February 2019
In 2019, SARIMA was announced as the host of the 2022 edition of the International Network of the Research Management Societies (INORMS) Congress, which was scheduled to be held on the beautiful island of Mauritius. Due to Covid-19 and international travel restrictions, the 2020 edition of the conference in Hiroshima, Japan was postponed to 2021, pushing the SARIMA hosted event into 2023. In light of the uncertainties still facing international travel and conferences, SARIMA has made the difficult decision to move the INORMS 2023 Conference from the destination location of Mauritius back to South Africa.
The primary reason for this is that, as an Association based primarily in South Africa, it will be preferable to bring the congress closer to home in order to better manage the preparations and the various risks we foresee amidst all the uncertainties that still lie ahead of us as we slowly emerge out of this global crisis.
South Africa is also a much cheaper and more accessible travel destination (in terms of flight routes and airline options) than Mauritius would have been, so it will be a more affordable option for the majority of our members and our international delegates, especially in light of the severe budget cuts that our institutions have all had to face.
While we were really looking forward to offering our SARIMA members and INORMS community an island-style event on the picturesque shores of Mauritius, we will be moving INORMS 2023 to the equally tropical and spicy city of Durban.
Durban is a large coastal city situated on the East Coast of South Africa. It is known for its African, Indian and colonial influences. The city boasts balmy weather all year round, miles of golden beaches touched by the warm waters of the Indian Ocean. Major attractions in close vicinity include a variety of game reserves and the Drakensberg, the highest mountain range in Southern Africa (a UNESCO World Heritage Site), which is just 2 hours away.
While there is still too much uncertainty for us to announce the exact venue, for now, SARIMA is excited to confirm that INORMS 2023 will take place from 30 May to 2 June 2023 in Durban, South Africa. Watch this space for further details….
The INORMS 2021 Congress, hosted by the Research Manager and Administrator Network Japan (RMAN-J), will now be fully virtual and registrations have reopened at a discounted rate, so we encourage our SARIMA members and community to use this opportunity to participate in this globally relevant research management event:
