Research Information Management Systems: covering the whole research lifecycle

Abstract

Since the joint EUNIS/euroCRIS CRIS/IR survey report was published in 2016, Current Research Information Systems (CRISs) have become even more widely implemented at institutions and in countries all over the world. These platforms traditionally serve a double purpose: as tools to showcase the research activity conducted within its walls and as internal databases to enable evidence-based decision-making processes. Increasingly, they also act as a reliable and comprehensive information source for external systems and services. This text provides a snapshot of the current CRIS landscape – with an emphasis on Europe – and summarises the various ways CRISs are currently used as well as introduces new emerging uses and scenarios. Special attention is paid to the ever-growing number of national and regional CRIS platforms, which are increasingly seen as valuable research information collection systems for the analysis of the strengths and weaknesses of research in specific geographies.