This blog introduces a new cross-institutional training initiative, the Scottish Research Leaders Network, launching in January 2026, and shares it’s purpose and benefits.
Purpose
In January 2026 the new Scottish Research Leaders Network will be launched, which is a collaborative initiative advancing research leadership across Scottish Higher Education Institutions (HEIs). The network aims to make research leadership training accessible and available to all Scottish researchers and build a connected community of research leaders who collectively strengthen Scotland’s research cultures.
Drawing on resources provided by the UKRI Future Leaders Fellows Development Network (FLFDN) for research leadership, participants will benefit from the collective expertise of facilitators and opportunities to connect and learn from peers across Scottish HEIs. The network is open to all staff in participating institutions who are aspiring, new or established research leaders.
Benefits
In the context of the current challenging landscape for many HEIs and researchers across the UK, a group of Scottish Higher Education Researcher Developers (ScotHERD) got together to collaborate on planning and delivering a cross-institutional leadership programme. Our collective objectives were to create an accessible and less resource intensive opportunity for all researchers (staff) to engage in research leadership development and enhance research cultures across all Scottish HEIs equally.
Short monthly online sessions will provide tools and ideas for leadership and the opportunity for peer learning and networking. Part of the session will be recorded and shared on a dedicated YouTube channel to create a sustainable resource that participants and institutions can revisit and use beyond the live programme. As an optional extra, individual institutions may run a cohort integrated with the sessions. The flexibility of the programme is a strength, allowing individuals or institutions to use and engage in the programme in a number of ways to suits their needs and context. The flexibility will also make it more agile and responsive to ever changing needs.
Our collective approach to co-facilitate the different sessions has been made possible by the FLFDN, who have run a number of train-the-trainer events to share their leadership retreat materials openly, giving us a shared set of materials and resources. This has sped-up our development of the programme significantly. The shared facilitation means participants can benefit from facilitators collective expertise, and the facilitators benefit from spending less time on delivery and have more opportunities to learn and develop by shadowing or co-facilitating each others sessions.
Get involved or contact us
To find out more check out the programme schedule for 2026 on the IAD web page.
We will continually evaluate the programme in the initial pilot phase in 2026 for continued improvements. If you are interested in learning more, or want to share similar approaches to leadership training programmes elsewhere, please contact us on hellosrln@outlook.com
