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Research administration as a profession is relatively new on the academic scene. Industrial and medical fields have a longer history of requiring the services of research administrators than has higher education. Even before World War II industry was involved in research that required services of specialized administrators and project managers. Since that time the federal government, through the mechanism of grants and contracts, supported an increasing amount of research in industry and health-related fields. Only in the last fifteen or twenty years has sponsored research become a major activity of higher education. The increase in research activities in industry, medical centers, research centers, and universities most supported by government agencies since World War II was the necessity for the "invention" of research administrators. Odd as it may seem, there are few if any formal academic programs for training professional administrators for the management of this expanded national research effort.
Professional societies such as the Society of Research Administrators and the National Council of University Research Administrators have not come to grips with the question of what is a professional research administrator. Perhaps it is nonsensical to spend much time seeking an answer because most research administrators already know what they do. The roles they play and the activities they engage in can be, and to a large extent have been identified. This provides a clue as to the answer to the title of this article.
No prescribed academic background or specific course of study exists for preparation of people to fill the role of research administrator. They come from all possible backgrounds and experiences in academia and the business world. Many were research oriented personnel who drifted into administration while others were trained as administrators who assumed roles as research administrators.
Although specific functions characterize what they do, there are many levels and categories related to the broad area of "research administration." They may hold titles that imply specific or general functions such as a grants/contract accountant or officer in a business office, a program/project/proposal developer, a program/project administrator, a government relations officer, a general administrator with responsibilities for various areas, a director of a research unit, a coordinator of research activities, a dean, or a vice president. They also perform at various levels...