The Emerald Handbook of Research Management and Administration Around the World is the most comprehensive handbook on research management and administration around the world, prepared by an international team of authors. 127 experts shared their observations on the development of the research management and administrators (RMA) profession in over 50 countries representing 7 regions: Africa, North America, South America, Asia, Australia, Eastern Europe, Western Europe and the Middle East.
The chapter of the textbook devoted to Poland was written by Dr. Zygmunt Krasiński (Institute of Fundamental Technological Research of the Polish Academy of Sciences) and Dr. Cyprian Tomasik (Institute of Animal Genetics and Biotechnology of the Polish Academy of Sciences) – experienced research managers who have been cooperating with the National Council of Coordinators of EU Research Projects for many years ( KRAB) and the European Association of Research Managers and Administrators (EARMA).
The chapter presents the milestones and circumstances that led to the evolution of the profession of manager and administration of scientific research in Poland. The history of RMA dates back about 20 years, and the breakthrough year was 2007, when the National Council of Research Project Coordinators (KRAB) was established and the EARMA Conference was held at the University of Warsaw. Currently, the Polish RMA community is scattered among universities, research institutes and enterprises. RMA is the part of the administrative staff that supports research teams in acquiring, implementing and settling projects. RMAs often constitute an “invisible” group of experts, but necessary to implement research projects. RMAs are employed in research support offices, international cooperation offices, or research support offices or the so-calledwelcome offices. In some respects, RMA can still be considered a profession that is poorly recognized in the country. RMAs focus mainly on KRAB, activities related to the management of research projects carried out by the International Project Management Association (IPMA) Poland, as well as in other associations and new cooperation networks, e.g. technical universities or scientific institutes of the Polish Academy of Sciences. There are no dedicated RMA certification programs available in Poland yet, but over the years, support for RMA in the higher education system and beyond continues to become stronger and more widespread.
The manual was published open access by Emerald Publishing Ltd. and is available free of charge in electronic version.
Despite the growing interest in the RMA profession and the development of the research management field, the subject of research management and administration in the world has not been studied in a comparative manner so far. The handbook presents information collected from a cross-regional and cross-cultural perspective and presents a picture of the working environment of experts who are actively involved in supporting research management as research managers and administrators in various research disciplines. The book provides foundational knowledge for students and experts considering a career in this field and serves as a reference material for policymakers and the research and innovation community. Discussion of global trends and presentation of analyzes and observations from individual regions and countries serve to build awareness and develop the RMA profession around the world.