Research culture
Enhancing our Research Culture: A core element of Sussex's Research with Impact strategy
Research Culture is a broad term that, according to the Royal Society definition, encompasses the behaviours, values, expectations, attitudes and norms of our research communities. Research Culture at Sussex is thriving, and our priority is to share and celebrate best practice and address gaps through institutional support and investment.
The Research Culture Steering Group is developing a Research Culture Action Plan to be published in early 2024, which aims to drive the development of a positive Research Culture. Through consultation with the research community, the following priority areas have emerged:
- Collaboration: Encouraging collaboration through our research: within and across teams; within and beyond disciplines; with academic partners and with stakeholders.
- Maximising Potential: Enabling everyone working on research at Sussex to flourish, whatever their role, career stage or career path.
- Belonging: ensuring that all those contributing to research feel valued and supported; community is enjoyed and supported by all; people feel they have agency and time to be ambitious
- Open Research: growing our open research practice to ensure Sussex research at all stages is transparent, trusted and impactful, and supports knowledge equity
Our work is governed by the Research Culture Steeering Group and delivered by teams across campus, which is coordinated by the Research Initiatives Team.
- The Research Culture Steering Group
-
The Research Culture Steering Group provides guidance and direction to the University’s Research with Impact Aims and has oversight of all activity under the Research Culture portfolio. The Steering Group supports the Pro-Vice Chancellor of Research and Enterprise in determining the use of external funding allocations awarded to the University to develop our Research Culture.
The Steering Group represents academic and professional services expertise across the Research Culture agenda (collegiality and collaboration; career development; equality, diversity and inclusion; research recognition; open research; impact capability building; research integrity, etc.).
Membership
Deputy Pro-Vice Chancellor of Research (Chair)
Deputy Pro-Vice Chancellor of Knowledge Exchange
Pro-Vice Chancellor for Global & Civic Engagement
Director of Research and Enterprise
Head of Research Development and Initiatives
Dean of the Doctoral School
Chair of the Researcher Development Concordat Steering Group
Assistant Director of HR (Culture, Equality and Inclusion)
Assistant Director of HR (Reward and Retention)
Associate Director of Technical Operations
Senior Research Culture Consultant
- Research Culture Open Call
-
We are delighted to announce the new Research Culture Open Call, deadline 18th December 2023. This provides seed funding for Schools and Services to undertake new and innovative initiatives with the potential to build and strengthen their research culture, both locally and with the potential to inform our institutional research culture. Proposals will also be considered if they demonstrate support for the growth and sustainability of existing activity, where this has shown clear effectiveness in tackling a research culture challenge.
Applications are expected for awards of up to £5000. Projects that are collaborations (e.g. between Schools, between a School and a Service, or between Services) are particularly encouraged and can apply for up to £10,000. We have £50,000 to award through this scheme and hope to make between 5 and 10 awards. All projects must be complete and spent up by 31 July 2024. We encourage proposals from teams that include a range of staff and proposals that are developed with strong attention to inclusivity.
Proposals should respond to one of our priority areas, as appropriate in your School or Service. These areas, identified through consultation across the community undertaken this year, are Collaboration, Maximising Potential, Belonging, and Open Research.
More details of the call and how to apply are available here.
- Enhancing Research Culture Allocation
-
In September 2023, the University received its second year of Enhancing Research Culture funding from Research England.
The Enhancing Research Culture allocation can be used in any of the areas covered by the Research and Development People and Culture Strategy to pilot new initiatives, increase the scale of already-proven activities, and to enable supported activities to become sustainable.
The Research Culture Steering Group reviewed an inital round of applications in early September and the Pro-Vice Chancellor of Research and Enterprise agreed funding for eight projects.
Details to follow shortly.
Please contact Lorna Hards, Senior Research Culture Consultant, for more information at: l.hards@sussex.ac.uk.