Mission, Vision, History & Objectives

The association aims to support Research Managers and Administrators in their profession, specifically and in a broad sense

 

Mission

The mission of ARMA-NL is to support Research Managers & Administrators (RMAs) in the Netherlands in their profession by providing a network, stimulating development, gaining as well as sharing knowledge and representing our members. ARMA-NL is open for any individual with a role in the support, administration, and management of research, who is seeking to increase or improve their skills, expertise, and network with other RMA-professionals within The Netherlands and also internationally.
 

Vision

ARMA-NL aims to enhance excellent research and innovation in the Netherlands, by supporting its members in their profession as Research Manager and/or Administrator, specifically and in a broad sense. ARMA-NL offers a network and platform for the exchange of expertise, knowledge, and experiences and will develop into a centre of expertise. ARMA-NL strives to be a vibrant and accessible association that represents the interests of its community. We really encourage our members to take an active role in the association to contribute to the RMA professional development and network.
Our motto is “an association for and by its members”.

History

ARMA-NL originates from the EU Project Managers network in the Netherlands (EUPMAN). In 2007, six project managers came together to discuss and compare the various tasks in managing EU collaborative projects and the communication they had with their EC Project Officers in Brussels. A year later, the first bigger meeting was organised. Every year two physical meetings were organised, kindly made possible by host institutions. No money or bank account was available to organise or pay for even little things like a flower or gifts for presenters. After 10 years of growth, ARMA-NL was initiated as a professional association with a network of over 500 members. We now have around 300 paying members and a big RMA network.
First, the main focus was on people involved in and working on European and (inter-) nationally funded research, innovation, and education projects. The scope of RMAs is much broader, since research becomes more and more complex, think of ethics, data management, Responsible Research and Innovation, dual use, knowledge safety, recognition & reward, etc. Excellent research needs excellent research support. ARMA-NL invests in the professionalization of the research support community. 

Our current articles of association state that ‘the association aims to support Research Managers and Administrators (RMAs) in their profession, specifically and in a broad sense’. Thus for all professionals supporting excellent research and innovation. They are the leadership, management and/or support of research and innovation activities.

ARMA-NL is in close collaboration with the European Association of Research Managers and Administrators (EARMA), which represents the community in Europe, and the global community as member of the International Network of Research Management Societies (INORMS).

Strategy

The association promotes professional practice by offering a meeting place and knowledge network for its members. In addition, the association wishes to represent the interests of the members in the economic and social field. One of the objectives of the association is to strive for more recognition and appreciation of the specialism. It does this by pursuing the objectives below.

Objectives

1) PROVIDING A PROFESSIONAL NETWORK

The association offers its members the opportunity to build a strong collegial network that is essential for professional practice. For this purpose the association organizes digital and face-to-face meetings, conferences and networking events. In addition, an accessible and intuitive digital platform is provided for online interaction between members. Interaction with and between members online or in person is a core value of the association.

2) GAINING AND SHARING KNOWLEDGE

The core of the association is the active interaction through meeting each other, through the professional development, but especially through sharing and gaining knowledge with and from each other. Together we are stronger. By continuously improving the knowledge and skills within our community, the association will grow into an expertise centre. Content-driven work groups facilitate the sharing and building of knowledge that is shared with the other members. The development of the expertise centre can ultimately lead to requests for advice from external parties and requests for the development of new knowledge and expertise.

3) STIMULATE PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT

ARMA-NL wants to contribute to professional growth in the field and to ensure better position of its members in the labour market, for example through training courses and workshops. ARMA-NL wants to develop and offer targeted and specific training courses, provide an overview of (tested) externally organized training courses and develop a mentoring program for the personal growth and development of its members.

4) REPRESENTING THE MEMBERS

ARMA-NL wants to stand up for the interests of its members and to contribute to the recognition of the RMA profession. ARMA-NL feels involved in the European and national research and innovation agenda and would like to present itself as a community with experienced research and innovation support experts being a valuable discussion partner for policy makers, R&I organisations and decision-makers.

Endorsed Statements

Hiroshima Statement

At the INORMS International Congress in May 2021, the Hiroshima Statement was formally signed by members of the INORMS Council. An initiative led by RMAN-J, the Research Manager and Administrator Network Japan, the Statement enshrines a set of 5 principles and responsibilities common to the collective memberships of INORMS member associations.

Botswana Statement

The Botswana Statement is a policy document, with a call for investment in, the recognition of, and a career framework for, professional research managers and administrators globally. The statement was endorsed by the INORMS Council at its meeting 23 April 2024. By endorsing the statement, ARMA-NL contributes to the global need for recognition of the profession and the further global visibility of the RM community. The proposal was initiated as a result of the INORMS 2023 conference in Africa. It forms a natural step forward for INORMS, where the 2021 Hiroshima Statement was the first joint leap forward. Now, a foundation for moving forward towards the formulation of an internationally recognized career framework for research and managers has been laid. ARMA-NL is part of the international Network of Research Management Societies (INORMS).