Research Project Management (RPM) is the structured planning, coordination, and oversight of research activities to help faculty researchers and institutions achieve their goals more efficiently and effectively. Although project management is widely used in other sectors, RPM remains underrecognized and inconsistently applied across U.S. research institutions. This project, Shaping the Future of Research Project Management: A Survey on Practice and Needs, brings together a national team of experts from multiple institutions to explore RPM further. The goal is to better understand how RPM is currently used, how it is perceived within the research community, and what future interventions would be most impactful to institutions of all shapes and sizes. In the future, survey data will be used to identify unique challenges and opportunities, ultimately supporting the development of targeted RPM tools and training development. This work supports the National Science Foundation’s mission by promoting the progress of science, strengthening the research workforce, and enhancing the national research infrastructure. The findings will be used to shape new programs and policies that boost research productivity, and then share them widely with the public, educators, and research professionals. While project management is widely used in other sectors, it is underutilized in research and inconsistently applied across institutions. This project will generate actionable data that can infor