Innovative and smart module FOr potential Research Managers and Administrators in higher educaTION Erasmus Project

Project Title

Innovative and smart module FOr potential Research Managers and Administrators in higher educaTION

Project Key Action

This project related with these key action: Cooperation for innovation and the exchange of good practices

Project Action Type

This project related with this action type : Strategic Partnerships for higher education

Project Call Year

This project’s Call Year is 2019

Project Topics

This project is related with these Project Topics: International cooperation, international relations, development cooperation; New innovative curricula/educational methods/development of training courses; Cooperation between educational institutions and business

Project Summary

foRMAtion aims to support students in higher education as potential research managers and administrators (RMAs) by reinforcing their high-level & transversal skills needed for developing & managing excellent European research, innovation and educational projects. foRMAtion addresses the growing need of professional research support staff due to the increasing competition for EU funds in the field of R&I projects, the gap between education and labour market needs and the serious shortage in RMA educational programmes, standardisation & certification.

Based on the identified needs foRMAtion seeks to achieve the following objectives:
1) collecting and evaluating good practices in the field of RMA training from different EU countries;
2) developing innovative tools, educational and training methods for the empowerment of potential RMAs among HEI students to acquire the necessary knowledge & skills (both soft & hard) as well as to support their career development;
3) making the profession of research management and administration attractive and raising awareness on the importance of RMAs, contributing to the preparation and implementation of excellent European educational and research projects.

To fulfil this ambitious mission, foRMAtion gathers highly experienced organizations from 5 European countries supplemented by 7 Advisory Board Members. Partners have different scientific background & profound experiences in education & research management. Activities will be carried out in their strong cooperation and through regular online & personal meetings.

During its 3 years, foRMAtion will implement interlinked activities. First, a methodological guide & good practice collection will seek to identify & assess existing good practices, know-how, methods and tools in the field of training RMAs to develop a truly innovative & high-quality international module for potential RMAs at HEIs.

The curriculum & teaching material of the international module will be developed and tested at partner HEIs. The courses can be accomplished by students from any fields but mainly targets students from the International Relations/European Studies programmes. It will focus on addressing market labour needs, enhancing work-based and project-based learning & improving a wide range of competences & skills, such as problem-solving & networking capacities, transversal and language competences, critical and creative thinking.

The courses will be supplemented by mentorship programme & blended learning mobility of students through which trained staff at partners will mentor students to get work experience & hands-on knowledge.

Besides, foRMAtion will develop a blended learning platform & online textbook as an interactive, user-friendly and targeted training opportunity available for anyone within & beyond the project. It will be tested through a summer school.

Lastly, foRMAtion will prepare a guide&impact assessment for educating and training RMAs at HEIs, highlighting the transferable practices&formulating policy recommendations to channel the results & outcomes to national & EU decision-makers and other relevant stakeholders. This aim will be also supported by the organisation of multiplier events in PT, RO, IT, SI & BE.

All activities & outputs will be publicly available at www.foRMAtion.eu & Erasmus+ pages and sustained after the project’s lifetime through the strong commitment of PPs. Outputs will be able to be introduced by other countries&organizations.

These actions will enable that min. 40 students will get familiarized with RMA and get necessary high-level & transversal skills to launch their career in the field. HEIs will get into an intensive cooperation with research institutions fostering interaction through the knowledge triangle. The development of the international curriculum & teaching material including innovative & non-formal education methods will allow HEIs to expand their course offer and bring them closer to answer the needs of labour market. Min. 9 teachers will be trained to teach the foRMAtion module which will improve their skills too. Partners involved in the mentorship will get in touch with excellent students & get the chance to establish long-term cooperation with foreign universities. Students will have opportunity to work with 12 mentors, start to build up their professional network & getting work experiences. The blended learning platform will address a broaden number of persons by providing innovative knowledge and skill development.

On the long-run foRMAtion will contribute to developing the course offers of involved HEIs, overcome the gap between labour market needs and education, grow the number of RMAs, thereby contributing to the professionalization & recognition of the profession. Policy recommendations channelled to stakeholders will enable the improvement of educational environment for potential RMAs & raise awareness on the importance of RMA in excellent research support across Europe.

EU Grant (Eur)

Funding of the project from EU: 388437 Eur

Project Coordinator

HETFA KUTATOINTEZET KFT & Country: HU

Project Partners

• GOZDARSKI INSTITUT SLOVENIJE
• BUDAPESTI CORVINUS EGYETEM
• SOCIEDADE PORTUGUESA DE INOVACAO CONSULTADORIA EMPRESARIAL E FOMENTO DA INOVACAO SA
• AGENZIA PER LA PROMOZIONE DELLA RICERCA EUROPEA
• ISTITUTO DI STUDI PER L’INTEGRAZIONE DEI SISTEMI (I.S.I.S) – SOCIETA’COOPERATIVA
• UNIVERSITATEA SAPIENTIA DIN MUNICIPIUL CLUJ-NAPOCA
• UNIVERSIDADE NOVA DE LISBOA