Towards a Process Reference Model for Research Management: An Action Design Research Effort at an Australian University

Abstract

Increasing emphasis in the Higher Education sector for high impact research has generated a proliferation of activities aimed at supporting university research processes, commonly referred to as ‘research management’. While there has been considerable growth in this new field, it remains an elusive area, with a lacuna on what comprises good ‘research management’. A lack of common terminology and definition of the activities comprised within research management limits the capacity to provide efficient services, properly share learnings and consistently assess the effectiveness of this work. This paper discusses the development of a research management reference model, through an Action Design Research (ADR) project conducted at a leading Australian university. The model defines 10 core domains (with areas of activities and processes within each) that constitutes the end-to-end research management process. The model was derived and validated across four ADR cycles of a detailed case study – which proved its potential value. Future research is planned to further validate the model in other universities, both within Australia and internationally.