Research Management Society of India

Research Management Society of India
Name	Research Management Society of India
Type	Professional association
Headquarters	New Delhi
Founded	2018
Region served	India

Research Management Society of India is a professional association focused on advancing research administration, research policy, and institutional research support across Indian higher education and research institutions. The Society engages with stakeholders from universities, Indian Council of Medical Research, Council of Scientific and Industrial Research, University Grants Commission, National Institute of Science Education and Research, and Indian Institute of Science to professionalize research management practices. It interacts with international bodies including European Science Foundation, Association of Commonwealth Universities, National Institutes of Health, Wellcome Trust, and Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation to align Indian research administration with global standards.

History

The Society was established in the late 2010s after dialogues among administrators from Indian Institute of Technology Bombay, Jawaharlal Nehru University, Banaras Hindu University, All India Institute of Medical Sciences, and Tata Institute of Fundamental Research who had participated in workshops organized by National Research Foundation and Department of Science and Technology. Early convenings included representatives from Council of Scientific and Industrial Research, Indian Council of Agricultural Research, Indian Council of Social Science Research, University Grants Commission, and Department of Biotechnology, drawing on models from Society of Research Administrators International, European Association of Research Managers and Administrators, and Association of Research Managers and Administrators in Africa. Founding meetings referenced practices at Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Stanford University, University of Oxford, University of Cambridge, and Harvard University while responding to Indian policy reforms such as initiatives linked to National Education Policy 2020 and programs associated with Make in India and Digital India.

Mission and Objectives

The Society's mission emphasizes capacity building for research management professionals affiliated with institutions like IISER Pune, IIT Madras, IIT Delhi, IIT Kanpur, and IIT Kharagpur while supporting compliance with funders such as European Research Council, Horizon 2020, United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization, World Health Organization, and National Science Foundation. Objectives include standardizing research support services for entities such as Central University of Hyderabad, Anna University, Kolkata Municipal Corporation (research units), and National Institute of Technology Tiruchirappalli; promoting ethics with reference to Declaration of Helsinki and Bangalore Principles of Judicial Conduct-style frameworks; and fostering professional development aligned with qualifications from Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development and curricula at University of London partners.

Membership and Governance

Membership comprises research administrators from Indian Institutes of Management, Indian Statistical Institute, Sree Chitra Tirunal Institute for Medical Sciences and Technology, National Chemical Laboratory, and Central Drug Research Institute as well as individual members including officers formerly with Department of Biotechnology, Department of Science and Technology, Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, Reserve Bank of India (research wings), and international liaisons from Wellcome Trust-DBT India Alliance. Governance follows a council model with elected representatives drawn from regional chapters in Delhi, Mumbai, Bengaluru, Chennai, and Kolkata and advisory input from emeritus faculty of Indian Institute of Science Education and Research Kolkata, IIM Ahmedabad, AIIMS Delhi, and visitor nominees comparable to practices at University Grants Commission panels.

Activities and Programs

The Society conducts training programs modeled on curricula from Association of Research Managers and Administrators, postgraduate workshops akin to offerings at Tata Memorial Centre, and certificate courses co-developed with TISS and IGNOU. Regular activities include grant-writing clinics referencing funder templates from Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, European Commission, UK Research and Innovation, and National Institutes of Health; compliance seminars covering policies inspired by World Health Organization guidance and ethical review frameworks used by Indian Council of Medical Research; and mentorship schemes linking early-career staff with senior administrators from IIT Bombay, IISc Bangalore, and Tata Institute of Social Sciences.

Conferences and Publications

Annual conferences draw speakers from National Science Foundation, European Research Council, Wellcome Trust, Department of Biotechnology, CSIR, UGC, and leading universities such as University of Oxford, University of Cambridge, Harvard University, Stanford University, and Yale University. Proceedings and policy briefs are published under Society imprint and disseminated to libraries including National Library of India and repositories like those at Shodhganga, with occasional special issues in journals collaborating from Current Science, Economic and Political Weekly, Nature Research, and Science.

Partnerships and Collaborations

Strategic partnerships include memoranda of understanding with Association of Commonwealth Universities, European Association of Research Managers and Administrators, Society of Research Administrators International, Wellcome Trust-DBT India Alliance, and funders such as Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and Chan Zuckerberg Initiative for pilot projects. The Society collaborates on capacity-building with universities including IIT Madras, IISc Bangalore, JNU, University of Hyderabad, and research councils such as ICAR and ICMR to streamline grant management systems and institutional review processes.

Impact and Recognition

The Society has influenced institutional policy adoption at IIT Delhi, AIIMS New Delhi, IIT Bombay, and several central universities by promoting professionalized research offices, contributing to improved funding success with agencies like DST, DBT, CSIR, and international funders such as ERC and Wellcome Trust. Recognition includes invitations to national policy consultations alongside UGC and Ministry of Education panels, collaborative awards with Tata Trusts and citations in policy reports by NITI Aayog and white papers circulated among ICMR and DBT stakeholders.

Category:Research administration in India