Research services have become more complex over time.
Many teams today support a wide range of funding types, from national grants to large EU programs such as Horizon Europe, as well as applications with specific compliance requirements in the US. At the same time, the way the work is managed has often remained the same.
A growing need for overview
It is still common to rely on spreadsheets and shared documents to keep track of applications, deadlines and researcher involvement. These tools offer flexibility, but they can make it difficult to maintain a clear overview, especially as the number of applications increases.
Questions that should be easy to answer can become time-consuming. It may not be immediately clear:
• what the current status of an application is
• which researchers are involved in which projects
• whether all required steps have been completed
Different processes, same need for structure
Research funding is not uniform. Each type of application comes with its own structure.
• National funding often follows established local processes
• EU applications involve multiple partners and defined roles
• US funding introduces detailed compliance requirements
Despite these differences, the underlying need is the same. There is a need for a structured way to manage information and workflows.
A more structured way of working
More organizations are now moving towards systems that are designed for this type of work.
With a platform like Mira CRM, it becomes possible to gather information in one place and work in a more consistent way. Teams can:
• create a shared overview of applications
• follow clearly defined workflow stages
• support their work with reminders and checklists
The goal is not to change how research is done, but to make the administrative work around it easier to manage.
Supporting better follow-up over time
When information is structured, it also becomes easier to follow up.
Organizations can begin to see:
• how applications progress
• where time is spent
• how outcomes vary across different areas
This creates better conditions for continuous improvement.
A gradual shift
Moving away from spreadsheets is rarely a single step. It is often a gradual transition towards more structured processes and shared systems.
What we are seeing now is that this shift is becoming more relevant for research services, simply because the level of complexity has increased.
With the right structure in place, it becomes easier to create overview, support researchers and follow up on results over time.