Developing Research Management in Tallinn University

1. Developing Research Management in Tallinn University Kristel Toom Research Administration Office Tallinn University, Estonia 4th European Innovation Summit Brussels, 10 October, 2012

2. What is the role of an Research Support Office in achieving the university’s strategic targets in university research strategy? • How can outcome-oriented management lead to better research performance?

3. Content of the Presentation • About Tallinn University • Structure, scope, research goals • Research support services • Structure, scope • Performance indicators • Challenges

4. Structure & Staff Employees 1075 • 26 academic units • 19 research institutes • 9 administrative units

5. Research scope Main research fields – Humanities, Socialand Educational Sciences • Strategic research themes: • Cultural changes: new fields and mechanisms of meaning-making • Changes in education and lifelong learning • Personal and academic development of individuals • Digital ecosystems • Nano- and mesosystems in physics and analytical biochemistry • Functioning of wetlands and development of ecosystems • Scientific archaeology • Historical development of Livonia during Middle Ages and early modern period • Main trends in Estonian demographics • Priority research themes: • Changes and adaptation in Estonian society from early modern period to 20th century • Social changes in sociological perspective • Comparative studies of cultures in Estonia • Genesis of literary culture and its current state in Estonia • Learning and teaching languages, their use and mutual influence in Estonia • Learning politics in age of globalisation

6. R&D priorities

7. Research Administration Office 4 units leaded by the vice-rector for research

8. Research Management 2002 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 Main activities: • National funding • National/university R&D regulations • Collecting and analysing research performance data • Administrates research board

9. Project Management 2009 2010 2011 2012 Main activities: • Mapping funding opportunities • Pre- and post-award international project support • Structural funds • Supporting project reporting and audits

10. Doctoral Studies 2009 2010 2011 2012 Main activities: • Counselling PhD students and supervisors • Supporting graduate schools • Organising defenses • Publishing PhD thesis

11. Knowledge Transfer Center 2004 2007 2009 2010 2011 2012 Main activities: • Engaging researchers and students in solving R&D tasks that are a challenge to business partners

12. How we measure performance (1)

13. How we measure performance (2)

14. Performance indicators for research support Satisfaction of academic staff (feedback questionnaire) with research support: readiness to cooperate counselling competence general satisfaction with management Indicate the units with weaker feedback more detailed feedback asked during interviews Improvement strategy Collecting relevant performance data Target performance indicators must be ambitious but realistic

15. Challenges Changing landscape of research – more and more competition based funding Need for more specialised support (changing roles) Changing regulations More detailed reporting, more metrics

16. Key elements in managing research • Working strategy • Correct and relevant data to measure performance • Strong leaders • Good and reliable team

17. What I have learned • Teamwork is the key • doesn’t matter who wins, the whole team (office/university) wins • Meeting the challenge of change • take risks • pay attention to what happening around – never create status quo, be opened to opportunities of future • Acknowledging weaknesses • don’t run away it only grows in your head – strategy to get over • Learn from mistakes • step back – digest experience – learn the lesson

18. "Face new challenges, seize new opportunities, test your resources against the unknown and in the process, discover your own unique potential.” (John Amatt) Thank you! Kristel Toom Tallinn University, Estonia Kristel.Toom.01@tlu.ee www.tlu.ee