Institutional Research Management using an Integrated Information System

Research constitutes a fundamental activity within Higher Education and, for many institutions, comprises a major revenue income stream. Moreover, research increasingly becomes dependent on information systems to manage the complex information flows that it creates. This study introduces a web based software system built on Java technologies that supports institutional research management. The system provides decision support mechanisms using graph metrics in combination with data envelopment analysis as a method for efficiency measurement. Comparing the R&D outcomes of academic units with the dynamics of the collaboration patterns extracted from graphs, the developed system enables research managers to evaluate specific criteria and correlate strategic goals with research performance.