New Publication: Defining the Role of the Research Project Manager

Several members from our PAPM community have just published the article
“Research Project Management: Defining Roles and Responsibilities from Practice/Experience” in the Journal of Research Management and Administration (JoRMA).

Authors: Cláudia Barbosa, Lorena Cebolla Sanahuja, Mirella Collini, Riccarda Moser, José Santos, Richard Twohig, Daniel Vare

Abstract: There is a widespread lack of clarity and consensus regarding the role of Research Project Managers (RPMs) in collaborative research projects, which creates challenges and inconsistency across organisations. This paper addresses this gap by establishing a clear understanding of the role of the RPM within the context of collaborative research projects. It addresses the diverse responsibilities and key functions of an RPM and highlights the importance of their contributions in various research environments based on the authors’ combined experience. Additionally, it defines the boundaries of their roles and responsibilities and distinguishes them from other project-related positions. The paper outlines the critical tasks performed by RPMs, the skills and qualifications required, and explores their impact on project success. It also provides insights into the roles of other key project personnel, creating a comprehensive overview of project management in research, something that is currently lacking in the available literature and causing most organisations to have their own interpretation of the role.

The article is available here: https://doi.org/10.18552/jorma.v4i1.1196