Study on assessing the research management performance of framework programmes projects : final report

This study explores the variety of research management structures, roles, tasks, responsibilities, activities and styles in relation to research management performance (RMP) and project success in the FP6 and FP7 research funding programmes of the European Commission. The key findings indicate six enabling factors of high RMP. The effects on RMP and project success of six management styles have been studied. Interestingly, management tools do not appear to influence project success. In about one third of the projects, the composition of the consortium changes along the way. The Commission would do well to focus on personal interaction with Project Coordinators rather than the administrative side of projects and create more flexibility, if it wants to improve the success of FP projects. Also, currently offered EC-provided project management tools and matchmaking instruments should be critically reviewed, as these do not work as intended. Finally, the Commission is cautioned that current frameworks for intellectual property are out of sync with international standards, such as those of the WTO. We make recommendations to the Commission (for implementation in the Horizon 2020 programme) and to Project Coordinators. We also provide suggestions for further research based on the findings of this exploratory study.