Voluntary Service Recognition Awards

EARMA recognises the exceptional contributions of its members towards the Association's activities through Voluntary Service Recognition Awards (VSRs). The VSRs celebrate the efforts members invest in improving EARMA for the benefit of the entire research ecosystem.

The purpose of the VSR awards is to acknowledge and appreciate the significant contributions made by EARMA members towards EARMA-related activities such as contributing to EARMA events or initiating and maintaining EARMA’s special interest groups. The awards also recognise the extraordinary efforts put in by members towards improving the research management and administration profession.

Any EARMA member can nominate an eligible candidate for the VSR Award. Nominations are invited from all members of the EARMA community, including national and international RMA associations/networks. Nominations by EARMA Committees and Special Interest groups are especially welcomed. 

Two awards of €500 each are usually made each year at the discretion of the EARMA Board. The awards are presented in the form of a financial contribution towards recipients’ attendance at the awards ceremony during the EARMA Annual Conference.

To be eligible for the VSR Award, nominees must be proposed by no less than two members of the EARMA community, one proposer and one seconder. Both the nominees and the proposer/seconder must have a minimum of two years’ experience in the research management and administration profession. Nominees and the proposer/seconder must be members of EARMA in good standing and have been so for at least the previous membership year.

Board and Awards Committee members are ineligible to receive the VSR and remain ineligible for three years after the end of their term. Nominees need not be involved in the application process.

Nominations need to be clearly written and present a well-reasoned case for their choice of nominee. The nomination itself is comprised of two written references that set out a clear case for the nomination and make concrete references to the nominee’s activities, achievements and relevance to the overall objectives of the VSR award as stated above.

All nominations must be received by the EARMA secretariat by 17:00 CET on March 21, 2023. All nominations received by that time will be forwarded to the Chair of the Awards Committee, who will guarantee inclusion in the evaluation process. Each nomination received in time will be evaluated by the EARMA Awards Committee, which will make recommendations to the EARMA Board. The awardee will receive a written notification and will be invited to the EARMA Conference 2023 in Prague via the EARMA executive office.

Read the full details of the award.