REMAP

REMAP positions Universities of Applied Sciences (UAS) at the forefront of Europe’s research management transformation, directly addressing HORIZON-WIDERA-2025-06-ERA-01, Area 6, and contributing to ERA Action 17. UAS play a crucial role in applied, regionally embedded research and innovation. However, they remain significantly underrepresented in Research Manager and Administrator (RMA) networks — especially in widening countries, where institutional capacity, infrastructure, and support systems are often limited. Research managers (RM) are vital to sustaining long-term research capacity. In settings where leadership changes frequently and research teams are small, RM provide continuity, operational stability, and strategic insight. They enable projects to launch, partnerships to grow, and innovation to scale. Despite this, their roles are often undervalued, with inadequate staffing levels, limited institutional backing, and scarce opportunities for training or career progression. In UAS — typically operating with minimal RMA staffing — individual RM face disproportionate responsibility across the entire project lifecycle. This structural bottleneck restricts UAS access to competitive funding, the professionalisation of research management, and curbs innovation potential. REMAP introduces practical measures to overcome these limitations. It brings together six UAS (ViA, USTP, IPS, Jamk, Saxion and UPT) pioneering testbeds to co-create together with University Industry Innovation Network (UIIN) and with a support of EURASHE practical, scalable solutions: a dynamic Hub (embedded in ARENA), flexible training and mentorship pathways, and a strong policy-engagement framework to strengthen the capacity, recognition, and career development of RM. REMAP will valorise and embed this contribution through clear role definitions, tailored training, and policy measures that recognise research managers as essential stewards of UAS research ecosystems. Designed for transferability, REMAP’s outputs will complement and enrich existing RMA communities (CARDEA, EARMA), broaden inclusivity, and accelerate ERA-wide uptake of research management practices, delivering sustainable capacity building and lasting impact across the European Research Area, with a strong emphasis on widening participation.