The Research Group enables EuroFM to be the leading international think tank and international knowledge base on FM in Europe. It also formulates a European FM research program for the coming 5 years. Furthermore it is responsible for the annual research forum as part of the EuroFM International Conference.
The mission of EuroFM is the ‘advancement of knowledge in Facility Management in Europe and its application in business, education and research.’ In response to this mission, the EuroFM Research Group has initiated and developed a collaborative research program called ‘Advancing Knowledge in Facilities Management’.
The Research Group supports, promotes and sponsors scientific publication to international standards to encourage members to actively contribute the network. The full text of all published research papers and conference proceedings arising from EuroFM sponsored work should be deposited in an open access institutional repository, or if that isn’t available, on the ResearchGate database. The research portal provides the first step in the process and initially holds the copyright until releasing it to the authors host organisation at the earliest opportunity.
EuroFM Research Papers is the recognised vehicle for scientific publication, including journal articles, conference papers and technical reports. All papers are refereed by a standing panel of leading, well qualified senior researchers and selected in a two phase process using explicit criteria for originality, relevance, communication, contribution and overall quality. The review panel undertake a double-blind review of all abstracts and papers.
Members of the EuroFM Research Group, respond to calls for papers that reflect an agreed research agenda published annually. The call for papers is open to all those who are active in research in Facilities Management: senior researchers, practitioners, educationalists and post-graduate students.
Research papers are expected to address the unique mission of EuroFM by clearly showing the implications of research findings to business and education in the field. Three main research themes currently underpin the EuroFM agenda for research, added value of FM, sustainability in FM and FM innovation, and provide a framework for the EuroFM research program. It is important to stress the important role that FM plays in promoting effectiveness in organizations of all kinds.
FM provides essential benefits and positive impacts of importance for both the primary activities of organisations, and for all stakeholders and society. As a condition of publication, all authors commit to presenting their research at the EuroFM International Conference (EFMIC).
The EuroFM Research Symposium is scheduled within the program of the EFMIC. There will be ample opportunities to network with other researchers and practitioners. Special joint workshops bring together the attendees from business, research and education. The approach of the workshop sessions enables sharing and discussion of research outputs.
The role of the Research Group is summarized below:
- Advancing Knowledge in Facilities Management;
- EuroFM Research Workshops: hosted by a member university, are held as part of EuroFM meetings that take place each year. The research workshops address themes and are organised by the working groups in turn. In addition, they provide an opportunity of presenting papers and for discussing theoretical and methodological issues;
- EuroFM Research Symposium as part of the EuroFM International Conference;
- EuroFM Research Papers: an organising committee, chaired by the Research Chair, oversees the quality of the papers that are submitted for the Research Symposium within the EFMIC;
- Journal of Facilities Management: final papers that are accepted will be published in EuroFM Research Papers, as special issues of the International Journal of Facilities Management. Following further selection, papers may be included in edited collections in a EuroFM book series (‘Advancing knowledge in Facilities Management’).
Contact information: Tuuli Jylhä, EuroFM Research Chair via tuuli@eurofm.org