The 26th of June marks the second annual Research Culture Week at the University of Bath, and to celebrate we are hosting a dynamic and inclusive programme of events, both online and in person, covering many key areas of research culture.
But what is research culture, and why is it so important?
Research culture encompasses the behaviours, values, expectations, attitudes and norms of our research communities. It influences researchers' career paths and determines the way that research is conducted and communicated (Royal Society).
A culture based on inclusivity, respect, trust and support is essential for a thriving and cohesive research community, and therefore essential for driving excellence and impact in research.
Culture’s fundamental nature in all areas of business is reflected in the well-known phrase ‘Culture eats Strategy for Breakfast’, which highlights that a conducive culture can maximise a strategy’s success. The reverse also applies of course, an unhealthy culture will constrain and limit a strategy’s success.
The University of Bath is committed to putting people at the heart of research and innovation, and has a strong track record of supporting these areas, for example signing The Concordat to Support Research Integrity, and the manifesto for public engagement in 2012, developing a promotion track for research staff in 2015, and signing The Technician Commitment in 2019 (find more about our previous work here).
However, we are far from complacent and are committed to enhancing and improving our research culture. As part of the work to continue to drive positive change, the University undertook a research culture baselining exercise in 2021/22, where staff and students from across the University were engaged in conversations about the research culture of the University.
A number of key themes emerged and as a result, a research culture action plan has been developed. The action plan is framed around six pillars under which we can group activities being undertaken to support this agenda and to give a framework to the discussion.
The pillars are:
- career development;
- collegiality;
- open Research;
- research design;
- research ethics and integrity;
- research recognition.
Work under the six pillars will be designed to support the delivery of excellent, high impact research including:
- growing capacity and academic leadership for further success;
- attracting and supporting talented doctoral students;
- strengthening our culture of research integrity;
- enabling our researchers to deliver to their full potential;
- supporting and enabling collaborative initiatives at local, national, and international levels.
As part of this action plan, Research Culture Week will provide an opportunity to highlight the facilities we have at the university, including a demo of the SafePod in the Library, and the use of Research Professional for research funding opportunities and news.
Research Culture Week will also be hosting social events for doctoral students and for technicians, drop-in sessions around Knowledge Exchange and building research partnerships, and a session looking at working through Imposter Syndrome. There will also be sessions around data, pre-prints and impact, so there is something for everyone to engage with.
I look forward to seeing you there.
Kind regards
Sarah
Find out more about Research Culture at Bath here.
Research Culture Week 2023: Programme of events
All week: Images of Research, The Edge
Monday 26 June
- 10.00-12.00: Ignite+ Drop-In, East Building 3.01
- 10.30-11.30: Research Professional end-user online demo training
- 12.00-14.00 Preprints: pros and cons
- 14.00- 14.30 Pre-registration and Registered Reports: An Introduction
- 15.00-16.00: Embracing the Mess: Exploring if, when, why, and how to open your qualitative data, 1W 2.104
Tuesday 27 June
- 11.00-13.00: SafePod Demo, The Library
- 12.30-14.00: Inclusive Doctoral Experiences with pizza and drinks hosted by Professor Rajani Naidoo (VP for Community and Inclusion), 10W 2.47
- 15:00- 16:30: Qualitative Research Community of Practice: Exploring and working through Imposter Syndrome as a Qualitative Doctoral Researcher, online
Wednesday 28 June
- 11.00-13.00: The Vice Chancellor’s Engage Awards
- 13.00-14.00: Careers Service Panel: Professional Services roles in HE, online
- 14.00-16.00: Technicians Social with pizza and quiz, 5W
- 14:30:16:00: University of Bath's Research Impact Strategy Information Session - Impact Directors (invite only)
- 15.00-16.00 Doctoral Research Culture Café with afternoon tea, Claverton Rooms
- 19.00-21.00: ESRC IAA Celebratory Event at The Guildhall hosted by the Vice-Chancellor (invite only)
Thursday 29 June
- 10.30-12.30: Knowledge Exchange Community of Practice, 10 East 0.08
- 13.30-16.00: Responsible Research and Innovation Roundtable, Public Engagement Unit (invite only)
- 13.30-14.30: Sharing research data workshop, 1W 2.01
- 15:30-17:00 University of Bath's Research Impact Strategy Information Session 1W 3.30 (invite only)
Friday 30 June
