The project foRMAtion was invited to the first ad hoc workshop of the ERA Action 17. Action 17, part of the European Research Area (ERA) Agenda, aims to strengthen the strategic capacity of European research performing and funding organisations. This means that the EU wants to respond to and develop solutions for the issues that research managers and administrators (RMAs) in Europe face: the uneven distribution of RMA communities and expertise across Europe, the need for training, new skills, and networking opportunities for RMAs, and the lack of recognition of the profession of research managers or research support staff.

ERA Action 17 is sponsored by two Members States – Germany and Hungary – and the Aurora network of universities. This means that their main role is to activate a debate on the implementation of the Action, suggest topics to be discussed at the workshops, and formulate recommendations which are aimed to be channelled into relevant policies.

The first ad hoc workshop of ERA Action 17 was held in Brussels on 16 March 2023. For this occasion, representatives of Members States, leading stakeholder organisations and good practice projects were invited. The main focus of the discussion was put on the recognition of RMAs through the presentation of existing initiatives at the regional and national levels and the identification of the gaps which should be filled in either by the European Commission or Member State governments.

The main results and impacts of foRMAtion were summarized by our colleague, Virág ZSÁR, Senior Grant Advisory of HETFA. It was the only initiative among the present ones which targeted university students and could attract awareness on the profession among them providing a career opportunity as well. Besides, partners elaborated high-quality, open-source materials which can be used by a wide audience across Europe, including students, teachers, professors, early career RMAs, and trainer providing trainings for researchers or RMAs.

The next workshop of ERA Action 17 is taking place in Budapest, on 10 May 2023. The event is organized back-to-back to the Ambassador Meeting of the RM ROADMAP project which is hosted by HETFA Research Institute.

You can learn more on the foRMAtion results here.

You can learn more on the RM ROADMAP project and the involvement of HETFA here.