The ERINN Innovation team had a wonderful week at the EARMA Annual Conference 2026 in Utrecht earlier this month, and we returned home feeling inspired, energised, and deeply connected to the research management community.
From engaging workshops and thought-provoking panel discussions to meaningful conversations with colleagues old and new, it’s clear that the EARMA community continues to grow year on year and is leading the way for the promotion of formal recognition for research managers.
Focused Knowledge Transfer and Impact Insights
Throughout the conference, there was strong interest in ERINN Innovation’s presentations and posters, with many attendees eager to continue discussions afterwards and exchange ideas on best practices in research support and proposal development. We were thrilled to have the opportunity to deliver two presentations across the two-day event.
ERINN Innovation Senior Project Manager Eva Greene presented on Optimising Research to Policy Impact, sharing insights from a contract with Ireland’s Environmental Protection Agency involving portfolio-wide engagement and transfer to policy, and reflected on the great discussions that emerged:
“So many lessons and learnings to share from working intensively as a knowledge broker in this space, but also through ERINN Innovation’s services on impact training, workshops, proposal reviews and partner roles. The interest from Research Managers and Support Officers in tackling these challenges is great to see and I look forward to further connecting and collaborating as we try to bridge these gaps.”
In his presentation, Designing Impact Pathways: A Workshop Approach for Research Managers, ERINN Innovation Executive Director Michael Papapetrou shared the methodology we use to run our Impact Pathway workshops, which generated huge interest from research managers across universities and research centres who were keen to understand and replicate the process within their own institutions.
A key takeaway from this session was the importance of creating a workshop environment where partners feel comfortable brainstorming openly and collaboratively. Rather than needing to have all the answers, research managers can play a far more valuable role by asking the right questions and helping unlock the untapped expertise present within a consortium.
Our Wider Presence
Beyond our own presentations, EARMA 2026 offered an exceptional programme filled with practical insights, strategic discussions, and inspiring examples of innovation across the research management profession. Our team noted that every room was full of engaged attendees and this really demonstrated how much the community has grown and how valuable the conversations at the EARMA conference are.
ERINN Innovation’s Pamela Cardillo and Tara Murphy both chaired sessions at the conference this year. Project Manager Pamela Cardillo chaired three sessions, with the TU Dublin session being particularly notable in terms of our own work. The session highlighted a strong example of best practice sharing in action, showcasing how tailored supports such as proposal reviews, webinars, EU Funding & Tenders Portal guidance, and Q&A sessions can significantly improve outcomes for applicants.
For Pamela, this was one of her highlights: “One of my personal highlights this year was being selected to chair sessions in the Beatrixzaal plenary. To say I was surprised would be an understatement. It definitely pushed me beyond my comfort zone, but I’m very glad I did it. It turned out to be a genuinely rewarding experience, and I had the privilege of introducing and learning from some incredibly inspiring speakers.”
Learning and Development Manager Tara Murphy also chaired three sessions and reflected on discussions surrounding how RM Comp is being utilised by research institutions across Europe as a tool to recognise and standardise research managers’ professional skills. Naturally, this also leads to its usage as a tool to consider and plan ongoing research manager professional development.
Tara notes: “In ERINN Innovation’s extensive experience working alongside research managers across Europe, each has a unique remit within a complex and varying workplace and the key to optimal engagement with RM Comp is the understanding that no individual will need to deliver all 50 competencies. Through our own training activities we recognise the value of broader capacity building approaches.”
A Welcome and Inspiring Community
For our team, what stood out most this year was the openness of the research management community, especially when discussing the growing political and funding instability affecting universities and research institutions globally. However, this was balanced by the shared ambition to increase resilience through robust networks and collaborative models and a genuine willingness to share best practices and help each other. More than ever, this feels like a time for our community to come together, support one another, and continue building sustainable and collaborative research environments.
EARMA conferences continue to provide an environment where knowledge sharing feels natural, collaboration is encouraged, and people are genuinely invested in helping one another succeed. While it was wonderful to reconnect with familiar faces, this year’s event also felt especially focused on building new relationships and expanding networks across Europe and beyond.
We left Utrecht feeling incredibly grateful to be part of such an inspiring and welcoming community and excited for the collaborations still to come.
Learn more about our services:
