Background

Alongside effective management of research-related information, the growing trend of open-access publishing and the curation of institutional research outputs metadata prompts the need for a contemporary research information management solution that drives research impact and strategic decisions.

To identify project requirements and recommend fit-for-purpose solutions for the University, a Project Steering Committee was formed in January 2022. Subsequently, a Project Management Group was established to review the best practices of sister institutions, evaluate available solutions on the market and prioritise user requirements.

Respective groups of stakeholders and key users (Faculties, Departments and central administrative units) were consulted (open forums and surveys); and invited to evaluate the vendor proposals. In fall 2023, Elsevier’s Pure Research Information Management System was selected as the platform to implement the University’s new Institutional Research Information System (IRIS).

IRIS’s soft launch is targeted for January 2025 and will replace the research output module of the existing Academic Information Management System (AIMS).