The Conundrum of Managing Research and Development Projects: How Can Research Managers and Administrators Leverage Industry Practices in Project Management?

What is new? This short essay addresses the application of industrial project management practices to the field of research management and administration. Beyond specific project management frameworks and methodologies widely spread in industry contexts, it outlines a set of core tools and techniques that can effectively inform the development of research management activities in this area. What was the approach? Although there is no unique blueprint for ideal research project management approaches, best practices and useful guidelines and tools can be defined to help research managers and administrators fulfil their roles. These are systematized per major project management stage, based on a review of existing literature and the author´s experience with complex research projects. What is the academic impact? The paper summarizes relevant knowledge spread over the specialized project management literature. What is the wider impact? The heterogeneity of partners, strict funder regulations, work uncertainty, and the creative nature of research and development mean that project organization and management should reflect and accommodate these specificities. The findings presented in the paper can assist research managers and administrators in formulating appropriate management strategies for research and development projects, enabling them to make better-informed decisions based on the insights provided.