Research administrators, the professionals who support research in Japan, gathered in Okinawa from all over the country

The 10th RMAN-J Annual Conference was held at OIST.

On October 16 and 17, 2024, the 10th RMAN-J Annual Conference, hosted by the Research Manager and Administrator Network Japan (RMAN-J), was held at the Okinawa Institute of Science and Technology (OIST).

RMAN-J was established on April, 2021, as an organization for “URAs” (University Research Administrators, or RAs) who are engaged in work such as promoting research resources, planning, and managing research activities, and promoting the utilization of research results at research organizations such as universities. (Its predecessor, the Research Administrator Association, was established on March, 2015.)

This conference is an opportunity for members of the network and those involved in research support work at universities to come together once a year. This year marks the 10th anniversary of the conference, and OIST was selected as the venue. Regarding the theme of the conference, “Diversity in its entirety - URAs as a driving force for the power of different backgrounds through the knowledge of diversity”, Assistant Manager of the OIST Grants Section, Yoshiteru Fujimatsu, who served as the conference organizer, explains, “These days, the role of URAs is expanding beyond research support to include research planning, management, and involvement in university management. Personnel with a variety of backgrounds and experiences are needed. With this in mind, I thought that OIST would be the perfect venue for discussing research administration while experiencing diversity."

This year's conference included 38 sessions, 10 oral presentations, 115 poster presentations, and 12 exhibition booths. These activities contributed to the skills development of participants and organizational strengthening, encompassing sessions on research institutions and URAs, strengthening and evaluation of research capabilities, and research project management. With 764 participants from over 100 institutions, this conference is one of the largest to date.

RMAN-J Annual Conference-Poster — The 10th RMAN-J Annual Conference had 115 poster sessions, with the venue filled with eager participants.

In the opening address, OIST President and CEO Karin Markides said, “We recognize the important role of URAs in advancing our mission to generate new knowledge and nurture leaders for society.” She welcomed the participants, saying, “I hope you will take the opportunity to interact with OIST staff and experience our campus environment during this conference. One of our roles is to disseminate and share our own best practices with other universities, so please feel free to suggest activities that you would like to work with us on.”

Makiko Takahashi, Professor at Kanazawa Institute of Technology and Vice Chair of the Research Manager and Administrator Network Japan (RMAN-J), looked back on the 10-year history of RMAN-J.

In the special session presented by the host institution, Jesper Koll, a member of OIST’s Board of Governors, gave a lecture titled “Ambitious Re-Imagination - Opportunities and Challenges for Japan.” Using substantial data, he presented an optimistic view of Japan as a country with its own unique competitive edge and significant potential, from the perspective of an international economist. He suggested whatchallenges Japanese universities and research institutions could in the future.

Jesper Koll, a member of OIST’s Board of Governors, speaking at the 10th RMAN-J Annual Conference.

Fujimatsu supports researchers at OIST in acquiring external funding and has been a member of the RMAN-J since 2015. “I am improving OIST's operations through exchanging opinions and sharing best practices with URAs at other institutions who perform similar work to acquire external funding, as well as networking with academic journal publishers. Thanks to these opportunities to update with the latest information and discuss the latest external funding successes, our work to acquire external funding is progressing smoothly,” he said.

“By having many URA members get to know OIST's excellent facilities and staff, we will further strengthen our ties with other universities and research institutions. Furthermore, I think our activities will lead to joint research and the application for and acquisition of external funding in collaboration with other institutions,” he added.

During the conference, the OIST campus was filled with 764 enthusiastic research administrators and related personnel who support and strengthen Japanese research.