Conference

Leiden Research Support Network Conference 2024

Date: Monday 10 June 2024
Time: 08:45 - 18:00 hour
Address: Scheltema, Leiden
Marktsteeg 1
2312 CS Leiden

Join us at the fourth Leiden Research Support Network Conference!

As a reseach support professional, this conference is your opportunity to connect with peers, share knowledge, and learn about the latest trends in research support under the theme: Connectors and collaborators - The evolving role of professional staff in research.

Registration is now closed

Are you working in research support and want to participate? Send an email to lrs@bb.leidenuniv.nl

Programme

9:00 - 9:30: Welcome and registration
9:30 - 10:00: Opening by Keynote Dr Stefan de Jong
10:00 - 10:45: Panel discussion moderated by Sicco de Knecht
10:45 - 11:15: Break
11:15 - 12:45: Workshops round 1
12:45 - 13:45: Lunch
13:45 - 15:15: Workshops round 2
15:15 - 15:30: Short break
15:30 - 16:45: Workshops round 3
16:45 - 18:00: Networking drinks, where connections flourish and ideas spark!

The conference will kick-off with a keynote by Dr Stefan de Jong, a scholar with a rich background in academic research support. Stefan used to work as an impact- and grant adviser at Leiden University. Currently, he is an assistant professor at the Department of Public Administration and Sociology of Erasmus University Rotterdam. In 2023 he concluded a Marie Curie-Sklodowska Fellowship at the University of Chicago on the contribution of professional staff to academic knowledge production.

In his talk Stefan will shed light on the invisible forces in universities and elaborate on how his term ‘professional staff’ describes an important group of these invisible forces. He will discuss trends in research on professional staff and share his insights on how they enable research by connecting researchers to each other and society.

The keynote will be followed by a stimulating panel discussion on the topic: "Connectors and collaborators - The evolving role of professional staff in research support".

The panel will be joined by Dr. Stefan de Jong and four researchers and research support professionals from Leiden University: Prof. Sandra Groeneveld (Professor in Public Management, FGGA), Myrte Vos (Policy Officer Research Data, FGW), Dr. Lotte van Dillen (Associate Professor Social, Economic and Organizational Psychology, FSW) and Dr. Anna Coyajee-van Rietschoten (Senior Grant Advisor - Grant Development Office). This discussion will be kindly moderated by Sicco de Knecht (Head of research policy - SAZ).

This year’s conference will feature a continuous programme during the coffee & lunch breaks. This will include information stands showcasing our six active communities within the network and other interesting projects related to research support. We will also provide a follow-up on the network feedback we received in 2023. This is a great chance to see how your input is shaping our network and share your ideas on the next steps. Moreover, you are invited to engage and exchange with colleagues via a peer2peer learning board.

Workshops round 1 | 11:15 - 12:45

Commenting on the work or plans of others is part of your daily work. The ability to provide feedback, sometimes say ‘no’ while maintaining positive relationships is a crucial skill. This workshop is designed to equip participants with insights and communicative strategies for effective professional conversations.  

Collaboration relates to aspects such as assertiveness, feedback, clear expectations, providing framework and space (competencies of Leiden University Leadership). We will delve into the nuances of binding and non-binding feedback, acquire insights into how to structure feedback and responses in a manner that is assertive and affirming, contributing to the maintenance of a positive professional relationship. 

Facilitator: Gerdine Kuggeleijn

Please note this workhop has a maximum of 25 participants.

Join us for an interactive workshop designed to introduce and explore the new Research Management-tooling for Grants and Research Projects. This session is structured to provide a comprehensive understanding of the tool, its functionalities, and how it can be utilized for effective management of grants and research projects.

The workshop will kick off with an introduction providing a brief overview of the Research Management Tool project, its roadmap, current status, and functionalities. Following the introduction, a representative of the software provider Vidatum will conduct a demonstration of the tool’s features and functionalities, showcasing how it can be used for managing grants and research projects. After that there will be a Q&A and an interactive feedback session where you can ask your questions and share your thoughts about the tool.

In this workshop we will explore the impact of the shift to lump sum funding in the EU’s Horizon Europe programme, which is expanding to the ERC as well. Topics of interest are: 

Preparing a proposal: is their an increased workload during the application stage? What are good strategies to manage detailed project planning, making the budget and make choices on partner selection? 
Post award management: is the agreement and kick-off phase, as well as reporting easier or harder? What is a good strategy to stay on top of the project? 
How can we as support staff from the different domains and with separate roles (project control, grant advisor, project manager, etc) collaborate optimally to develop lump sum funded projects that will run smoothly?

Speakers: Chris Flinterman (grant advisor FGW), Rogier Strijk (Coordinator Projectcontrol), Geerte Slappendel (project manager UMCU)

Workshops round 2 | 13:45 - 15:15

You will learn more about stakeholder management based on real cases. The session will help you with managing the stakeholders of the projects that you lead. This results in delivering more value that is supported by the entire group of stakeholders. During this workshop you will map out the dynamics that play a role in your situation. Based on your own practical examples, you make a stakeholder analysis and determine a stakeholder strategy. You will get insights about how to apply your personal strategy to unite the interests of stakeholders, remove resistance and successfully implement your plans.

The target group of this workshop are research support professionals who have to deal with multiple stakeholders in their role or position and want to get them involved in order to achieve the desired results together. This workshop is ideally suited for Project Managers, Project Leaders, but also for professionals who work across different institutions and deal with an organization in motion.

Speaker: Nieke Campagne

Please note this workhop has a maximum of 20 participants.

'Kennisveiligheid' (knowledge security) sits at the intersection of research data management, scientific ethics and integrity, and security. Where knowledge security dilemmas arise, there is tension between researchers' academic freedom, and what the university can reasonably and safely accommodate – preventing for example undesirable knowledge transfer, interference with academic education or research, or ethics/research integrity breaches. How do we balance these things, and who decides? Research support staff are often the first to advise, but what should we look out for? Who is responsible for what? In this session, we aim to increase knowledge of the topic through a short presentation by Knowledge Security Coordinator Angelique Tukker and FWN policy advisor José Kiss and to learn from each other’s experiences through interactive discussions of case studies.

Speakers: Angelique Tukker and José Kiss

Join this dynamic and fast-paced opportunity to connect with fellow LRSN peers. In the first part participants will be devided into pairs, with each pair having 5 minutes to introduce themselves, share their roles, and discuss their areas of expertise. A bell will signal the end of each round, and participants will rotate to meet a new colleague.

The second part will continue in small groups of 3-4, engaging participants to choose from a list of qestions related to research support to guide their discussions and learn more about each other.

Facilitator: Eugenia van Engelenhoven

Please note this workhop has a maximum of 20 participants.

Workshops round 3 | 15:30 - 16:45

Do you make yourself unnecessarily small in some conversations? Or maybe you unintentionally dominate the other person. Being able to communicate on an equal level is important in all collaborations, despite differences in (formal) position or personality. Even though we are all different, there is a lot you can do to establish equality in communication.  

This workshop provides you with insights into the different power dynamics in conversations and your personal tendencies and with practical handles for you to promote an equal relationship with conversation partners in professional contexts. 

Facilitator: Gerdine Kuggeleijn

Please note this workhop has a maximum of 25 participants.

Leiden University and LUMC are successful in obtaining large collaborative grants either as coordinating party or as consortium partner, such as National Growth Fund and Gravitation (Zwaartekracht). In these projects, many universities, UMCs, other knowledge institutions and/or companies work together in different scientific disciplines towards a common research goal. The project management of such large collaborative projects poses new challenges compared to small-scale projects.

In this workshop, we will share and discuss our experiences in setting up and working in collaborative projects (such as governance, consortium agreements, IP, finances, state aid, data management, communication) with each other. Based on this discussion, we will formulate best practices.

Facilitators: Jeannette de Wolf, Gitty Petit (LU) & Danijela Koppers-Lalic (LUMC)

Who’s organising this event?

This event is organised by the Leiden Research Support Network. The network is for all research support professionals working at Leiden University. Within the network, research support professionals from different domains exchange knowledge and experiences, and work together to answer (complex) questions from researchers. Questions? Please contact: lrs@bb.leidenuniv.nl.

leiden research support network