the role of research and development units in university management information systems: a comparative study

background: the integrated educational system and service provision have involved the managers of iranian universities of medical sciences in different tasks and limited their access to adequate information for decision making. hence, it seems to be vital to adopt plans in order to provide necessary information for decision making. the current study was carried out to define the role of research and development units in management information system of selected universities of some countries in order to apply these experiences to iranian universities of medical sciences. methods: this comparative, cross-sectional study was conducted in 2010. first, the theoretical foundations, the available records and related literature were studied. the status of research and development system was then investigated in 8 international universities. data was collected by observing websites and performing supplementary interviews with the aforementioned institutions. the main research variables included the tasks, objectives and key processes of the unit. finally, data was analyzed and compared using comparative tables. results: the most significant roles of research and development units included providing and analyzing accurate information by conducting necessary studies at the appropriate time, supporting the decision and the policy making processes, improving the quality of activities, upgrading universities, providing an appropriate image of the university by giving relevant statistics and information, and facilitating cooperation with counterpart units in other universities. conclusion: with regard to the key role of research and development units in university management information systems, iranian universities of medical sciences are proposed to take corrective actions if they lack a fully efficient research and development unit.