Postgraduate Research Management System

Aston University is seeking to engage with the market to better understand available solutions that can strengthen the support and management of our Postgraduate Research (PGR) student community. This notice is issued for market engagement purposes only and does not constitute a commitment to procure, nor does it form part of any formal procurement process at this stage. The University is seeking information to inform future decision-making and potential next steps. 2. Context and Objectives Aston University is exploring options for a digital solution that provides end-to-end lifecycle management for PGR students, supporting academic, administrative, and regulatory processes from application through to award. Our objective is to identify solutions that are mature, widely adopted within the UK Higher Education sector, and capable of supporting PGR lifecycle processes in a robust, efficient, and largely out-of-the-box manner. 3. Scope of Functional Requirements The University is interested in solutions capable of supporting the full PGR lifecycle, including but not limited to: • Admissions • Applications for all forms of PGR study (funded and non-funded) • Student Onboarding • Enrolment • Induction processes • Programme Management • Learning agreements • Training and development, including: • Training Needs Analysis (TNA) • Module and course information • Attendance tracking • Certification and records • Supervision and Engagement • Supervisory meeting scheduling and records • Progression and Assessment • Progression milestones • Qualifying / Upgrading / Transfer reports • Annual progress reports • Student Status Changes • Extension requests • Leave of Absence / Suspension of Study requests • Examination and Completion • Initial thesis submission • Viva management • Examiner reports • Final thesis submission • Award processing 4. High-Level Technical and Service Requirements At a high level, Aston University anticipates that any potential solution would: · Have proven implementation and strong adoption within the higher education sector · Provide robust PGR recruitment, admissions, and progression functionality · Support all lifecycle activities listed above · Require minimal customisation and operate largely "out of the box" · Offer fully documented and maintained REST APIs to enable integration with the University's Azure based middleware · Be delivered as a SaaS solution with a transparent 12month development roadmap and UK/EU based hosting (preferably in Microsoft Azure) · Support single sign on via OpenID Connect or SAML2 through Microsoft Entra ID · Have security-based certifications that confirm commitment to maintaining a security focussed infrastructure, such as Cyber Essentials (Plus), ISO 27001 or equivalent · Consideration will also be given to usability and user experience.