ARMA Awards 2026: Shortlist for Innovation in Research Management

The Innovation in Research Management Award recognises an individual or team that has invented, modernised or transformed new or existing approaches to further and enhance their organisation’s work in the breadth of our professional areas. 

The Awards Working Group selected the following nominations for the shortlist: 

• Future Leaders Fellows Development Network team, University of Edinburgh 

Funders are increasingly engaging in partnerships with institutions to deliver on research operations and management. The Future Leaders Fellows Development Network (FLFDN) has been funded by UKRI since 2020 to provide leadership development to UKRI FLFs, but since 2023 has created a new programme of work to bring many of the resources of the Network to a wider audience. Having convinced UKRI of the value of a host engagement strategy, the FLFDN has created new materials, provided free training and conferences and worked in partnership with ARMA members to pass on our knowledge and bring wider benefits from our resources.   

• Carol Smee, Wellcome Sanger Institute 

Carol Smee from the Research Governance team at the Wellcome Sanger Institute, is nominated for Innovation in Research Management for leading the development of the Ethical Framework for Obtaining Materials from Sentient Animals. This innovative Framework addresses a long-standing gap in ethical guidance for sourcing animal materials beyond regulated laboratory settings. Developed collaboratively through a national, cross-sector working group, and published openly via UKRIO, it provides a practical, replicable model for ethical due diligence. The Framework promotes animal welfare, equity of opportunity, reduces ethical and organisational reputational risk, enhances research quality, and has influenced research management practice nationally and internationally.  

• Dr Kanza Basit, University of Oxford 

The nominee structurally reimagined research management using AI tools. Starting with a single custom GPT to demystify our University’s John Fell Fund, she has built a suite of tools that now sits behind funding decisions, REF planning and impact case study development across the academic division. These AI systems turn dense guidance, past REF data and live information on who does what into clear, tailored answers, even for the tricky individual questions that normally take weeks to resolve, and have the potential to become a model for research management across the sector.  

The winner of this year’s award will be announced on Wednesday 17 June as part of the ARMA Awards Ceremony. The Awards Ceremony will take place during the ARMA Conference Gala Dinner at the Harrogate Convention Centre. Registration is currently open for the annual conference and gala dinner.