RDVP (CASRAI)
Research Development Professional Certification — Professional
What you earn
The credential itself
Pass the examination and CASRAI issues this certificate and the post-nominal RDVP (CASRAI), signed by the Programme Director and verifiable by anyone, permanently, from the code on its face.
CASRAI Certification
Certificate of Professional Competence
This is to certify that
Dr. Amelia R. Hartley
has completed the prescribed programme of study and passed the examination in
Research Development Professional — Professional
and is admitted to the designationRDVP (CASRAI)
Certifications
RDVP (CASRAI) — Research Development Professional, Professional
CASRAI·Issued Mar 2026·Credential ID CASRAI-RDV-2026-64B00G
casrai.org/verify/CASRAI-RDV-2026-64B00G
Every certificate is issued under the signature of Dr. Diana Nieves Castro, MD, Programme Director of CASRAI Certification, who sets the syllabus, blueprint and pass mark for this credential.
It certifies that its holder passed the CASRAI examination for this course on the date shown, scored against the blueprint and pass mark published on this page — and anyone can confirm it from the verification code, without an account and without contacting us.
About this credential
What it covers
Body of knowledge
Exam blueprint
The exam is assembled to these weights on every attempt. They are published before purchase because a blueprint you cannot see is not a blueprint.
| Domain | Proportion of exam | Weight | Items |
|---|---|---|---|
| Strategic research planning and institutional capacity1 | 15%≈ 5 items | ≈ 5 | |
| Funder intelligence, horizon scanning and pipeline management2 | 13%≈ 5 items | ≈ 5 | |
| Limited submissions and internal competition management3 | 12%≈ 4 items | ≈ 4 | |
| Large-scale, centre-level and consortium proposal development4 | 18%≈ 6 items | ≈ 6 | |
| Team science facilitation and the science of team science5 | 14%≈ 5 items | ≈ 5 | |
| Internal funding programmes and early-career development6 | 14%≈ 5 items | ≈ 5 | |
| Partnership brokering, impact and broader impacts design7 | 14%≈ 5 items | ≈ 5 | |
| Total | 100% | 35 |
Item counts are approximate. Each attempt draws a fresh form to the weights above, so the exact number of items per domain varies between attempts.
Syllabus
11 modules, 11 lessons
Every lesson and every learning outcome is listed. The lesson bodies open on enrolment; nothing else about the course is withheld.
11 modules · 11 lessons
Lesson material opens once you are enrolled. The full syllabus and every learning outcome are shown here so you can judge the coverage before you pay.
Module 1
1
1 lesson
- Locked.The research development function: definition, position, and boundaryLocked
On completion you will be able to
- By the end, the learner can:
- Define research development by function and distinguish it from research administration, grant writing, technology transfer, and research strategy. [R]
- Locate the function in at least four national research-management systems and name the professional body that hosts it in each. [R]
- Diagnose an institutional structure for the capability gaps it creates. [An]
Module 2
2
1 lesson
- Locked.Portfolio analysis and strategic planningLocked
Module 3
3
1 lesson
- Locked.Institutional capacity, infrastructure, and capacity-building programmesLocked
Module 4
4
1 lesson
- Locked.Funder intelligence and pipeline managementLocked
Module 5
5
1 lesson
- Locked.Limited submissions and internal competitionsLocked
Module 6
6
1 lesson
- Locked.Centre-scale and consortium proposal developmentLocked
Module 7
7
1 lesson
- Locked.Team science: formation, facilitation, and evidenceLocked
Module 8
8
1 lesson
- Locked.Internal funding programmesLocked
Module 9
9
1 lesson
- Locked.Early-career development, mentoring, and mock reviewLocked
Module 10
10
1 lesson
- Locked.Partnership brokering and impact designLocked
Module 11
11
1 lesson
- Locked.Ethics, equity, and the politics of the functionLocked
Assessment
How the exam works
The exam is closed-book and multiple choice. Each attempt draws a fresh form to the domain weights above, so no two attempts are the same paper and no answer key circulates. The pass mark is 70% and is fixed — there is no curve, no quota and no adjustment by cohort.
Scoring is immediate. You are shown your overall result and, for every item, the option you chose, the correct option and the reasoning behind it — whether you passed or not. A failed attempt may be retaken after 90 days. The wait exists so a retake is a second attempt at the material rather than a second attempt at remembering the paper.
Forms are assembled to the blueprint above or not at all: where a domain cannot yet be sampled to that standard, the exam declines to start rather than issue an unbalanced paper. Your material and progress are never affected, and there is no time limit on when you sit.
Passing candidates are issued a certificate with a verification code. Anyone can check that code on our public verification page without an account and without contacting us.
Certifying authority
Signed by Dr. Diana Nieves Castro, MD
CASRAI’s certification programme is academically and medically directed by Dr. Diana Nieves Castro, MD, Programme Director, who sets the syllabus and blueprint for this credential and signs every certificate issued under it.
CASRAI has maintained the terminology and reporting standards of research administration for over a decade. It assumed leadership of the CRediT contributor-roles taxonomy in 2014 and carried it through to adoption as ANSI/NISO Z39.104-2022, now in use by publishers, funders and institutions worldwide. This examination is drawn from that body of work.
What the credential certifies: that its holder passed the CASRAI examination for this course on the date shown, scored against the blueprint and pass mark published above — verifiable by anyone, permanently, from the code on its face.
