foRMAtion Erasmus+ project: first two modules of the parallelly launched BA level courses in the field of RMA profession accomplished

Innovative teaching materials to develop students’ professional and transversal skills have been created by Corvinus colleagues for the international curriculum for future Research Managers and Administrators (RMAs) in the framework of a foRMAtion Erasmus+ project.

Three partner Universities (NOVA, Corvinus and Sapientia) of the ERASMUS+ funded international project called foRMAtion - Innovative and smart module for potential Research Managers and Administrators in higher education (https://www.formation-rma.eu), launched a two-semester long pilot course in the spring semester of academic year 2020/2021. Within the framework of the project, two colleagues of Corvinus University of Budapest have been working on the development of a teaching material for a curriculum of the course for BA students from March to September 2020. The development of the teaching material was completed, and it was supported by valuable inputs from experts working in several fields within the university: researchers in the field of international studies, management psychology, pedagogy, and research management. As a result, an innovative teaching material consisting of four modules was elaborated. In 2021 (during two semesters) it is piloted in three universities and will be finalized according to the feedback of teachers and students.

The aim of the course titled Research Manager as a profession in the EU ecosystem: concepts, tools and practice (I and II) is to provide students with insight and experience in the field of research management and administration. In the first (spring) semester, two modules were piloted. Module 1, titled “Research Methodology and Design” and Module 2, titled “Research Funding, Policy and Governance” have been completed by the seminar group at Corvinus University. The students actively participated in the activities designed to help acquiring the knowledge elements on the one hand and developing the soft skills on the other.

The increasing competition for EU funds in the field of R&I projects, the growing needs of the labour market for professional research support staff, and the shortage in research management administration (RMA) educational programmes, led to the realization of the project. The course elaborated in the framework of the formation project aims to support students in higher education as potential RMAs by reinforcing the high-level and transversal skills needed for developing and managing excellent European research, innovation and educational projects.