Research Management and Administrative Processes Workshop

April 18-19, 2024

ALBA Synchrotron (Spain)

Background

The FUNLAYERS Project has a dedicated Work Package aimed at Strengthening the Research Management Capacities and Administrative Skills of all partners, particularly INL.

One of this WP's objectives is to benchmark research management capacities among the partners (INL, ALBA-Cells, and Max Planck Institute) and exchange best practices among the partner´s support units to better manage research, optimise administrative processes, and identify collaboration opportunities.

To achieve it, a Research Management Diagnosis Workshop was held at INL in January 2023, benchmarking the three partners' research management practices and administrative processes. The result of this workshop was a report on good practices and recommendations in research management and administrative procedures, with the objectives of:

i) Sharing of practices in Research Management and Administrative tools between the partners to get to know each other and be on the same page,

ii) Having a full overview of INL’s Management and Administrative skills and

iii) Identify topics to develop further at INL regarding research management and administrative procedures.

In this first assessment, it was identified the strengths, weaknesses, and gaps, followed by a few recommendations, in each of the following topics:

  • Access to Core Facilities

  • IP & Knowledge Transfer

  • Funding Acquisition & Project Management

  • Research Data Management

The workshop

The next step is a Follow-up Research Management Workshop, this time at ALBA Synchrotron, to be held on April 18-19, 2024. In this workshop, targeting the support units of the three project partners, we´ll explore the topics discussed in the first workshop, including related topics, with interactive group discussions and case studies highlighting successful research management practices. This action will result in a comprehensive Action Plan to optimise research support activities at INL.

Programme

Thursday - 18 April, 2024

  • 14h30 Welcome | Klaus Attenkofer (ALBA)

  • 14h40 Introduction to FUNLAYERS Project and WP3 | Monike Rocha (INL)

  • 15h00 INL´s Support Units at a Glance | Mariana Fernandes (INL)

    • Core Facilities

    • IP & Knowledge Transfer

    • Information & Communication Systems

    • Business and Strategic Relations

    • Human Resources

  • 15h15 MPG´s Support Units at a Glance | Pierre-Jean Zermatten (MPI)

  • 15h30 ALBA´s Support Units at a Glance | Alejandro Sánchez (ALBA)

  • 15h45 Instructions to the parallel sessions

  • 15h50 Coffee Break

  • 16h10 Parallel Session 1: Project Management | Mariana Fernandes, Ana Silva, João Boaventura (INL) + Alejandro Sánchez, Bárbara Calisto (ALBA) + Michael Strauch (MPI)

    • Monitoring of project's execution (technical and financial execution; risk management; communication and dissemination; digital tools; etc.)

    • Project closure and post-project evaluation

      Parallel Session 2: Access to Core Facilities | Margaret Costa, Enrique Carbo (INL) + Maria José Simancas, Klaus Attenkofer (ALBA) + Pierre-Jean Zermatten (MPI)

    • Funding model

    • Facility operational model based on funding model and scientific strategy

    • Facility staff – Roles/Careers

    • Prioritization of access

    • Scientific Advisory Board

      Parallel Session 3: Research Data Management | Adelino Correia (INL) + Nicolas Soler, Toni Fernández Maltas (ALBA) + Oleksii Biletskyi (MPI)

    • Infrastructure for data storage

    • Data management tools

    • Procedures and policies to manage research data

    • Measures to ensure compliance with Open Access policies

      Parallel Session 4: HRS4R (Human Resources Strategy for Researchers) | Helena Macedo (INL) + Arseni Armengou (ALBA) + Ann-Kristin Flieger (MPI)

    • Introduction to the HRS4R Proces

    • Recruitment and Selection Process

    • Gender Equality Plans (GEP)

    • Career Model and Performance Evaluations

    • Career Development

      Parallel Session 5: IP and Knowledge Transfer | Ana Vila (INL) + Núria Valls , Virginia Boix (ALBA) + Marta Schulz, Ali Shaygan Nia (MPI)

    • IP Capture; Motivation of Group Research Leader and other tools.

    • Collaborations with industrial partners, academic research institutions & models/tools for IP regulation in these institutional relations.

    • How to hand over the patents/ patent applications to inventors

  • 17h10 Visit to ALBA instruments and laboratories

  • 20h00 Dinner

Friday- 19 April, 2024

  • 09h00 Continuation: Parallel Session 1: Project Management | Mariana Fernandes, Ana Silva, João Boaventura (INL) + Alejandro Sánchez, Bárbara Calisto (ALBA) + Michael Strauch (MPI)

    • Monitoring of project's execution (technical and financial execution; risk management; communication and dissemination; digital tools; etc.)

    • Project closure and post-project evaluation

      Continuation: Parallel Session 2: Access to Core Facilities | Margaret Costa, Enrique Carbo (INL) + Maria José Simancas, Klaus Attenkofer (ALBA) + Pierre-Jean Zermatten (MPI)

    • Funding model

    • Facility operational model based on funding model and scientific strategy

    • Facility staff – Roles/Careers

    • Prioritization of access

    • Scientific Advisory Board

      Continuation: Parallel Session 3: Research Data Management | Adelino Correia (INL) + Nicolas Soler, Toni Fernández Maltas (ALBA) + Oleksii Biletskyi (MPI)

    • Infrastructure for data storage

    • Data management tools

    • Procedures and policies to manage research data

    • Measures to ensure compliance with Open Access policies

      Continuation: Parallel Session 4: HRS4R (Human Resources Strategy for Researchers) | Helena Macedo (INL) + Arseni Armengou (ALBA) + Ann-Kristin Flieger (MPI)

    • Introduction to the HRS4R Proces

    • Recruitment and Selection Process

    • Gender Equality Plans (GEP)

    • Career Model and Performance Evaluations

    • Career Development

      Continuation: Parallel Session 5: IP and Knowledge Transfer | Ana Vila (INL) + Núria Valls , Virginia Boix (ALBA) + Marta Schulz, Ali Shaygan Nia (MPI)

    • IP Capture; Motivation of Group Research Leader and other tools.

    • Collaborations with industrial partners, academic research institutions & models/tools for IP regulation in these institutional relations.

    • How to hand over the patents/ patent applications to inventors

  • 11h00 Group Picture & Coffee Break

  • 12h00 Parallel Session 1: Short Report on the exchanges - Project Management | Mariana Fernandes, Ana Silva, João Boaventura (INL) + Alejandro Sánchez, Bárbara Calisto (ALBA) + Michael Strauch (MPI)

    • Best Practices in Project Implementation

      Parallel Session 2: Short Report on the exchanges - Access to Core Facilities | Margaret Costa, Enrique Carbo (INL) + Maria José Simancas, Klaus Attenkofer (ALBA) + Pierre-Jean Zermatten (MPI)

    • Funding model

    • Facility operational model based on funding model and scientific strategy

    • Facility staff – Roles/Careers

    • Prioritization of access

    • Scientific Advisory Board

      Parallel Session 3: Short Report on the exchanges - Research Data Management | Adelino Correia (INL) + Nicolas Soler, Toni Fernández Maltas (ALBA) + Oleksii Biletskyi (MPI)

    • Infrastructure for data storage

    • Data management tools

    • Procedures and policies to manage research data

    • Measures to ensure compliance with Open Access policies

      Parallel Session 4: Parallel Session 4: Short Report on the exchanges -HRS4R (Human Resources Strategy for Researchers) | Helena Macedo (INL) + Arseni Armengou (ALBA) + Ann-Kristin Flieger (MPI)

    • Introduction to the HRS4R Proces

    • Recruitment and Selection Process

    • Gender Equality Plans (GEP)

    • Career Model and Performance Evaluations

    • Career Development

      Parallel Session 5: Short Report on the exchanges - IP and Knowledge Transfer | Ana Vila (INL) + Núria Valls , Virginia Boix (ALBA) + Marta Schulz, Ali Shaygan Nia (MPI)

    • IP Capture; Motivation of Group Research Leader and other tools.

    • Collaborations with industrial partners, academic research institutions & models/tools for IP regulation in these institutional relations.

    • How to hand over the patents/ patent applications to inventors

  • 13h00 Lunch

  • 14h00 Summary of the results of each Parallel Sessions

    • Project Management

    • Access to Core Facilities

    • Research Data Management

    • Human Resources Strategy for Researchers

    • IP and Knowledge Transfer

    • Open discussion

  • 16h00 Presentation of the draft of the “Implementation Plan” | Monike Rocha (INL)

  • 16h10 Closing Remarks | Bárbara Calisto (ALBA), Klaus Attenkofer (ALBA)

Materials science: processing, structure, properties, and performance.