How much time do researchers at your organisation invest in carrying out repetitive, administrative tasks before submitting a research grant application? The more time it takes to perform simple tasks seeking approvals and reviews, the less time is available for essential research endeavours.
A researcher’s journey is longer than it appears. It demands the completion of numerous tasks, including but not limited to conducting experiments, analysing data, collating reports, and much more before they can finally deliver the desired result. These are responsibilities that require a researcher’s undivided attention and focus, resulting in the discovery of innovative solutions to the issues existing within our society.
“The journey of one thousand miles begins with a single step,” as rightly said by philosopher Laozi. With that stated, conducting research is nothing less than embarking on a thousand-mile journey. So how can research organisations simplify this journey for their researchers? Implementing an advanced research management system would be a straightforward answer to this question.
A research management system, also known as an RMS, is an end-to-end solution developed for research organisations to assist with all of their research-related tasks throughout the grant lifecycle, right from the stage they submit their grant application until the time the funds are approved, and the grant is closed out. An excellent electronic research management system enables research organisations to modernise their working methods and manage multiple aspects under a single system rather than being dependent on several separate systems.
Why your organisation needs one?
Technology is evolving at a lightning speed and organisations all around the world are embracing unique solutions and their broad applicability. Similarly, a lot has changed in the research landscape, with research organisations abandoning traditional methods in favour of modern solutions such as the research management systems developed explicitly for their ease of use and increased efficiency.
While there are quite a few research organisations and higher education institutions who have effectively integrated technology in their daily operations and are reaping its benefits, there still exists a number of organisations that manage their research lifecycle using antiquated techniques and it is not far when such organisations that are still using their legacy systems would be compelled to embrace modern solutions for managing their research lifecycle.
As a research organisation you must be aware of some of the most common reasons why organisations may be forced to implement research management systems in the coming future:
- Increased frustration amongst researchers due to the use of multiple systems,
- Increased inconsistencies and extensive hours spent performing and correcting simple tasks,
- Losing out on funding to competitors as a result of inaccurate or low-quality reporting,
- Change in government regulations i.e., government mandating the use of electronic systems for managing the research lifecycle,
- Funders consider the research organisations working style to be archaic and incompatible.
Regardless of whether the implementation is driven as a result of an internal or an external force, being proactive and getting an effective solution implemented for your organisation would prove to be beneficial for the future.
Top considerations when investing in an RMS:
Before agreeing on any research management solution for your organisation it is important for you to obtain answers to some of the most critical questions like: is the research management system user-friendly? Will the system integrate well with the existing apps and systems important to your organisation? And finally, if the system will successfully cater to your current as well as future needs?
With a wide variety of research management systems to choose from today, finalising on a single system can seem overwhelming for organisations. While it all boils down to what your needs are and what purpose you are looking to fulfill by implementing an RMS there exists some considerations which can assist you in your buying journey.
Below we have compiled a list of top considerations that you may use as a starting point when evaluating different research management systems available on the market.
- while the cost involved in implementing an RMS is an important factor to consider it is essential not to choose a system only because it seems cheap on the face of it as it may not have all the features your organisation needs and adding additional features may turn out to be costly at a later date,
- ensure you have the freedom to tailor the system as per your organisation’s unique needs,
- ensure the system is easy to learn and adopt, and is based on industry best practices,
- ensure the vendor facilitates onboarding and migration as well as provides training and support as required,
- partner with a vendor who is open to and incorporates feedback, and ensures they improve and optimise the system on a regular basis for better performance and user experience,
A secure, electronic research management system can revolutionise the way you work and seamlessly assist in leveling up productivity and efficiency within your organisation, but you can only achieve this if you are aware of the exact challenge you need to overcome. Thus, moving forward it is recommended research institutions identify the gaps in their current systems and processes and entirely understand the problem before attempting to solve it.
Benefits of implementing an RMS:
Managing the funds received from grantors and conducting research in a responsible manner are top priorities for universities and research organisations undertaking research as it carries a direct impact on their reputation and credibility, and so implementing a modern research management system can make this journey far smoother for them compared to when using outdated systems.
Let’s look at how an advanced electronic research management system (RMS) can benefit universities and research organisations.
- A cloud-based research management system will centralise your data and give you the freedom to access it anytime anywhere,
- Modern research management systems provide high level security to your data by embedding and enabling features like access control, single-sign-on, and multifactor authentication to ensure the data and decision-making is restricted to authorised users,
- Enables researchers to easily produce ready to share or export real-time reports,
- Allows you to integrate a range of financial, human resource and document management systems,
- Demonstrate to funders the use of modern technology for managing the research lifecycle and stay ahead of your competitors,
- Reduces administrative burden granting researchers a significant amount of extra time to focus on the revolutionary work they are primarily responsible for,
- Receive guaranteed customer service, training, and support from a dedicated team of professionals,
- Gain a real-time visibility into your entire research program.
The advantages associated with deploying a research management system are endless, however, some of the most prominent benefits highlighted above will help you understand why an increasing number of research organisations are making the switch towards implementing these modern systems.
Manage your Research effectively With OmniStar:
Using discrete systems when managing research, results in nothing but frustration for the researchers.
If you want to be competitive, it is critical that you recognise and promote your research potential and impact. The tremendous advancement in research management technologies has resulted in the development of an exceptional system, such as the OmniStar Research, to free you from all the repetitive, administrative tasks and other research management hassles.
The OmniStar research management system is one that can transform the way your organisation operates. Renowned universities, hospitals and research organisations within Australia place a high level of trust in OmniStar because of its ability to simplify and automate core processes every step of the way.
Get in touch with an OmniStar expert today to discover how you can work smartly with a fully flexible research management solution.
