The Profession of Research Management and Administration in India
The Emerald Handbook of Research Management and Administration Around the World
ISBN: 978-1-80382-702-5, eISBN: 978-1-80382-701-8
Publication date: 29 November 2023
Abstract
Research and innovation are a major national priority in India and are conducted across a diverse group of institutions. While Research Management (RM) activities were previously integrated into researcher and other roles in India, there is now recognition that RM services rendered by professionally trained staff can reduce the administrative burden on researchers, thereby enhancing the ease of doing research. This chapter provides context on the complex higher education and research ecosystem in India, outlines the circumstances leading to the development of RM support at Indian institutions, and highlights the contributions of the India Research Management Initiative in creating a community of practice for RM. The chapter concludes with some projections for the future of RM in India.
Keywords
Citation
Ayyar, S. (2023), "The Profession of Research Management and Administration in India", Kerridge, S., Poli, S. and Yang-Yoshihara, M. (Ed.) The Emerald Handbook of Research Management and Administration Around the World, Emerald Publishing Limited, Leeds, pp. 511-518. https://doi.org/10.1108/978-1-80382-701-820231045
Publisher
:Emerald Publishing Limited
Copyright © 2024 Savita Ayyar
License
These works are published under the Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY 4.0) licence. Anyone may reproduce, distribute, translate and create derivative works of these works (for both commercial and non-commercial purposes), subject to full attribution to the original publication and authors. The full terms of this licence may be seen at http://creativecommons.org/licences/by/4.0/legalcode
The Research Ecosystem in India
India is now accepted as a major contributor to knowledge generation in the world. India’s research achievements build upon several decades of consistent investments in higher education institutions (HEIs), research, infrastructure, international collaborations, and scientifically trained personnel (Department of Science and Technology, 2020; National Science Foundation, 2022c). While the current Science Technology and Innovation Policy for India (STIP 2020) sets out the vision of the Government of India (GoI) for Research & Innovation, the new National Education Policy (NEP) stipulates improving education in India to make it inclusive at all levels (Government of India, 2020a, 2020b). Recent UGC guidelines on the creation of Research and Development Cells at Universities offer a framework for boosting research at Universities through strategic inputs and the requisite administrative support (University Grants Commission, 2022). These major national policies and initiatives set the expectations for Research Management and Administration (RMA) at Indian institutions.
The higher education and research system in India is complex and comprises nearly 7,000 entities engaged in research, including central, state, and private universities, autonomous government institutes, medical research units, and NGOs1 (Government of India, 2021). These varied educational and research institutions have evolved in India over a period of nearly seven decades. Each of these institutions offers unique opportunities for research and requires specific administrative structures. Indian HEIs are increasingly seeking to be recognised through national and international rankings. The National Institutional Ranking Framework (NIRF) approved by the Ministry of Human Resource Development, GoI includes a list of India’s top research-performing organisations (National Institutional Ranking Framework, n.d.). The National Assessment and Accreditation Council (NAAC) conducts assessment and accreditation of HEIs, to determine academic standards (National Assessment and Accreditation Council, n.d.). The requirement for high-quality data for these ranking exercises has made the development of information management systems such as IRINS timely (Indian Research Information Network System, n.d.).
The Government of India continues to be the major funder of research in India. Additional contributions are made through philanthropy, business enterprises, HEIs, private non-profit organisations, international funders, and others. India’s Gross expenditure on Research & Development (GERD) as a percentage of GDP has remained at less than 0.7% in recent years. Increasing the GERD to 2% of GDP has been a national goal, and it has been suggested that this target could be achieved if the private sector were to increase its contribution (Department of Science and Technology, 2020; National Science Foundation, 2022c; PRS Legislative Research, 2022).
Researchers across India raise external funding for research from several sources. Some prominent GoI funding agencies and partnerships supporting R&l projects include the DST,2 DBT, ICMR, ICSSR, DBT/Wellcome Trust India Alliance, and BIRAC. India is a member of the HFSP and an Associate Member of EMBO, enabling access for Indian researchers. There are other funding and collaboration opportunities available via international sources, as well. Philanthropy plays an important role in supporting research in India, with notable research funders including the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation and Tata Trusts. Navigating these diverse funding systems successfully requires commensurate research management (RM) support at Indian research institutions.
Evolution of the Profession in India
While some Indian institutions such as the IITs, CSIR laboratories, and select research institutions have developed key research support services over a sustained period3, 4 there are still large gaps in research support services (Ayyar & Jameel, 2019; Mehta & Puri, 2022; Nukala et al., 2020). In the recent decade, several new research offices have been added at Indian institutions, driven in part by the growth of life sciences research. This period has additionally witnessed the development of national guidelines and administrative support for the ethical conduct of life sciences research (Jotwani, 2017). Since 2018, the DBT/Wellcome Trust India Alliance has led the development of the India Research Management Initiative (IRMI), aimed at RM role creation, capacity building and nurturing a community of practice for RMAs (India Research Management Initiative (IRMI), n.d.).
The Indian RMA Community
IRMI is a focal point for the Indian RMA community, supporting RMAs through webinars, a conference series and networking sessions (Gottipatti, 2022). A collaboration between IRMI and NCURA Magazine has resulted in a series of blogs on RM in India through 2020–2022 (Bagani, 2022; Baral, 2021; Dutta, 2020; Gottipatti, 2020; Krishnamoorthy, 2021; Pillai & Raghavan, 2021). These blogs are among the first published accounts of RM support at Indian institutions.
In parallel, IRMI has facilitated interactions between RMAs in India with their global peers, by providing funding support for attendance at international conferences. Indian RMAs participated in INORMS 2018 and 2021 (Ayyar, 2021a, 2021b), NCURA Annual Conference 2020, SARIMA Annual Conferences 2020 and 2021, VICRA Conference 2022 and EARMA Conference 2022. Indian RMAs participated in the global RAAAP-2 and RAAAP-3 surveys, facilitated through the IRMI initiative.
The NCURA and INORMS experiences motivated the curation of the first edition of the IRMI Annual Conference in 2021. A dedicated Conference Planning Committee was created to guide the event; a first for Indian RMAs to work together towards a national project (Joshi, 2021). The Conference provided much-needed visibility for RM in India and has led to the launch of a call for the second edition.
Indian RMA Demographics
A key goal of the IRMI initiative is the building of a community of practice for RMAs in India. The existence of the initiative has encouraged individuals in RMA roles such as partnership building, pre- and post-award services, and statutory compliance management to come forward to join an evolving group. While there is significant variation in the job titles for RMAs in India, there are now several individuals in the IRMI network with job titles such as Grant Adviser, Grants Administrator, Grant Manager, Research Manager, Program Manager, Research Management Consultant, Head, Grants Management and Director, Research and Development. The IRMI community has been created to be distinct from other groupings in India for practitioners of science communication and public engagement and innovation management. IRMI awardees are part of the IRMI network.
Demographics for IRMI network members, based on data available publicly on the LinkedIn platform in 2022, was analysed [Fig. 5.11.1(a)–(d)]. These analyses provide an indication of current trends for the group. As of April 2022, IRMI network members are employed at a diverse set of institutions. The single largest grouping (47%) of RMAs currently work at research institutions supported by the Government of India, such as autonomous institutions of the DAE, DBT, MHRD, and CSIR [Fig. 5.11.1(a)]. 70% of the IRMI network are from the Life Sciences [Fig. 5.11.1(b)]. A few members of the network have MBA qualifications in addition to their core degrees from science or public health research. 75% of the network members hold a PhD degree, while 24% are trained to the Masters level. This high degree of educational training for RMAs in the IRMI network reflects the fact that in India, RMA is viewed as a science-related career [Fig. 5.11.1(c)]. Finally, in keeping with global trends, a large proportion (64%) of IRMI RMAs are female [Fig. 5.11.1(d)]. These insights correlate well with similar conclusions drawn from responses from Indian RMAs for the RAAAP-3 survey, particularly with respect to trends in the gender of RMAs in India and their background specialisations (Kerridge, Dutta, et al., 2022).
During the IRMI pilot in 2018, the author interacted with a set of RMAs primarily across cities such as Bengaluru, New Delhi, Pune, and Hyderabad [Fig. 5.11.2(a)]. The intervening years have seen a clear change in the numbers and distribution of RMAs associated with the IRMI initiative [Fig. 5.11.2(b)]. While Bengaluru and the Northern Capital Region (including New Delhi, Faridabad, Sonepat, and Noida) continue to contribute the largest numbers of RMAs in the network, there are newer members based at other locations in India [Fig. 5.11.2(b)]. At an institutional level, the new members of the IRMI network include colleagues based at private and other universities, which was not the case in 2019. This group includes both full-time RMAs and researchers who spend a part of their time on RM activities. The expansion of the IRMI network reflects both the creation of new research offices (in part through the IRMI awards) and increasing numbers of individuals joining the network (India Research Management Initiative (IRMI), n.d.).
The Future of RM in India
RM is an evolving profession in India and can grow further through the following interventions:
Sustainability of research offices and careers: A significant proportion of Indian RMAs are currently recruited on fixed-term contracts, which poses a risk to RMA careers and to employing institutions. New national policies are required to enable the recruitment and promotion of RMAs.
Training programs for RM: Research offices at Indian institutions require staff with appropriate professional backgrounds. In-country training opportunities such as internships and certification courses recognised by employers are a clear way forward to enable this.
Summary
R&I at Indian HEIs requires dedicated RM support for maximum impact. The process of developing RM as a professional support service has begun in India, through concerted action from multiple stakeholders. Several initiatives over the last decade have raised awareness of RM as a profession in India. However, a persistent challenge has been the actual shortage of RM roles. This situation is evolving and there are now increasing instances of motivated individuals gaining fixed-term employment in RM roles at institutions. While this process continues, the next challenge would be for intuitions to create longer-term employment opportunities for Indian RMAs. In parallel, these RMAs would need to be supported through appropriate training and a community of practice that are aligned with the policy and funding landscape in India. These early steps are necessary for paving the way for RM to become a sustainable profession in India.
India has 54 central universities, 444 state universities, 403 private universities, and 126 ‘Deemed-to-be-Universities’, recognised by the University Grants Commission (UGC). Furthermore, there are 132 Institutes of National Importance in India, including the 23 Indian Institutes of Technology (IITs), 20 Indian Institutes of Management (IIMs), and the 7 Indian Institutes of Science Education and Research (IISERs). India has several GoI-funded research-intensive autonomous institutions including the 16 Autonomous Institutions of the Department of Biotechnology (DBT), 20 Autonomous Science & Technology Institutions of the Department of Science and Technology (DST), 31 institutions of the Indian Council for Medical Research (ICMR), and the 38 laboratories of the Council of Scientific & Industrial Research (CSIR).
Some major research funders for India include the Department of Science and Technology (https://dst.gov.in/), Department of Biotechnology (https://dbtindia.gov.in/), Indian Council of Medical Research (https://www.icmr.gov.in/), Indian Council of Social Science Research (https://icssr.org/), Biotechnology Industry Research Assistance Council (https://www.birac.nic.in/), Human Frontiers Science Program (https://www.hfsp.org/), and European Molecular Biology Organization (https://www.embo.org/).
The IITs were among the first HEIs in India to create research support units. In 1971, IIT Kanpur set up an Office of Research and Development (DORD) within the IIT system. This system has extended across the IITs, with similar research offices being set up at other IITs.
In 2010, the National Centre for Biological Sciences (NCBS) created a Research Development Office to support the growth of the institution. Within a short span, several other biomedical research institutions including the Translational Health Science and Technology Institute (THSTI) in Faridabad and the Indian Institute of Science Education and Research (IISER) in Pune set up their research offices.
References
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Acknowledgements
The author gratefully acknowledges support and guidance from past and present staff at the DBT/Wellcome Trust India Alliance, past and present members of the Wellcome Trust International Operations and Partnerships team, IRMI Award Committee members, Conference Planning Committee members for IRMI Annual Conferences in 2021 and 2022, and members of the IRMI Professional Development Committee, for their immense contributions towards developing the IRMI initiative. Ms Claire Chen and Mr Marc Schiffman at NCURA are acknowledged for their support in enabling the IRMI-NCURA partnership. IRMI is an initiative of the DBT/Wellcome Trust India Alliance and would simply not be possible without the support of colleagues from the Indian researcher and research manager communities and the international research manager community.
- Prelims
- Introduction and Structure
- Introduction to Part 1
- Section 1: History
- Chapter 1.1: The Contribution of International Donors to African Research Management
- Chapter 1.2: History of Research Administration/Management in North America
- Chapter 1.3: Research Managers and Administrators in Asia: History and Future Expectations
- Chapter 1.4: History of Research Management in Australia and New Zealand
- Chapter 1.5: History of RMA in Central and Eastern European Countries
- Chapter 1.6: The Development of Research Management and Administration in Europe: A Short History
- Chapter 1.7: The Establishment and History of the International Network of Research Management Societies
- Section 2: Context
- Chapter 2.1: A Novel Definition of Professional Staff
- Chapter 2.2: The Research Administration as a Profession (RAAAP) Survey
- Chapter 2.3: Routes into Research Management and Administration
- Chapter 2.4: Research Management as Labyrinthine – How and Why People Become and Remain Research Managers and Administrators Around the World
- Chapter 2.5: Where Do RMAs Work?
- Chapter 2.6: The Establishment of a Research Project Management Office at a Medical School in University of São Paulo, FMRP-USP, Brazil
- Chapter 2.7: RMA Education, Training and Professional Development in North America and Europe
- Chapter 2.8: Pathways Towards the Creation of RMA Associations
- Section 3: Identity
- Chapter 3.1: From Conceptualisation to Action – The Quest for Understanding Attitudes of Research Managers and Administrators in the Wider World
- Chapter 3.2: Exploring Forms of Knowledge and Professionalism in RMA in a Global Context
- Chapter 3.3: Understanding Organisational Structures in RMA – An Overview of Structures and Cases in a Global Context
- Chapter 3.4: Research-related Information Management: Reflections from Southern African Practitioners
- Chapter 3.5: Empirical and Empathetic Approaches Taken by Science, Technology and Innovation Coordinators in Southeast Asia
- Chapter 3.6: The Influence of RMA Associations on Identity and Policymaking Internationally
- Chapter 3.7: Evolution of Professional Identity in Research Management and Administration
- Section 4: Professionalism
- Chapter 4.1: Professionalisation of Research Management and Administration in Southern Africa – A Case Study
- Chapter 4.2: Professionalisation of Research Support in Hungary Through the Lens of the Non-research Specific Requirements of Horizon Europe
- Chapter 4.3: Professional Staff in Support Services in Education and Research – How to Connect Research with Practice
- Chapter 4.4: Professional Associations and Professional Development Frameworks
- Chapter 4.5: RASPerS: Prevalence of Occupational Stress and Associated Factors in RMA Professionals
- Chapter 4.6: A Profession in the Making: Insights from Western Balkan Countries
- Chapter 4.7: Key Perspectives for a Long-term Career – Statistical Analysis of International Data for a New Profession
- Chapter 4.8: Diversity and Internationalisation: A New Core Competence for Research Managers?
- Part 2 - Section 5: Country Specific Chapters
- Chapter 5.1: Introduction to the RMA by Country Chapters
- Africa
- Chapter 5.2: Research Management and Administration in Kenya in a Challenging Research Environment
- Chapter 5.3: The Profession of Research Management and Administration in Nigeria
- Chapter 5.4: The Profession of Research Management and Administration in South Africa
- North America
- Chapter 5.5: The Profession of Research Management and Administration in Canada
- Chapter 5.6: The Profession of Research Management and Administration in the Caribbean Community
- Chapter 5.7: Research Administration in the United States
- South America
- Chapter 5.8: Research Management and Administration in Brazil
- Chapter 5.9: Maturity in the Professionalisation of the Research Managers and Administrators in Colombia
- Asia
- Chapter 5.10: Development of RMA in China
- Chapter 5.11: The Profession of Research Management and Administration in India
- Chapter 5.12: The Profession of Research Management and Administration in Japan
- Chapter 5.13: Development of Research Management in Malaysia
- Chapter 5.14: Research Management and Administration in Pakistan's Context
- Chapter 5.15: Research Management and Administration (RMA) in Singapore: Development of RMA Capability in Nanyang Technological University (NTU)
- Chapter 5.16: Research Management and Administration in Vietnam
- Australasia
- Chapter 5.17: The Emergence of the Research Management Profession in Australia
- Chapter 5.18: The Profession of Research Management and Administration in Aotearoa New Zealand
- Central and Eastern Europe
- Chapter 5.19: The Profession of Research Management and Administration in the Baltic Countries: Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania
- Chapter 5.20: RMA in Belarus: Not Yet a Full-Fledged Profession But an Important Part of R&D Activities
- Chapter 5.21: Research Management and Administration in Cyprus
- Chapter 5.22: The Profession of Research Management and Administration in Czechia
- Chapter 5.23: Research Management and Administration in Poland
- Chapter 5.24: The Profession of Research Management and Administration in Romania
- Chapter 5.25: Evolution of RMA in Slovenia
- Chapter 5.26: Research Management and Administration in the Western Balkans
- Western Europe
- Chapter 5.27: Areas of Research Management and Administration in Austria
- Chapter 5.28: The Profession of Research Management and Administration in Denmark
- Chapter 5.29: The Profession of Research Management and Administration in Finland
- Chapter 5.30: The Profession of Research Management and Administration in France
- Chapter 5.31: The Profession of Research Management and Administration in Germany
- Chapter 5.32: The Profession of Research Management and Administration in Iceland
- Chapter 5.33: The Profession of Research Management and Administration in Ireland
- Chapter 5.34: The Profession of Research Management and Administration in Italy
- Chapter 5.35: The Profession of Research Management and Administration in the Netherlands
- Chapter 5.36: The Profession of Research Management and Administration in Norway
- Chapter 5.37: The Profession of Research Management and Administration in Portugal
- Chapter 5.38: The Development of the RMA Profession in Catalonia (Spain)
- Chapter 5.39: The Profession of Research Management and Administration in Sweden
- Chapter 5.40: The Profession of Research Management and Administration in the UK
- Middle East
- Chapter 5.41: Research Management and Administration in Qatar
- Chapter 5.42: Research Management and Administration in Saudi Arabia: Transitioning From an Oil to a Knowledge-based Economy
- Chapter 5.43: Research Management and Administration: An Emerging Profession in the UAE
- Chapter 5.44: Reflections on Research Management and Administration in Various Countries Around the World
- Section 6: Reflections
- Chapter 6: Emerging Trends and Insights in Research Management and Administration
- Glossary
- References
- Index