Managers and administrators in research. BUT co-organized the CZARMA conference

This year’s theme of the CZARMA conference, co-organized by Brno University of Technology, focused on research managers and administrators as one of the key pillars supporting high-quality research. The conference, held under the auspices of the Czech Association of Research Managers and Administrators (CZARMA), took place on October 2 at the Faculty of Chemistry.

The main topics covered by the conference were the profession of research managers and administrators, the importance of their role, and the perspective of research institution leadership on these professions. The program included a panel discussion with representatives of research institution leadership, networking, and a poster session, where participants inspired each other by sharing their work. The conference also featured the third general meeting of the CZARMA association, which focused on the functioning of the association itself and its activities.

“It is clear that today’s research environment is undergoing significant changes, offering us many stimuli and opportunities that we need to respond to. These include greater support for researchers, particularly women, throughout their scientific careers, an emphasis on intellectual property protection and knowledge and technology transfer, research data management, and, last but not least, issues of research ethics, academic integrity, and research security. All these place new demands not only on researchers but also on research managers and administrators, whose comprehensive support is now indispensable for high-quality research,” said Martin Weiter, Vice-Rector for Research and Knowledge Transfer at Brno University of Technology.

On the day before the conference, attendees could also participate in roundtable discussions at the CEITEC BUT research center or join networking events at Platz in Brno. Informal discussions focused on science evaluation, career development and mobility, legal and financial issues, as well as communication and open science.

The Czech Association of Research Managers and Administrators (CZARMA) is a professional organization for managers and administrators working in the research sector. The association aims to serve as a platform for sharing experiences, know-how, and best practices among research administrators and managers at universities and other research organizations. It addresses a wide range of thematic areas, such as project or legal support, human resources, research ethics, and science communication.