SmartSimple Debuts RMS 360° at the Informative 2012 ARMA Conference

Recently, SmartSimple was an attendee and exhibitor at the informative 2012 ARMA Conference in Southhampton, England. ARMA (the professional association for research managers and administrators in the UK) is an indispensable association which encourages professional development and networking in the realm of research administration. Members of the association—who work in universities, funding bodies, the NHS and independent research organizations—came together for the annual conference to network, gain insight about recent developments and exchange pertinent knowledge.

Over 400 colleagues from across the UK and around the globe attended the informative 3-day event, which included plenary presentations, workshop sessions, discussions with sponsors and exhibitors, and a gala dinner. Each event contributed to this year’s theme of ‘Making a Difference’—an appropriate topic, as research continues to be identified as the essential link to rebuilding the economy. The conference provided an opportunity for administrators to discuss the existing challenges and potential solutions facing the research sector’s role in improving the economic situation.

In addition to discussion, there was a poster showing which highlighted individual initiatives like equipment sharing and the Research Management and Administration System (RMAS). RMAS is an initiative launched by several UK universities to provide a procurement framework for research management and administrative systems. The project—headed by University of Exeter, University of Kent and University of Sunderland—has estimated that streamlining processes and removing inefficiencies will result in time and cost savings of between 10%-20%.

SmartSimple is proud to be a qualified vendor in 7 of the 9 lots provided by RMAS:

• Workflow
• Electronic document management
• Customer relationship management
• Academic expertise
• Proposal management
• Post award management
• Outcomes and outputs

As an exhibitor, SmartSimple contributed to the conference by demoing RMS 360°, a full research management system based on the RMAS framework. The platform enables researchers and administrators to manage all of their processes from within a single solution, as SmartSimple is the only platform in 7 Lots to offer an integrated product that ensures all components work together seamlessly.

Because RMS 360° is fully integrated, users benefit from a reduced learning curve, and institutions avoid dealing with complex contracts and expensive fees. The platform also belongs to SmartSimple, allowing clients to provide direct input towards enhancing the underlying technology, and the easily modifiable point-and-click configuration provides a level of authenticity that is unparalleled, especially as it adapts to meeting evolving needs. SmartSimple is also as secure as it is flexible—multiple deployment and hosting options are available (SaaS, dedicated SaaS or internal hosted cloud solutions) and information is always stored in a highly secure and regulated environment.

https://www.arma.ac.uk/
http://www.smartsimple.com/research-management-software.html