Pictured here are (left to right) Jacqui Moffett, RIMS Project Manager for the UFS; Prof Driekie Hay, UFS Vice-rector: Academic Planning; Rodney Garcia, Product Engineer with software provider InfoEd International; and Lise Kriel, RIMS Project Coordinator for the UFS Directorate Research Development. Photo: Supplied

The Directorate Research Development recently hosted a national partners’ workshop for the development of the Clinical Trials software module of the new Research Information Management System (RIMS) being implemented at the University.

The national RIMS Project aims to establish a nationwide research management network in South Africa. It was initiated in 2006 by the universities of the Witwatersrand and Stellenbosch and is backed by the Department of Science and Technology and the National Research Foundation. Having prioritised the efficiency of its information systems as a critical requirement to enhance research development, the UFS joined the Project during 2007 and is currently one of 19 participating universities and science councils. UFS is the first university in the consortium to successfully submit its 2008 subsidy bearing research outputs to the Department of Education using the InfoEd system.