Global and regional practices in university research management: emerging trends

Various developments at global, regional and national levels have had a profound impact on the way in which universities and research institutes manage their research capacity and outputs. This has, in many cases, led to an increased role for centralised research offices as well as having implications for individual researchers. In this article, we seek to identify some of the specific functions of, and challenges facing, the former, drawing on the findings of the Association of Commonwealth Universities' (ACU) global survey and discussions emanating from two international workshops. We find the development of structures and the provision of services to be uneven between regions. We also find that while capacity for research management has grown, so have demands on universities, leading to increased expectations and recognition of the potential for improvement. Both findings suggest that much can be gained through international benchmarking and sharing of good practice.