group Discussions with a sub-sample. The study will be completed by Feb 2026.

Content level: Intermediate

Learning objectives:

  1. Identify how investigators and research administrators perceive AI might or might not replace the role of research administrators
  2. Understand how these perceptions would help the research administrator community prepare for the future

Track: RMA Futurescapes

Leadership Certificate Required Session:  Ethical Decision Making (LD-IX)

Speaker(s): Sajjad Surani, Research Administrators, University of Calgary, Mir Asghar Ali Khan, Consultant and Former Director Research, National Institute of Cardiovascular Diseases, Distinguished Faculty, Muhammad Rashid Khan, Finance Specialist, Khalifa University

Co-presented with Dr. Kiki Caruson, Vice President of USF World on the impact of international scholars, a thought leader for academic and global audiences on economic resiliency, our subject matter experts speak to the risks and best practices for countering the strain facing global research management. Acknowledging global competitiveness, unpacking ERASMUS funding and providing practical insights to diversified funding portfolios as well as fresh ideas that reflect and respond to the dynamic global research environment. 

Content level: Intermediate

Learning objectives:

  1. Strategies to Bridge the Unmet Demands for Sustainable funding of Global Research
  2. Diversify Funding Portfolio to Strengthen Resiliency for Science and Innovation

Track: Sponsors & Funding Agencies

Speaker(s): Sandra Justice, Director, University of South Florida, Dr. Kiki Caruson, Vice President, USF World, University of South Florida