Research Culture Initiatives

Our Research Culture Action Plan for 2024 – 2027 sets out our Research Culture Principles, Research Culture Initiatives, and cross cutting activity which together will help us to grow a more vibrant, fair, and inclusive research culture.

Sector failures to recognise the contributions of staff who support and enable research (e.g. technicians, professional service staff such as data managers, research librarians, and research administrators) undermine the effectiveness of research ecosystems, work against inclusion and weaken efforts to deliver world-leading research.

A task and finish group (reporting to Research Culture Committee) will develop proposals to promote greater visibility and recognition for staff involved in research who are not in academic roles, building on our work for the Technicians Commitment to which the University is already a signatory.

The four UK higher education funding bodies have announced that REF2029 will feature an expanded definition of research excellence, with greater consideration of the conditions that underpin the creation of research. This means that the Environment element of the assessment will now become People, Culture and Environment, with an increased 25% weighting.

We are actively engaging in consultations on the development of People, Culture and Environment (PCE) and in the identification of indicators to measure and assess research culture.

Rejection is a routine part of an academic career, and our ambitions – as individuals and as a University – can expose us to greater risk of rejection.  This programme of activity aims to acknowledge that rejection is a normal part of the research process, and to create supportive spaces for researchers at all career stages to share their experiences and develop coping strategies.

The programme currently includes in-person events, online toolkits and resources, and will continue to develop over the 2024/25 academic year.

For resources on Rejection and Resilience, please follow:

• Rejection & Resilience Introductory Workshop.
• Tales of the Unaccepted.

Research groups are key drivers of research culture and excellence in our academic ecosystem.

The formalisation of Research Groups and their Leads has created spaces of focused research activity working at scales that can foster vibrant, fair and inclusive ways of working.

A programme of activities and a toolkit of resources is being developed to support  Research Group Leads to develop and share inclusive and effective approaches to research leadership.

To find resources on Research Group Leadership, please follow Research Group Leadership:Mobilising Research Leads for Culture Change

The Working Group for Responsible Research Assessment makes recommendations for the implementation of responsible research assessment across the University’s activities, with a particular focus on recruitment, promotion & progression, and the Research Excellence Framework.

The Working Group reports to Research Culture Committee and includes representatives from our academic and professional services communities, and the students’ union.