The Development of Research: Challenges and Opportunities for International Relation Offices IO

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The Development of Research Challenges and
Opportunities for International Relation Offices
(IO)
CATEDRA EUROPA 2008 Uninorte, Barranquilla, Colomb
ia
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INDEX

• The researcher-administrator relationship(the
  view of an international relations officer)

• Possible Reasons why researchers do not seek IO
  assistance

• The necessity to improve the researcher-administra
  tor relationship

• Ways to improve cooperation between researchers
  and IOs?- Define the areas of cooperation-
  Define the role of the IO

• Suggested Structure of an IO

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The Researcher-AdministratorRelationship
ADMINISTRA-TION (IO)
RESEARCH
Academic Freedom
Rules (bureaucracy)
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IO assistance is not needed, because ... (Slide1)

• Research plays only a minor role in an institution

• International research co-operation has no
  priority

• Research funds are easily available

• Researchers love to administrate their own
  programmes ...

• because they have enough time to deal with
  everything.

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IO Assistance is not Neededbecause .... (Slide 2)

• Researchers are often individualists, not
  team-players

• Researchers fear to get suffocated by
  administrative rules

• Great minds think alike but researchers and
  administrators do not

• Researchers do not know how an IO can assist them.

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Food for Thought ....
1. You will probably agree that all statments on
SLIDE 1 are a bit far fetched. The importance
of international research cooperation has
increased in all institutions, globalisation has
lead to more world-wide competition, institutions
depend to a high degree on external funds,
applications for external funds require a high
degree of scientific and administrative
competence, and the administration of external
funds is expert work for which researchers
should not spend too much of their time.
Consequence Cooperation is a MUST!
2. However, the statements on SLIDE 2 are very
often true. The problems mentioned there describe
fields where IOs have to take initiatives.
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The Ideal Researcher - Administrator Relationship
ADMINISTRA-TION (IO)
academic freedom
transparent rules (instead of beaurocracy)
RESEARCH
collaboration
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Ways to Improve Cooperation Between Researchers
and IOs First Steps
The fact that researchers are very often
individualists does not mean that you cannot
cooperate in meaningful ways
If researchers accept that your work supports
their projects in meaningful ways and improves
the overall quality they will cooperate
First steps

• Define areas of cooperation

• Define how you intend act (your role)

• Define ways to communicate this

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Define Areas of Cooperation(IO Researchers)
(1) Information Retrieval - external/internal
funds - country specific (eg. visa) - other
matters
(2) Networking - partnerships - alumni - joint
programmes - off shore activities - EAIE,
NAFSA, etc.
RESEARCH
(4) Other Areas - social matters (eg. housing) -
language learning - intercultural training -
homepage data banks - campus security
(3) Financing Intl. Progr. - programme
application - programme administration -
subsidiary university funds
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Example 1 Information Retrieval
http//www.icdaadcolombia.org/pages/investigacion.
html
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Example 2 Networking
http//www.eaie.nl/antwerp/
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Example 3 Financing
http//ec.europa.eu/research/
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Example 4 Other Services
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Define the Role of Your IO

• Service

• Communicaton

• Mediaton

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Example Service
All matters regarding the scientific content of
a project or application have to be dealt with by
the researcher.
Projects and applications need to follow
administrative rules ( regulations) which are
not part of the scientific content financial
regulations, formal correctness etc.). To ensure
this can be a service of the IO for the
departments.
Regulations
Scientific Content
Support structure
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Example Service
Agreement  on scientific co-operation
between  the Department of ..., Faculty of ...,
... University, ...  and  the Department of ...,
Johannes Gutenberg-Universität Mainz /
Germany   In order to promote scholarly and
cultural co-operation, the Department of ...,
Faculty of ..., .... University, and the
Department of ..., Johannes Gutenberg-Universität,
hereby agree upon co-operating directly as
follows 
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What is Meant by Mediaton?
Very often researchers need to involve the
Administraion, e.g. the Finance Department or the
Admissions Office
If communication problems occur between
administrators and researcher(s) you could act as
a mediator

• This implies
• to ask the researcher which specific problem
  he/she would like to have solved
• to discuss this problem with colleagues in the
  administration (translate)
• Feedback to the researcher (translate back)

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What is Meant by Communication?

• Individual talks (contact researchers, research
  groups)

• Workshops for researchers

• Web pages of IO

• Newsletters, Flyers

• Intranet discussion forum

• Involvement of Departmental Councils, the
  University Senate

• Involvement of the Head of your Institution

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Example Homepage
Make sure that international affairs are visible
on your institutions homepage
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Example Flyers
http//www.daad.de/deutschland/service/literaturti
pps/04704.de.html
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Suggested Structure of an IO
Communication, Networking
Mediation
Unit 1 Organisation of Mobility -
Outgoing - Incoming
Unit 2 Services for Students and Scientists
Unit 3 Project and Programme Administration
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Staff Structure of an IO
Communication, Networking (Director of IO)
Mediation (Director of IO)
Unit 1 Organisation of Mobility Senior
AO (Academic) Aos (Non-Academic) Secreterial
Staff
Unit 3Project and Programme
Administration Senior AO Academic) Aos
(Non-Academic) Secreterial Staff
Unit 2 Services for Students and
Scientists Senior AO Academic) Aos
(Non-Academic) Secreterial Staff
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CONTACT

• THANK YOU
• Rainer Henkel-von Klass
• International Office
• University of Mainz
• D-55099 Mainz
• Tel. [phone]
• Fax [phone]
• Email rainer.henkel_at_verwaltung.uni-mainz.de