Introduction

The International Network of Research Management Societies (INORMS) celebrated its 20^th anniversary in 2021. The establishment of INORMS was the logical extension of the growing number of international research management societies in the world, which developed because of increased international research funding, enhanced international research collaborations, and the need to understand the various research regulations in different countries.

While research management societies engaged informally in various types of programme activities with other research management societies and exchanged annual meeting registrations in the late 1990s, it was not until after 9/11 in 2001 when research management societies came together to discuss the formation of an organisation that represented all research management societies.

The various INORMS member societies are vastly different. There are those well established with a few thousand members and newer ones with only a few hundred members. There are those that represent colleges and universities while others also include representation from research hospitals, independent research laboratories, industry, and government labs. Some societies have membership within a country while others are international. The focus of some societies is only research, others research and innovation, and still others only one aspect of research management. All of these different types of societies comprise the diversity of INORMS, and INORMS seeks to engage each of its member societies.

Despite their differences, INORMS member societies want to learn about the global research enterprise including: international funding opportunities, regulations, and best practices. They want INORMS to be a forum for networking and ‘a beacon for information and aspiration…’ (C. Jagersma, personal communication, 20 April 2021).

The Research Manager and Early Research Management Societies

Following World War II, at various times in their history, governments began to provide increased research funding to universities not only for applied research but also for basic research. Instead of providing contracts for research with deliverables, governments provided awards through grants with only required technical progress and financial reports. As with most government programmes, along with the increased funding came increased regulations to which recipient institutions must adhere.

Researchers originally were responsible for managing the funds for their research activities. With increased research funding and regulations, sponsors began to require research institutions to submit proposals and to make awards to the institutions on behalf of their investigators. This placed new responsibilities on recipient institutions of research funds.

The increase in institutional requirements to obtain and manage research support created a need for specially trained individuals to manage proposal submissions, receipt of awards, compliance with regulations and reporting. Research institutions established research administration offices, created policies and procedures to meet federal regulations and manage research funds, and hired staff, who became the first research managers.

It became obvious that a forum was needed whereby research administrators could be trained in the various aspects of research management. Such organisations also could identify best practices, and provide a network to exchange ideas and discuss issues. The first such organisation was the National Council of University Research Administrators (NCURA), established in 1959 in the United States, that focussed exclusively on colleges and universities (Beasley, 2006; G. Sakumoto, personal communication, 3 February 2021; Wile, 2008). The Society of Research Administrators International (SRAI) was the first international research management society having a Canadian Chapter and a diverse membership from colleges and universities, research hospitals, independent research institutes, industry, government research agencies, and non-profit organisations (Beasley, 2006; Society of Research Administrators, 1992). The first non-US research management society, the Canadian Association of Research Administrators (CARA), was formed in 1972 (S. Lampson, personal communication, 6 October 2021; D. Zornes, personal communication, 6 January 2021). The Association of Research Managers and Administrators (ARMA) founded in the United Kingdom traces its origin back to 1991 (I. Carter, personal communication, 24 January 2021; Taylor, 2001). It was followed soon after by the European Association of Research Managers and Administrators (EARMA) in 1994. The Association of Commonwealth Universities, which had been around since 1913, added their ‘Research Management and Uptake Program’ in 1999 (J. Kirkland, personal communication, 3 January 2021). The last pre-INORMS research management society was the Australasian Research Management Society (ARMS) having been launched in 1999 (Dibb-Leigh, 2007; J. Dibb-Leigh, personal communication, 15 February 2021; M. Hochman, personal communication, 7 October 2021). It was during the 1990s that members from these societies informally began to attend and present at other society meetings.

2001

International collaborative society efforts changed in 2001. The SRAI Board of Directors approved a formal exchange of annual meeting registrations with the leaders of other sister societies. As SRAI president, the author sent a letter to the presidents of the other societies in April 2001 inviting them to the SRAI annual meeting in Vancouver, and during the year SRAI representatives attended sister society meetings. In addition, SRAI retained Colin Cooper from the University of Manchester to serve as a liaison with ARMA and EARMA to determine how SRAI could work more closely with them.

The events of 9–11 not only affected the US; it impacted the whole world. SRAI’s Executive Committee believed that its annual meeting scheduled for October 2001 was crucial to show that research and its management was a global issue, that hosting such a meeting would be a show of international unity, and that international research collaborations should not be held hostage by the acts of terrorists. They decided the annual meeting would be held as scheduled.

On behalf of the SRAI Board of Directors, I invited leaders from the different societies and all international attendees at the SRAI annual meeting in Vancouver to attend a breakfast meeting to discuss how to advance the internationalisation of research management. It was done to show the ‘resilience and global nature of research administration and management’ (L. Chronister, personal communication, 2 January 2021).

The breakfast meeting was held in the Queen’s Suite at the Hilton Hotel in Vancouver, Canada on Tuesday, 16 October 2001. The participants included society representatives from ACU, ARMA, ARMS, CARA, EARMA, and SRAI; individuals influential in the future formation of DARMA and SARIMA; other SRAI members and interested international attendees (Fig. 1.7.1).

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Fig. 1.7.1.

The Founding Members of INORMS, 2001.

Following the introductions of the attendees, the discussion centred on the international expansion of research collaborations across the globe, how the various societies needed to work more closely in managing international research activities, and how the various societies could work together to promote the profession. The attendees agreed that we were living in a changing global environment where international research collaborations were encouraged and were increasing. There was a strong need for research administrators and managers to work more closely together and to understand the regulations, agreements, practices, and norms that govern research in other countries. It also was understood that this could not be done adequately by just attending each other’s society’s annual meeting.

It was agreed that there was a need for the establishment of an international society of research management societies to foster international research management cooperation. The broad concept of the proposed organisation was to:

• Internationalise the body of knowledge on research management,

• Exchange of best practices,

• Develop international approaches to supporting the research enterprise, and

• Provide networking opportunities for member societies.

The formation of an international organisation needed to be approved by the governing bodies of the various societies. It was agreed that attendees representing their societies would seek approval from their society to participate in the new organisation, and they would reconvene at the 2002 SRAI annual meeting.

2002

When Marilet Sienaert attended the breakfast meeting in Vancouver, the South African Research and Innovation Management Association (SARIMA) was not yet a formal organisation. SARIMA held its inaugural meeting in February 2002 (P. Pillay, personal communication, 30 June 2021) and because of its participation at the breakfast planning meeting in Vancouver in 2001, it was considered subsequently an inaugural member of INORMS.

In 2002, representatives from the various societies met with their respective leadership, and they unanimously agreed that an international organisation of research management societies was necessary, and they approved participation in it.

On 29 October 2002, at the SRAI Annual Meeting held in Orlando, Florida, the representatives from the various international societies – ACU, ARMA, ARMS, CARA, EARMA, SARIMA, and SRAI, along with a representative from the Swiss Association of Research Managers and Administrators (SARMA) and other interested individuals including those from Denmark, South Korea, Israel, and Brazil met to discuss this new international society. The meeting was co-chaired by Lynne Chronister, past-president of SRAI. While there is some discrepancy in members’ recollection as to who came up with the final name for INORMS, either Colin Cooper or Janet Dibb-Leigh, the member society representatives approved the final name for the newly created society (personal communication).

In addition to the name of the organisation, the major outcomes from this meeting were that:

• The mission of INORMS was to improve the communication and best practices globally for the administration and management of research,

• The attendees reaffirmed the goals of INORMS first stated in 2001,

• Membership would be through societies and not by individual memberships,

• An Executive Committee was created with Janet Dibb-Leigh from ARMS and Michael Owen from SRAI serving as its initial co-chairs,

• Each society member would have one representative on this committee, and

• Initially, INORMS meetings would be held in conjunction with the SRAI annual meeting (personal communication).

2003

SRAI hosted a meeting of the INORMS society members and other interested parties at its annual meeting in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. The following was agreed:

• INORMS would not be housed in any one country,

• No one society would be in control of the organisation,

• There would be no dues required from the various societies,

• Any new societies seeking to join INORMS would have the approved by the member INORMS societies,

• There should be biannual meetings of INORMS, and The society hosting the meeting would be responsible for developing the programme, all expenses related to the meeting, and any surplus from the meeting would remain with the host society (personal communication).

2004

The 2004 ARMS conference and an ACU International Research Management Benchmarking Group meeting were held in Perth/Fremantle, Australia. A group of attendees from ACU, ARMS, ARMA, and SRAI met informally, and the ARMS representative suggested that ARMS host the first meeting. This was to be discussed formally at the full INORMS Council meeting in 2004 (I. Carter, personnel communication, 24 January 2021; J. Dibb-Leigh, personal communication, 15 February 2021; M. Owen, personnel communication, 5 January 2021).

As a follow-up to the meetings in Australia, Michael Owen, SRAI president, invited representatives from the INORMS societies to meet at the SRAI annual meeting in Salt Lake City. The meeting was chaired by Colin Cooper. The outcomes of the meeting were the following:

• The INORMS mission was reaffirmed,

• There was a need for an initial administrative home for INORMS, and for an organisation to host the INORMS website. SRAI offered to host the website pending SRAI Board approval, which subsequently was given,

• The first multi-day educational international conference of INORMS was approved to be hosted by ARMS in 2006, and

• A proposed 2^nd INORMS Congress was agreed to be held in the United Kingdom in 2008 (personal communication).

2005

It is uncertain if an INORMS Council meeting was held as there are no notes from a meeting or any personal recollections.

ARMS prepared to host the first INORMS Congress.

2006

ARMS hosted the first INORMS Congress meeting in Brisbane, Australia in conjunction with the ARMS annual meeting. They described it as the First International Research Management Congress on behalf of INORMS, and it was entitled ‘Internationalisation of Research: The Big Issues and Opportunities of the Decade for Research Leaders and Managers’. The inaugural INORMS Congress was reported to have 450 delegates from 23 countries (Massey & Cur, 2006). This set the benchmark for future meetings (J. Dibb-Leigh, personal communication, 15 February 2021; M. Hochman, personal communication, 3 December 2021).

2007

ARMA members worked to secure a programme of speakers and workshops for its meeting in 2008.

There are no notes available from an INORMS Council meeting.

2008

Following a letter of invitation from Prime Minister Tony Blair in 2004, the second INORMS Congress was hosted by ARMA in Liverpool, England from 16 to 19 June. The meeting was held in conjunction with the ARMA annual meeting with the theme being ‘Exploring Similarities: National and International Research Management and Administration’. There was not a single chair of the INORMS Congress, but Steph Hazelhurst served as chair of the logistics committee and Ian Carter and Pauline Muya chaired the programme committee. The Congress had over 500 attendees representing between 20 and 30 different countries (I. Carter, personal communication, 20 September 2021; S. Hazelhurst, 19 November 2021).

The INORMS Council was still a loose federation, when it met at the ARMA Congress. The following was determined:

• SARIMA was approved to host the 2010 INORMS Congress.

• While INORMS did not have a formal application process for membership, it invited NCURA to become an INORMS member, and they later agreed to join.

• John Westensee, who attended the initial INORMS planning meeting in 2001 and participated in INORMS meetings, was instrumental in the formation of the Danish Association of Research Managers and Managers (DARMA). With its adaption of its bylaws in 2008, DARMA was considered a founding member of INORMS (J. Westensee, personal communication, 16 February 2021).

2009

No information was available about INORMS Council activities in 2009.

SARIMA was engaged in planning for the third INORMS Congress.

2010

SARIMA and ACU jointly hosted the third INORMS Congress in Cape Town, South Africa from 11 to 15 April as part of SARIMA’s annual conference. The theme of the meeting was ‘Managing for Impact: New Approaches to Research and Innovation Management’. The conference president was Aldo Strobel, with John Kirkland from ACU as co-chair. The conference focussed on research and information management in Africa and drew approximately 400 delegates representing 40 different countries (J. Kirkland, personal communication, 11 January 2021; A. Stroebel, personal communication, 29 September 2021; A. Stroebel, personal communication, 9 December 2021; Stroebel & van Eldik, 2010).

The West African Research and Innovation Management Association (WARIMA)became the first research management society to formally apply for and be approved for INORMS membership (C. Mokelu, personal communication, 8 October 2021).

PraxisAuril became a member of INORMS. At the time it was PraxisUnico, recently formed by merger of Praxis Courses Ltd and UNICO. It became PraxisAuril in 2017 after another merger with the Association for University Research and Industry Links (AURIL).

2011

The INORMS Council began discussions on governance and development of operating principles (J. Westensee, personal communication, 21 October 2021).

2012

DARMA hosted the 4^th INORMS Congress that took place in Copenhagen, Denmark from 13 to 16 May. The Congress was chaired by John Westensee and Annedorte Vad. The vision of the programme was to focus on the individual and thus the theme was ‘Let’s Fly to Mars: It All Comes Down to the Individual’. The conference was attended by 441 individuals representing 38 countries (J. Westensee, personal communication, 16 February 2021; J. Westensee, personal communication, 21 October 2021).

The following is a summary of INORMS Council meetings:

• The INORMS Council adapted its first INORMS Operating Principles. The document discussed issues such as INORMS objectives, governance, voting, biennial meetings, reciprocity and communication,

• With the increasing number of international societies being established, it was determined that a more formal approval process was needed for organisations seeking INORMS membership, and

• Approval was given for SRAI, NCURA, and CARA to jointly host the 2014 INORMS Congress in Washington, DC (personal communication).

2013

There were no notes or recollections from INORMS member organisations about INORMS activities in 2013, but SRAI, NCURA, and CARA worked closely on the planning for the 2014 INORMS meeting.

2014

SRAI, NCURA, and CARA jointly hosted the 2014 INORMS Congress held from 10 to 13 April in Washington, DC. This was the first time that an INORMS Congress was held not in conjunction with a society’s annual meeting. The co-chairs were Bill Schweri representing SRAI, Dave Richardson from NCURA, and Martin Kirk from CARA. The theme of the 5^th biennial Congress was ‘Enabling the Global Research Enterprise from Policy to Practice’. The meeting was attended by 450 research managers from 40 countries.

The INORMS Council met in person and virtually in 2014. The major activities included:

• A working group headed by Martin Kirk was established to seek ways to increase the visibility of INORMS and to identify other services that INORMS could provide to its members beyond the biennial Congress.

• A paper on the future of INORMS was presented to the INORMS Council. The impetus for the paper was that there was a need for a more formal organisational structure because:

  • There were multiple bids to host an INORMS Congress, and a process was needed to evaluate the proposals and make a determination,

  • There was a need to determine the process and qualifications for accepting new INORMS members,

  • It was uncertain how INORMS should manage different international professional development trainings, and

  • There was a need for improved communication among the different societies (personal communication).

• The Brazilian Research Administrators and Managers Association (BRAMA) applied for and was admitted as a member of INORMS (C. Graeff Teixeira, personal communication, 1 March 2021).

• The INORMS Council approved the admission of the Finnish Association of Research Managers and Administrators (Finn-ARMA) as a member of INORMS (S. Haverinen, personal communication, 5 October 2021).

• The Icelandic Association of Research Managers and Administrators (ICEARMA) applied for and was admitted to membership in INORMS (Ú. K. Gíslason, personal communication, 29 January 2021).

2015

The INORMS Council conducted a survey of its member societies to learn about member societies’ background, type, leadership, governance, priorities, professional development focus of the group, certifications, opportunities for collaboration and what the societies see as priorities for INORMS. The survey results were reported to the INORMS Committee as a document for future planning for INORMS initiatives (personal communication).

2016

The 2016 INORMS Congress, hosted by ARMS, was held in Melbourne, Australia from 11 to 15 September. The theme of 6^th Congress was ‘Research Management in a Connected World’. The meeting was a combined meeting with the annual ARMS conference. There was a total attendance of 856 delegates from 39 countries. The co-chairs of the meeting were Tania Bezzobs, Janette Hocking, Tania Tambiah, Sianna Panagiotopoulos, Ted Rohr, Bryony Wakefield, Jayamini Illesinghe, Suzanna Kovacevic, Stella Clark, Mark Hochman, and Janice Besch (M. Hochman, personal communication, 3 December 2021).

The following are the actions of the INORMS Council during the year:

• RMAN-J applied for and was approved for membership in INORMS (N. Miyokawa, personal communication, 28 January 2021).

• While still not a formally acknowledged non-profit organisation in Germany, the Network for Research and Transfer Management (FORTRAMA) applied and was approved for membership in INORMS (P. Winkler, personal communication, 22 January 2021).

• The Norwegian Network for Administration and Research Management (NARMA) applied for membership in INORMS, and the INORMS Council approved its membership (H. A. Espedal, personal communication, 3 February 2021).

• Jan Anderson and Ian Carter drafted the INORMS Strategic Outlook 2016. The document discussed the ever-changing global research environment including more collaborative international research and funding, as well as increased researcher mobility. It also stated that while fundamental research is the key to the future, there is increasing emphasis on research impact. These changes are creating a need for trained professional research managers who could function in an international environment. They proposed that INORMS develop a toolbox to meet these challenges (personal communication).

2017

The INORMS Council met virtually in 2017. The following are the major outcomes of those meetings:

• RMAN-J was approved to host the 2020 biannual INORMS meeting in Hiroshima, Japan. (N. Miyokawa, personal communication, 28 January 2021)

• The INORMS Council approved INORMS Leadership Awards to be given beginning at the 2018 INORMS Congress. Each member society could nominate one person for the award. (personal communication)

2018

The 7^th biennial INORMS Congress, hosted by ARMA, took place from 4 to 7 June in Edinburgh, Scotland. The theme of the Congress was ‘Promoting Global Research Management, Supporting Global Research Challenges’. The Congress was held in conjunction with the annual ARMA conference and had 1,100 delegates representing 45 countries. The Congress chair was Steph Bales (S. Bales, personal communication, 13 November 2021).

At this INORMS Congress, the first INORMS Awards for Excellence in Research Management Leadership were given. A list of awardees can be found at http://www.inorms2018.org/inorms-awards-for-excellence-in-research-management-leadership-2018/.

The INORMS Council met in person at the 7^th INORMS Congress and virtually during the year. The following is a summary of major accomplishments:

• The INORMS Council approved the Research Administration as a Profession (RAAAP) survey as an INORMS initiative to be headed by Simon Kerridge. The survey of research managers and administrators was to identify the key skills, attitudes, and behaviours of successful leaders in research management and administration. More information about RAAAP and the survey can be found at https://inorms.net/activities/raaap-taskforce/.

• The Research Impact and Stakeholder Engagement Working Group (RISE), co-chaired by David Phipps and Julie Bayley, was established to build the capacity of research managers and administrators, to support researchers and their stakeholders/partners who are working, and to maximise the diverse impacts of research. More information about RISE can be found at https://inorms.net/activities/research-impact-and-stakeholder-engagement-working-group/.

• The INORMS Council established the Research Evaluation Group (REG) that was chaired by Elizabeth Gadd. REG’s mission was to examine current research metrics and determine if they are appropriate and relevant. The main focus of REG is to examine Global University Rankings and determine their effectiveness and to develop a framework for evaluating research. More information about the Research Evaluation Group can be found at https://inorms.net/research-evaluation-group/.

• The Association for Research Managers and Administrators – The Netherlands (ARMA-NL) applied for and was approved for membership in INORMS (C. Jagersma, personal communication, 20 April 2021).

2019

The INORMS Council met during the year virtually and approved the following actions:

• SARIMA is to host the 2022 INORMS World Congress on the island of Mauritius.

• The Chinese Association for Science of Science and Science & Technology Policy (CASSSP) was approved for inclusion as a full INORMS member.

• A revised version of the INORMS Operating Principles was approved (see https://inorms.net/wp-content/uploads/2018/04/inorms-operating-principles-26032018-revised.pdf).

• The second iteration of the RAAAP survey (RAAAP-2) was launched on 1 October 2019. More information about the RAAAP survey can be found at https://inorms.net/activities/raaap-taskforce/raaap-survey-2019/.

2020

The INORMS Council’s actions were as follows:

• RMAN-J planned to host the INORMS biannual meeting in Hiroshima, Japan from May 25 to 28, 2020. However, at the request of RMAN-S, the Council agreed that the meeting be postponed until 2021 because of increasing cases of COVID-19 around the world.

• The National Organisation of Research Development Professionals (NORDP) applied for membership in INORMS and was approved (K. Eck, personal communication, 3 February 2021).

• The INORMS Council established a working group to look into establishing an associate membership. Following the recommendations of the working group and INORMS Council approval, INORMS created an INORMS Sister Association Membership where

  INORMS associations offer members of other associations that are part of the INORMS network (and outside of their geographical territory) access to certain services and products (e.g., training workshops, webinars, and conference) at ‘normal’ member rates for that association, rather than full non-member rates. (personal communication)

Now referred to as the INORMS Sister Association Reciprocal Benefit Scheme (ISARBS), it allows for members of INORMS affiliated societies to receive reduced rates for meetings, webinars, publications, and other activities offered by other societies who are parts of INORMS. Participating associations are ARMA, ARMS, SRAI, and NORDP. More information about ISARBS can be found at https://inorms.net/isarbs/.

• The RAAAP-2 survey concluded having received 4,324 responses. The results are available at https://inorms.net/activities/raaap-taskforce/raaap-survey-2019/. The RISE Working Group submitted its final report after developing criteria to help research management associations and its members assess people and organisations providing products and services to support research impact defined as the provable effects of research in the real world. More information about the Rise Working Group and its reports can be found at https://inorms.net/wp-content/uploads/2019/04/impact-provider-criteria-final-181217.pdf, https://inorms.net/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/rise-working-group-report-may-2020.pdf, and https://inorms.net/activities/researchimpact-and-stakeholder-engagement-working-group/.

2021

A virtual INORMS World Congress meeting hosted by RMAN-J was held from 24 to 27 May 2021. The theme of the World Congress was ‘Promoting Diversity in Research and Research Management Collaborations: More Trans-National, More Trans-Disciplinary, More Trans-Sectoral’. The Co-chairs of the organising committee were Dr Makiko Takahashi, Dr Norifumi Miyokawa, Dr Masato Miyake, and Dr Kate Harris. Due to ongoing COVID-19, this virtual meeting, held separately from the RMAN-J annual meeting, was very successful with 509 participants from 49 different countries (N. Miyokawa, personal communication, 14 September 2021; N. Miyokawa, personal communication, 6 December 2021). This was the largest number of countries represented at an INORMS Congress; a true picture of how research management is expanding internationally.

INORMS Awards for Excellence in Research Management Leadership were given at the meeting. The list of awardees can be found at https://inorms2021.org/awards.html.

The highlight of the 2021 INORMS Congress was the formal signing of the Hiroshima Statement on the Essential Practice of Research Administration on 24 May 2021 by Dr Koetsu Yamazaki, Chair of RMAN-J on behalf of the INORMS Council, which endorsed it unanimously (See https://inorms2021.org/hiroshima_statement.html).

The Malaysia Association of Research Managers and Administrators was approved for membership in 2021 (N. Miyokawa, personal communication, 8 September 2022).

Summary

INORMS, in 2001, was just a concept that brought six research management societies together to work collectively for the internationalisation of research management and administration in support of the advancement of international research collaborations. Since then INORMS has grown to 21 societies in 2021; the latest to join was the Malaysia Association of Research Managers and Administrators. More research management societies are being established and interest in participating in INORMS activities has never been greater. Increasing research specialisation will lead to a further expansion of international collaborations, a greater need for research managers and administrators, and an increasing number of research management societies to provide the essential tools necessary to operate in a universal research environment. Since the first INORMS Congress in Australia in 2006, the number of representatives from different countries has continued to grow to its peak at the RMAN-J hosted 20th anniversary Congress in 2021. A very successful 2023 INORMS Congresses recently concluded in Durban, South Africa (https://conference.eventsair.com/QuickEventWebsitePortal/inorms/inormscongress) and the 2025 INORMS Congress, to be hosted for the first time by EARMA, is to be held in Madrid, Spain (https://earma.org/conferences/inorms-congress-madrid-2025/). The future of research management as a profession is being accepted worldwide, and INORMS will continue to be the nucleus for research management societies as it serves the global research management community.