Organizational Structure
The KIOS CoE is a highly multidisciplinary organisation with a strongly international and multicultural cross-section of staff and students. In addition, the financial size and number of projects, as well as the upsurge in industrial interactions, stakeholder engagement, and IP management require novel approaches to cope with the coordination and administrative load. These approaches need to continously be revisited in order to ensure the smooth and efficient operation of the KIOS CoE. For these reasons, a significant effort is being dedicated to assure a unified and well-integrated service-oriented structure. Specifically, the organisational approaches that support the KIOS CoE structure are based on a series of measures and actions focusing on the following three main areas.
People
The KIOS CoE culture is of paramount importance, beginning with a clear vision and mission statement, which will promote creative thinking, research synergies, open communication and free sharing of information. This will be achieved by requisite recruitment and followed by training and seminars, as well as more casual social events organised by the KIOS CoE Researcher Leadership Council, which will instil the sense of team and partnership. Equally important is for the KIOS CoE personnel to feel involved and empowered. To achieve this a series of actions are followed, from creating attractive employee packages and providing opportunities for improvement and advancement to involving personnel of all levels in the decision-making and vision forming processes.
The KIOS CoE will promote open communication in order to streamline the management procedures in a manner that satisfies both the administrative and legal requirements, but also enable the researchers to seamlessly participate in the management of the projects without sacrificing research efforts or intensity.
Processes
Having ensured the KIOS CoE’s human resources are matched to the vision of the Centre, the next step is to ensure that the processes in the Centre are also in synch with its objectives and aligned with the strategic plan. Process maps and procedure pathways are developed and maintained, and an effective document control process is implemented. Important processes include: (a) the leverage networks of UCY and Imperial academics, (b) the operation of the KIOS Innovation Hub, (c) proposal preparation writing & project management, and (d) quality assurance. For all of the above, streamlined workflows are followed, which along with an effective document control process and the implementation of key metrics to monitor process performance, ensure the success of the KIOS CoE operations.
Technology
A collaborative ICT platform is offered and maintained to promote easy and seamless interaction among the KIOS CoE personnel and facilitate the expeditious accomplishment of different procedures. Project management solutions, which allow the efficient, timely, and thorough administration of the many research projects of the Centre, are an integral part of this platform.