Three universities teamed up for a joint procurement

Aalto University, University of Lapland, and Tampere University of Technology have acquired their new research information management systems through a joint procurement. Combining purchasing activities led to economies of scale in the administrative work and enabled a more professional approach in the tendering process.  The joint procurement was coordinated by Aalto University and each participating university will independently implement their own system.

A vital system requirement was good usability, especially from the point of view of the academic staff. In spring 2014, systems participating in the call for tenders were tested for usability. The test was designed by Aalto University Strategic Usability Research Group.  

The acquired research information management system is PURE (Elsevier BV), a software widely used by universities across Europe. The new system will feature enhancements in the management and utilization of information from the perspective of both researchers as well as services supporting research.  University research and artistic activities will have better public visibility through the system portal. In Finland the PURE system is already used by University of Helsinki and Hanken School of Economics.