ARMA Awards 2026: Shortlist for Research Management Team of the Year

The Research Management Team of the Year Award celebrates a research management team of any shape, size and/or scope that has succeeded in working as a robust, cohesive and effective unit, resulting in a significant positive impact on their organisation’s research endeavours, within or beyond the organisation. 

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

• Research Support Office: Bath Spa University 

Bath Spa University’s Research Support Office exemplifies joined-up research management that transforms culture and strengthens institutional success. Managing 70–100 grants annually, we’ve lifted financial recovery by 20–30% and harmonised pre-award, post-award, governance, and impact for seamless delivery. We launched AHRC’s Impact Accelerator, delivered UKRI’s £2.9m StoryArcs, and secured Wellcome’s £1m We Are The People. We modernised integrity training, rolled out safeguarding, and boosted ethical GenAI confidence by 27%. As a small team achieving national influence, we set a benchmark for agile, inclusive, and replicable practice – meeting ARMA’s criteria for partnership, integration, and responsiveness.   

• Research Management Team: Ulster University   

Ulster University’s Research Management team led a coordinated, strategic approach to the PEACE PLUS programme, overseeing over 20 research projects and leading on 7 consortia worth £115M. Fragmented processes were addressed by creating a unified framework that strengthened efficiency, compliance, and communication across all Faculties. Through fortnightly cross-functional meetings, shared repositories, standardised agreements, we enhanced collaboration and knowledge sharing. Proactive engagement with the Special EU Programmes Body (SEUPB) streamlined claims, reduced administrative burden, and safeguarded compliance. This work maximises grant/overhead recovery while reinforcing Ulster’s reputation as a trusted partner. By aligning people, processes, and partnerships, the team set a new benchmark for research management excellence.   

• Research and Innovation Services: University of Durham   

Durham University’s Research and Innovation Services (RIS) is a high-performing team enabling world-class research and knowledge exchange. Despite sector-wide challenges and reduced staffing, RIS delivered exceptional results in 2024/25: supporting £0.5bn in research grant applications, securing a 24% increase in awards, and meeting challenging research income targets. Highlights include, securing the university’s first Leverhulme Research Centre and winning Research England funding to support research-led business creation in our region. RIS also delivered extensive training and modernised processes, exemplifying resilience, collaboration, and innovation. This cohesive team has made a substantial, measurable impact on Durham’s research success. 

• Research Support Team: Cardiff Business School, University of Cardiff   

The Research Support Team based in the Cardiff Business School has delivered integrated, scalable innovations that are transforming research management at Cardiff University. The team developed a Microsoft Lists Esteem Tracker to capture research activity for REF2029, promotions and performance reviews, and a streamlined Microsoft Form that improves the efficiency and quality of pre-award information gathering for Worktribe costing. Multiple Schools have adopted these initiatives through University-wide showcase and training. The Research Administrators Forum (RAF), chaired by Andrew Emery, fosters a strong professional community of over 100 research support staff per session through shared learning, system updates and ARMA updates.   

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.