Module 1 – Governance and Organisation (5 ECTS)

11-13 November 2024  – Sironi Room U4-8

This module aims to provide participants with basic concepts of governance and organization. The module focuses on relevant issues in the selection, design and development of the best models of governance and organization to implement in RIs, the analysis of ethical and legal issues that could influence governance and organization structures and the analysis of the multitude of stakeholders.
This module provides the conceptual lens and analytical tools for RIs in order to achieve long-term goals. The emphasis is on understanding the complexity of RI environment, decision-making and implementing the strategy process within the organisation. The course has a very practical emphasis with a wide variety of cases, in-class discussion to enhance relevance.


The programme covers the following topics:

• Understanding the RI environment

• National and international environments

• Analysing the competitive context of RIs Strategic management

• Strategic thinking

• Strategic planning

• Mission and vision of RI

• Developing a strategic plan

• Accountability to stakeholders

• Managing of social challenges

Learning Model

Lectures, group works, case discussions, role plays, share of best practices, online activities.

The programme covers the following topics

Introduction to organizations

Organizational structures design
• The basics of organization’s functioning
• Hierarchy, bureaucracy and professional rules
• Formal and informal relations
• Decision-making approaches within organizations
• Organizational structures and design
• Organizational structures development
• Organizational structures and mechanisms  2

The peculiarities of distributed RIs

• The difference between distributed, single-sited and virtual research
infrastructures
• The characteristics of distributed RIs
• The role of National nodes/member states
• The European Research Infrastructure landscape

Governance models

• The components of governance in organizations
• Different models of governance of RIs
• The assembly
• The board of directors
• The peculiarities of RIs

The management of different stakeholders

• Who is a stakeholder?
• Typical stakeholders of RIs
• Difficulties in managing a multiple stakeholder organization
Ethical and legal framework
• One of the typical RIs governance structure: ERIC status
• The importance of ethics in RIs

Fees & Enrolment

Participation fee: 2,000 Euros

Tuition fees include:

Teaching materials
Access to the University’s facilities
Coffee breaks and lunches during face-to-face modules
Fees do not include travel costs and living expenses. For accommodation, participants will benefit from the University’s agreements with nearby hotels.

If you want more info, please send an email to ritrain@unimib.it and visit this page.

The Venue

This module will be held at the University of Milano-Bicocca. The University of Milano-Bicocca is located at Piazza dell’Ateneo Nuovo, 1 in Milan. Our campus benefits from the full array of learning environments and university-wide services.

How to reach us


Meet the Faculty

University of Milano-Bicocca:

Marialuisa Lavitrano, Full Professor of Medicine
Alberto Nobolo, Full Professor of Business Administration and Management (Read more)
Enrico Guarini, Associate Professor of Business Administration and Management (Read More)
Francesca Magli, Assistant Professor of Business Administration and Management (Read More)

Visiting Faculty:

Ivan Baines, Max Planck Institute MPI-CPG, Chief Operating Officer (Read More)
Licinio Lima, Universidade do Minho, Professor (Read More)
Laurent Romary, DARIAH, Director (Read More)
Eero Vuorio, Turku University, Emeritus Professor (Read More)
Iain Mattaj, EMBL, Director General (Read More)
Mats Hansson, Uppsala University Research Ethics and Bioethics Centre, Director (Read More)

Who should Apply ?

• Director Generals, Chief Operating Officers or their equivalent
• Recently appointed or upcoming senior managers
• Heads of National Nodes
• Heads of Finance and Administration, HR and Communication
• Middle management
• Representatives of funding bodies and ministries responsible for RI funding