Research administration · Reference
What are the main research administration conferences and communities?
The research administration community gathers through the meetings and membership of its professional bodies — NCURA, SRAI, ARMA and, for research-information specialists, euroCRIS — where administrators share practice, develop skills and shape the standards the field relies on.
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The major professional bodies and their meetings
Several membership organisations anchor the research administration community, each with its own conference calendar. The National Council of University Research Administrators (NCURA) holds an annual meeting and regional and specialist conferences across the United States. The Society of Research Administrators International (SRAI) runs an annual meeting and section meetings with a more international reach. In the United Kingdom and Ireland, ARMA (the Association of Research Managers and Administrators) holds an annual conference that is the principal gathering for UK research managers. Together these meetings form the professional-development and networking backbone of the field.
Attending these conferences is one of the main ways administrators earn continuing-education credit, keep up with changing funder and regulatory requirements, and prepare for or maintain certification such as the CRA.
euroCRIS and the research-information community
For administrators and specialists focused on research information systems, euroCRIS — the not-for-profit organisation that maintains the CERIF standard — holds membership meetings and strategic seminars, typically twice a year, where CRIS practitioners, vendors and standards developers meet. These gatherings are where the practical and the standardising sides of the field overlap: the people who run institutional CRIS platforms sit alongside those who develop the data models and vocabularies, including the CASRAI Catalogue of Elements that euroCRIS now stewards. For anyone working on the systems-and-standards side of research administration, euroCRIS is the most directly relevant community.
Why the community matters
Research administration is a field where formal training only goes so far; much of the working knowledge — how a particular funder really interprets a rule, how to integrate two systems, how to run an assessment submission — is shared peer to peer. The professional bodies and their conferences are the infrastructure for that exchange. They also give the field a collective voice in shaping policy and standards, which is how community practice feeds back into the formal vocabularies and data models that govern research information. CASRAI itself worked this way: its standards were built in volunteer working groups drawn from exactly this community.
Getting involved
Newcomers can engage through their relevant national or international body — NCURA or SRAI in North America and beyond, ARMA in the UK and Ireland — by joining, attending a regional meeting, taking part in a special-interest group, or following the body’s publications and discussion lists. Those whose work centres on CRIS and research information will find euroCRIS membership and its seminars the natural home. Beyond the immediate professional benefit, involvement is how the standards that move research information — including the CRediT taxonomy and the euroCRIS-stewarded CASRAI Catalogue — continue to be maintained by the people who use them.
Key facts
At a glance
- NCURA: US-based; annual, regional and specialist meetings
- SRAI: Society of Research Administrators International; annual + sections
- ARMA: UK & Ireland; the principal annual research-management conference
- euroCRIS: research-information / CRIS community; membership meetings ~twice a year
- Purpose: professional development, networking and certification credit
- Standards link: community working groups maintain CRediT and the CASRAI Catalogue
Common questions
FAQ
What are the main research administration conferences?+
The principal meetings are run by the field’s professional bodies: NCURA (national, regional and specialist meetings in the US), SRAI (an international annual meeting and section meetings), ARMA (the main UK and Ireland conference), and, for research-information specialists, the euroCRIS membership meetings.
What is NCURA?+
The National Council of University Research Administrators (NCURA) is a US-based professional body for research administrators, offering education, professional development and an annual and regional conference calendar.
What is euroCRIS, and why does it run meetings?+
euroCRIS is the not-for-profit organisation that maintains the CERIF research-information standard. It holds membership meetings and seminars, typically twice a year, where CRIS practitioners, vendors and standards developers — including the stewards of the CASRAI Catalogue of Elements — meet.
Why should a research administrator attend conferences?+
Conferences are a main route to professional development and continuing-education credit, a way to keep up with changing funder and regulatory requirements, and the place where much of the field’s practical, peer-to-peer knowledge is shared.
How do I get involved in the research administration community?+
Join the relevant body for your region — NCURA or SRAI in North America and internationally, ARMA in the UK and Ireland, or euroCRIS for research-information work — and take part in meetings, special-interest groups and working groups.
