Understand
Agree the outcome and trace how information, decisions and responsibilities currently move.
Research Operations Transformation for universities and research organisations
Fix the research operations problems your team keeps working around.
RKE Support transforms the systems, processes and working practices behind research. We improve post-award delivery, help organisations govern and implement AI responsibly, integrate research assurance and remove unnecessary administrative burden.
For research leaders, research offices and finance teams across universities, institutes, funded organisations and partnerships.
The problems we fix
The immediate issue gets fixed. The process causing it often does not.
We help teams move beyond repeated firefighting. Start with one visible problem, understand why it keeps happening and test a practical change against the real work.
01Work is repeatedly rebuilt
Reconciliations, PI reports and operational checks consume hours because information is copied, rebuilt and checked by hand.
02Award delivery starts late
Contracts, account setup, recruitment and handover delays reduce the time available to deliver the funded work.
03Risk becomes visible too late
Underspends, missing evidence and closure issues surface when deadlines are close and the options are already limited.
The 30-day improvement sprint
Start with one problem. Prove the difference.
We create evidence and momentum without asking the organisation to commit to a large change programme before the value has been tested.
Baseline
Make the starting position visible using evidence the organisation can reproduce.
Test
Try the smallest useful process, control, tool or delivery change against real work.
Decide
Show what changed, what remains and who owns the next action.
Client outcomeStabilised delivery
while managing the day-to-day work and the year-end research audit.
“Ashley had stabilised the team, managing the day-to-day running of the team as well as the year-end research audit. I would not hesitate to work with Ashley again.”
We work across
- UKRI
- Innovate UK
- Horizon Europe
- NIHR
- Wellcome
- REF 2029
- TRAC
- Funder assurance
The RKE perspective
One ecosystem. Shared outcomes.
We do not see pre-award, post-award, finance, governance and leadership as separate problems. They are connected parts of one system—and lasting improvement has to make sense across all of them.
Read the Research Operations GapOur vision
To help thousands of research professionals do their best work, support better outcomes and get more enjoyment from a role they give so much to.
We will change research administration through practical tools, better systems and support shaped by the people doing the work. The challenges will not disappear, but together we can solve them.
Better research operations.Better working lives.
Better research outcomes.
How we help
Transform research operations across four connected areas.
Post-award delivery, AI governance, integrated assurance and administrative burden are connected parts of the same operating system.
01Deliver
Post-award transformation
Build a consistent operating model for funded projects.We improve how awards are activated, managed, reconciled, reported and closed, with clearer ownership, earlier action and better information for researchers and leaders.
- Award mobilisation
- Portfolio review
- Reconciliation and forecasting
- PI reporting and project closure
02Govern
AI governance and implementation
Turn responsible AI ambition into practical operating controls.We help organisations move from unmanaged experimentation to responsible, practical and measurable adoption through strategy, policy, controls, literacy and implementation.
- AI usage and risk baseline
- Strategy and policy
- ISO/IEC 42001 aligned governance
- Implementation and benefits monitoring
03Assure
Integrated research assurance
Replace disconnected checks with joined-up oversight.We connect financial, funder, regulatory, ethical, international collaboration and AI risks through clearer assessment, decision and escalation routes.
- Funding and financial assurance
- Trusted Research and due diligence
- International collaboration risk
- Decision logs and escalation
04Enable
Administrative burden and research culture
Improve the operational conditions that shape working life.We remove unnecessary process friction, repeated administration and unclear responsibilities so research professionals can spend more time on work that creates value.
- Process friction mapping
- Capacity and workload review
- Approval simplification
- Protected improvement sprints
Ongoing support
Keep improvement moving when internal capacity is stretched.
Embedded improvement capacity
RKE Support supplies experienced pre-award, post-award and research operations team members to protect essential delivery while helping improve the process around it.
Fractional research leadership
Senior research operations leadership on a flexible basis to steady teams, set priorities, strengthen processes and lead practical change.
RKE tools
Practical tools used inside the improvement work.
The tools support the service. They use information teams already hold, reduce repeated administration and keep accountable human decisions visible.
RKE intelligence
Useful thinking should lead to useful action.
Start with evidence. Leave with a clearer next step.
Research Operations Health Check
See where manual work may be costing your organisation time, capacity and control.
- 3 minutes
- Instant result
- Downloadable report
What people tell us
Useful support changes how the work feels.
Feedback from training, events, tools and hands-on research operations support.“RKE Companion has given me back time to plan ahead and prepare claims without everything feeling urgent. I can answer PIs with more confidence, reduce errors and get more claims approved first time.”
“The AI training from RKE Support improved both the prompts we use and the quality of the results we get back.”
“The Post-Award Training Day in Birmingham was refreshing. It was valuable to have a full day dedicated to post-award work.”
“Andrew Dicken’s presentation on funding assurance—what it means and the process behind it—gave me a valuable perspective on how UKRI works.”
“The TRAC event greatly improved my understanding of TRAC. The presentations were excellent.”
“Ashley had stabilised the team, managing the day-to-day running of the team as well as the year-end research audit. I would not hesitate to work with Ashley again.”
Start with one problem.
What does your team keep having to work around?
Bring us the issue and the evidence you already have. We will help identify a practical next step.Book an operations review