The First 365 Days as a Chief Research Officer

The chief research officer (CRO) position requires equal parts long-term strategic vision and meticulous attention to detail. Like other university executives, CROs face challenges requiring dedicated focus and investment of resources. Each university is unique and many decisions CROs make depend on their campus’s objectives and needs.

New CROs will quickly encounter numerous trade-off decisions: Administrative minutia versus strategic goals, short-term wins versus sustainable growth, doubling down on federal funding versus expanding non-federal funding opportunities. The most common initial reaction is to take on everything, but this can lead to quick burnout among CROs in their first year. However, avoiding significant mental strain is easier said than done. Most new CROs encounter brand-new challenges along with an expanding portfolio of responsibilities and a decelerating federal funding pool.

To help prioritize and successfully tackle this complex role from day one, the University Research Forum crafted this to-do list accompanied by specific guidance and resources to assist new CROs’ first year in seat.

1. Create an Executive Onboarding Plan

In the absence of a formal onboarding process, new CROs should craft their own blueprint of responsibilities and expectations in their new role.

2. Assemble a Mentorship Circle

With an onboarding plan in place, new CROs should select a group of external research executives to oversee challenges in the research space and help navigate university policies.

3. Index Internal Constituencies’ Wants, Needs, and Expectations

The listening tour is a common—but often poorly executed—method to gather internal stakeholder feedback. CROs should leverage meetings strategically and glean the most useful information from these sessions.

4. Map External Stakeholders’ Goals to Research Strengths and Services

The steepest learning curve for new CROs is the complicated connection between university research and external stakeholders. Early on, CROs should identify overlaps in interest to further cultivate research partnerships.

5. Transition from Learning to Doing

Once CROs understand the needs of stakeholders and their ability to influence outcomes they can implement initiatives that advance research goals.

6. Build a Performance Feedback Loop

If a formal evaluation process isn’t already in place, CROs can create their own process to receive feedback from executives and research stakeholders.