Management of Large Research Activities and Centres

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1 Management of Large Research Activities and Centres Introduction EPSRC grants vary widely in size and scope, from small travel grants to large collaborations involving several organisations. In most cases, grants can be led and managed by their principal investigators and any co-investigators. Larger projects involving many investigators and organisations for example, research consortia, Interdisciplinary Research Collaborations, Programme grants and Innovative Manufacturing Research Centres may need additional management arrangements to be put in place for a successful outcome. We have prepared this guidance to help researchers develop effective management structures for larger research activities. The guidance is not meant to be prescriptive and consists instead of prompts that researchers can refer to when preparing research proposals and after grants have been awarded. Getting Started If you are considering whether you need additional management arrangements for your project, the first things to think about are: Why do we need additional management? What will the management provide? Who should be involved? How should the management structure operate? When should meetings take place? Where would any people involved need to be located? Management Structures A management structure for a large research activity can include various elements (a project manager or a steering group for example). It is useful to start off by thinking about the functions that the different management elements might be expected to carry out. Examples of Management Functions Function Explanation Responsibility Leading Managing Executing Coordinating Providing direction to the research and how it is conducted. Controlling and organising the research. Putting into effect decisions made about the direction of research or how research should be conducted. Making various parts of the project work more effectively as a whole. Considered to be the responsibility of investigators and any staff supported through the grant. In some cases specific expertise or resources, such as a project manager, may be required. 1

2 Function Explanation Responsibility Steering Advising Supervising Having a real effect on the direction of research or how research is conducted. Providing an opinion on the direction of research or how research should be conducted. Monitoring research or management processes to make sure that they are conducted in a correct manner and that appropriate decisions are being made. These are areas where you should get external and/or independent assistance. s performing these functions may be part of the conditions of a grant. Typical Elements of Management Structures Element Management group Director Project manager Project mentor Coordinator Administrator Steering Advisory Supervisory Who they are and what they do, including the principal investigators and some or all of the co-investigators, that is responsible for controlling and organising the research carried out. Person who controls the activities of the research project or programme. Person responsible for making sure that the project stays on track and that objectives and any deadlines are met. Person who offers impartial and objective advice to the project team throughout the project. Person responsible for coordinating the different research activities making up a larger research project or programme. Person responsible for the administration of the research project or programme. that makes recommendations to the investigators on the direction of research and how it should be conducted. Members typically include academics and industrialists from outside the research group. A steering group expects the investigators to take account of its recommendations, and may have to sign off some activities. As the funding agency, we may need to see reports from the group, and may wish to have a representative attending meetings to improve information flow to and from EPSRC. providing advice to the investigators. The investigators are not under any formal obligation to follow the advice given to them. Advisory group members are typically people interested in the outcome of the research and knowledgeable in the research area or its relevance. As the funding agency, we may need to see reports from the group, and may wish to have a representative attending meetings to improve information flow to and from EPSRC. considering on whether the direction of research and the way it is conducted is appropriate, and providing formal comments. To be effective, this group should include members who can give objective and independent opinions. At regular meetings the group should be satisfied that research is proceeding in a satisfactory way and that valid decisions are being made. As the funding agency, EPSRC may need to see reports from the group, and may wish to have a representative attending meetings to improve information flow to and from EPSRC. You can, of course, combine the different functions assigned to each of the groups/positions if appropriate for your project. We would not necessarily expect projects to have all of the elements described above. Whatever management structure you decide on, it is important to avoid confusion over roles and responsibilities and to make it clear who reports to whom. You should select the membership of any groups yourself but EPSRC must agree to your choices. s should be set up at the start of research activities. 2

3 Examples of Good and Bad Practice Directors Make sure that you have a strong director who is willing to empower staff. Manage creatively and with flexibility. Realise that different skills are needed at the different stages of an activity (for example, start-up, continuation and exit). Avoid disputes between senior leaders if possible. Disputes like these are known to have had seriously detrimental effects on research activities and have led to complete breakdown in some cases. It can take a lot of work and patience from senior figures to bring together and coordinate many investigators and organisations in one activity. The Immortal Information and Through Life Knowledge Management grand challenge project, involving 30 co-investigators, 13 universities and 30 partners, is an example for an extreme challenge in coordination. Success was achieved with a lot of work from a senior figure with a lot of patience. Vision Agree a clear vision statement with well-defined plans and milestones. Start with a clean sheet of paper to quickly establish a new vision and new direction. Agree clear objectives and terms of reference, and have shared aspirations with project partners. Understand the activity s sustainability and the need for any exit strategy. The Cambridge Engineering Design Centre has worked hard to develop a centre vision, using facilitation techniques with their advisory group. It has taken time and effort to get this up and running. Steering, Supervisory and Advisory s Clearly define terms of reference and roles for steering and other groups. Identify a chair with status and recognition in the wider research community as this adds weight to decisions made. Identify a chair who is not afraid to air their ideas or concerns. Put in place steering and other groups at the start of the activity. It is the project leader s responsibility to appoint steering and advisory groups. In some cases, this is a condition of funding. Avoid confusion over the roles of steering and other groups. For example, this can happen if you intend to carry out research informed by stakeholders but a group expects the research to be stakeholder-driven. Avoid organising a steering or other group that has no clear purpose just because it is required by EPSRC as a condition of funding. It is important that group members understand their role clearly, meet regularly, know why they there, and are committed to participating. 3

4 Research consortia funded by EPSRC have established stakeholder groups that: Advise on how to best put research into practice and policy. Advise on government consultations and how consortia can input. Suggest how best to disseminate research results, including contributing to the production of publications and other dissemination material. Publicise the research carried out in the consortia within their own organisations and at trade events (using a set of slides for example). Resources Get senior support from your host organisation (for example, Vice Chancellor involvement). Consider how your resources are managed. In some large research activities and centres, young researchers and research assistants can bid for small projects and get experience of running a short-term (for example, six-month) research project. This is one possible route to some really adventurous work. Consider the resources you need for the whole activity. Think about the resources needed for management and dissemination as well as those for research. Make sure you have strong financial management and work with university administration offices. This avoids difficulties, particularly when more than one university is involved in a project. The Complex Fluids and Complex Flows research group at the University of Wales Swansea have reorganised following the award of a Portfolio Partnership, and have physically moved to work as a centre. The group has new joint facilities, including a dedicated room for Portfolio Partnership activities like seminars, lectures from visitors, student presentations and meetings, and management committee meetings. Administration Choose your project manager or coordinator very carefully. This is especially important when an activity is spread across different departments and/or organisations. Identify and manage risks to avoid problems that may stall progress. Avoid having too much reporting, too many rules and too many objectives as this can have a detrimental effect on the activity. One Portfolio Partnership was struggling until they used funds equivalent to a postdoctoral researcher s salary to employ an administrator at the request of their steering committee and EPSRC s representative. This took pressure off the people involved in the overall management of the consortia and let them get on with other things. The Basic Technology Multidimensional Integrated Intelligent Imaging project has employed a 4

5 dedicated project manager. The many project partners see the project manager as independent of any one organisation. Partners are happy to discuss sensitive issues with the project manager that they might feel uncomfortable talking about to the project leader. Peer Review Try using participative peer review in shaping the project s research activities. This is something that most centres and large activities could use, and should be informal enough to be workable but formal enough to give a real steer. The Innovative Manufacturing Research Centre at Imperial College London has found its peer assist project approval procedure to be of great benefit in developing, approving and monitoring research projects carried out in the centre. Internal Communication Use internal branding to promote a sense of identity. Everyone should know about and understand the centre or large activity that they are part of. Keep the whole group informed of the common goal and the group s broad activities. This could involve, for example, away days, teambuilding days or seminar days. Promote the ethical conduct of research in the activity. Outreach Make good plans for dissemination, including how you will keep in contact with the users of research results and how you will communicate with the public. Set up ways (mechanisms or people) to keep an eye on research trends. Flexibility Hold back some of the budget over the period of the activity to allocate as and when it is needed. This is not a contingency fund but is part of the eligible resources of the project. A principal investigator with a strong personality is required to resist other project group members (or their organisations) wanting their cut of the funding pie at the start of the project. Keep on top of expenditure with good book-keeping. This is especially important if there are multiple organisations involved in the activity. Avoid over committing resources to existing projects. Over committing early on does not allow flexibility later and can lead to failure to refresh the research portfolio over the course of the activity. Who to Contact for Advice If you have any questions, or would like to discuss any of the ideas given here, please talk to us. We have staff responsible for each area of the EPSRC research portfolio. If you already have a grant for a centre or large activity, you will probably already have an EPSRC contact identified. If you are in the process of putting a proposal together, or do not know who your contact is, please use contacts on the EPSRC website to find out who is responsible for your research area. Contacts can be found at: EPSRC