Tallinn University Research Project Staff Deepen Expertise in Research Management at the University of Bologna
A group of eight project support staff from Tallinn University (TLÜ) concluded a successful two-day Erasmus+ Staff Mobility for Training visit to the Università di Bologna (UNIBO) in Italy, between October 27-28, 2025. The focus of this visit was learning more about Post-Award Research Development Support from each other's organisations. Staff compared operational structures, procedures and processes, shared best practices and discussed solutions for the complex challenges facing modern academic research administration and management especially when implementing projects. The TLÜ delegation, consisting of project coordinators and advisors from central support services and various schools across the university, were hosted by UNIBO’s dedicated Research Division (ARIC).
The first day consisted of a tour of the Rectorate area and then a presentation by Debora di Rocco from the International Relations Strategy Support Unit about the background to the university. Paola Ragazzini of the Research Division (ARIC) and Projects Coordination Unit then provided an in-depth insight into key functional areas, outlined key facts and figures, and UNIBO’s Governance and Thematic Strategic Boards (Gruppi Tematici di Ateneo - GTA) as part of its Strategic Plan. Paola introduced staff to the Research Managers Network at UNIBO as well as some of the international networks it belongs to (such as , , and the European Association of Research Managers and Administrators ()) outlining how they help to lobby and influence larger organisations such as the European Union. She also talked about the work of the Communication and Strategic Relations (CSR) team and their approach to promoting research activities, including communication tools such as the a bi-weekly newsletter in Italian and English and the .
On the second day, Marta Clementi, Marija Belicheva and Federico Di Persio outlined their work on the European Programmes and Project Unit (PPEU) detailing the post-award support they provide to UNIBO if they are a partner or a coordinator in a project such as Grant Agreement Preparation, Closure and Audit, training they offer and they explained their use of to provide a financial overviews of each project.
TLÜ's Project Support Staff provided an introduction to Tallinn University and an overview of its research landscape. They also gave an account of support services provided across schools including the ‘bottom-up’ Project Coordinators Network of nearly 50 project staff, initiated in 2023 by the Knowledge Transfer and Project Support office. There was also an overview of currently being offered to non academic and academic staff across the university.
A number of schools from Tallinn University then highlighted common administrative challenges when implementing projects, such as managing diverse funding streams and compliance requirements, navigating uneven workload and capacity gaps resulting from staff turnover, and improving coordination and communication consistency across departments. Each school also highlighted the tools they used in their everyday work and provided a picture of their school in terms of staff and research activity.
Sara Colombo from the FILO Department (Philosophy) showcased the success of UNIBO’s Research Manager (RM) Network, emphasising its ‘bottom-up’ origins and evolution since 2019. This network facilitates training, shares good practices, and utilises various tools (Teams, IRIS-AP, IN-TIME) for comprehensive research administration.
Mario Marino, one of four of UNIBO's Data Stewards, highlighted the university's commitment to FAIR (Findable, Accessible, Interoperable, Reusable) data and Open Science principles. The presentation and discussion covered the new Data Steward role which supports researchers and administrative staff and the ongoing development of Research Data Management (RDM) policies and training to institutionalise a new data culture at UNIBO.
Finally, Silvia Moisè and Marinella Pugliese from the Strategic Agreements and Partnerships for Research (APS) division provided an overview of their role in legal review, negotiation, and monitoring of complex research agreements, including Consortium Agreements (CA) and Grant Agreements (GA) as well providing some very valuable advice when implementing lump sum projects.
The Erasmus+ visit was a fantastic opportunity to learn about post-award support at each university and establish and build professional connections into the future. The team from Tallinn University would like to extend their very warm thanks and greetings to our UNIBO colleagues for a very rich educational visit, exchange of ideas and views as well as for hosting us so wonderfully.