An Updated Snapshot of the CRIS Landscape

Abstract

The Current Research Information System (CRIS) landscape is becoming increasingly complex. In the early days, CRIS systems were often seen as institutional assets, but by gradually realising the many benefits CRIS systems bring to the Research Management and Administration community for organising and supporting research in a more efficient manner, numerous stakeholders have now adopted more region-wide approaches to CRIS system operation. In fact, research information management practice often follows national frameworks, which in turn leads to the emergence of country-specific CRIS vendors and solutions. While it is still possible to provide a generic overview of the system solutions available, any international CRIS landscape description will often need to be fine-tuned for a specific geographic area. This trend may be even more acute in the area of research management and administration.

In February 2021 euroCRIS and EARMA organised a joint event on the overlap between research information management (RIM) and research management and administration (RMA). The former is the 'natural playground' for CRIS systems, but as discussed back then, RIM and RMA are actually a continuum in the research lifecycle and system solutions often cover areas from both domains.