Our research cultures are influenced by our values, expectations and the behaviours that shape how we support, deliver and communicate our research. It’s our responsibility as an institution to foster cultures where those that lead, undertake and enable our research activity are encouraged, recognised and are working in a positive environment.
Every organisation, university, department, School, Institute, group and discipline has a culture, and you are probably both contributing to and experiencing several cultures at University of Edinburgh. A positive and supportive culture benefits everyone, and while poor culture also effects everyone it disproportionately effects those with less power e.g. early career researchers, research support staff, technicians and Postgraduate researchers. If people are under too much pressure or experience poor supervision or management it can undermine the integrity of the research they are undertaking.
There has been lots of work, which funders and policy makers are now calling Research Culture, that has been going on in the University for a long time. For example our approach to Open Research, Health & Safety, Responsible use of Metrics, Equality, Diversity & Inclusion activity, Ethics & Integrity processes, Concordat for the Career Development of Researchers and Technician Commitment to name a few.
Edinburgh published its first Research Cultures Action & Delivery Plan in 2023, and I was appointed as Head of Research Cultures in March 2024. Since taking up the role I’ve set up and formalised Research Cultures governance structures including the Research Cultures Delivery Group; members of which are delivering the actions on our Research Culture Plan. As well as working with Sukanya Krishnamurthy and Timm Kruger to run the Research Cultures Forum; a group aiming to support and challenge the University in its progress on improving its Research Cultures.
There are lots of people and departments currently working to deliver the Research Cultures actions with around 30% of the actions complete and operating as normal business as of summer 2024. Progress so far includes
- HR are reviewing the Academic Promotion Process, and will be including a new criterion to acknowledge Citizenship & Collegiality
- The Doctoral College has published a Postgraduate Research Cultures Plan that provides more details on actions taken to support our PGR students and their supervisors
- A new Technician Lead role will be appointed this summer to provide additional time and resource to our Technician Commitment actions
- There is new training in development for Principal Investigators
- Two career consultants for research staff are now in post
- UoE has signed the UK Concordat for Sustainable Research & Innovation Practice
A progress tracker for the research cultures actions is publicly available here, and will be updated quarterly.
Over the next year I’ll be working with the College Deans of Research Culture (Professor Jane Hillston in CSE, Dr Jen Ross in CHASS and Professor Julia Dorin in CMVM) to understand where there is good practice to share and where people have concerns. We’ll also be preparing for the assessment of our Research Cultures in REF 2029, and supporting Professor Christina Boswell and Dr Sara Shinton in delivering our Wellcome funded Research Cultures project ‘InFrame’. I’ll be networking across UK and international institutions to work collectively as a research community to improve our research cultures and share good practice.
If you would like any information on our Research Cultures activity, or if you’d like to speak to me about an idea or issue you have please drop me an email at Alex.Peden@ed.ac.uk.
More information available at www.ed.ac.uk/research-innovation/research-cultures
This post was written by Alex Peden, Head of Research Cultures, IAD.
