A simulation based methodology for modeling a university Research Support Service System

The paper presents a methodology for modeling a university Research Support Service System (RSSS). RSSS effectiveness is measured in terms of net research time available to researchers, response time of support services, and the cost to provide services. The model consists essentially of delineating each function of the RSSS as a network and simulating flow of researcher generated inputs through the network in order to collect statistics necessary to compute performance measures. The analysis concerns system performance changes in response to procedural modifications in the institution, removal of external procedural constraints imposed on the system, and changes in organizational configuration. The model can prove to be a valuable asset to the present-day RSSS managements in examining their Research Support Service Systems or developing similar models.