Customer-Supplier Roles and Relationships in the Management of Research Projects

Recognising the existence of customer-supplier roles and relationships in the performance of research can lead to an improvement in the management, and hence delivery, of research. Research, especially university-based research, is often managed with a light touch, with the researchers operating independently, and neither their institution nor their funder intervening to a great extent. Whilst this has significant advantages, the explicit understanding and execution of specific roles will enhance the research performance for both those undertaking research and those using its results. This paper presents a simple matrix to help explore the customer-supplier relationship, and to identify some key activities of each during different stages of the research process. Three stages are identified, relating to the commissioning and winning of funding, undertaking the research, and reporting and using the results. Each of these provides a focus for a set of roles, which might be the responsibility of different individuals or organisations. The role of the research administrator in this model is also explored, to show how it is an integral part.