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Transforming research culture

We are investing in building a positive, values-based research culture.

Our research culture will create an environment where everyone can thrive, and enable researchers to undertake excellent research.

Key components

Research culture encompasses the behaviours, values, expectations, attitudes and norms of our research communities, who include:

  • academic staff with responsibility for research and scholarship
  • postgraduate researchers
  • specialists who enable research activity including technical, subject and professional services and administrative experts

Research culture covers a range of issues shaping the environment for research, which include:

  • equality, diversity, inclusion and anti-racism
  • job security and career development
  • responsible research assessment
  • recognising the importance of the well-being, and contribution of, everyone in the research community
  • open research
  • integrity and ethics
  • collaboration, collegiality, interdisciplinary and co-production

Our vision

Our vision for a positive research culture is a values-led environment that is supportive, collaborative, creative, open, inclusive, respectful, fair and built on integrity.

To achieve this vision, we wanted an evidence-led institutional-level research culture action plan, tailored to our environment and based on the experiences and perspectives of our staff.

We commissioned our inaugural Research Culture Survey to collect views from the community and published findings in September 2023. We aim to repeat the survey on a triennial basis to ensure continuous improvement and that our activity remains informed by the experiences of our colleagues.

Action plan for research culture 2024-2026

This plan, drawing on analysis of research culture survey data, represents Cardiff University’s evidence-based priorities for institutional-level development for research culture. Underpinning the research culture plan is a desire for the organisation to become financially sustainable and is a key priority within the Cardiff University Strategy.

Our priorities are grouped into the following five areas.

  1. Support and protect research time through seeking efficiencies in our activities and striving for greater levels of contiguous time dedicated to research where possible.
  2. Promote positive school/centre/institute practices by regularly sharing best practices and supporting wider community engagement.
  3. Develop pilots for positive research practices by identifying sector leading best practice from elsewhere.
  4. Use the development of the Future Research Service to drive efficiencies in processes related to research, such as School ethics reviewing, Open Research and other areas.
  1. Develop mechanisms for cultural and intellectual growth from sustained interactions beyond existing discipline-focussed communities.
  2. Support external engagement for researchers to enhance researcher skills development and partnership opportunities for the cocreation of research and innovation.
  3. Promote Open Research to ensure that our research is accessible, understandable, reproducible and transparent to encourage engagement with the widest possible audience.
  4. Create a research culture communications plan to effectively disseminate institutional work aimed at enhancing research culture internally and externally.
  5. Ensure that the redevelopment of intranet and web staff profiles supports the visibility and discoverability of PS colleagues and researchers.
  1. Create a channel for all researchers and PS staff to contribute ideas and observations concerning opportunities for bureaucracy reduction, proactively soliciting feedback, and developing this to improve systems.
  2. Implement The Future Research Service project to support system renewal, bureaucracy reduction and a culture of trust through continued co-development and partnership working.
  3. Ensure that all staff are empowered and supported in raising issues concerning any aspect of inappropriate conduct and behaviour across the research community, including discrimination, bullying and harassment, academic misconduct, embedding this in partnership with the Equality, Diversity, Inclusion and Anti-Racism Hub (EDI Hub) where appropriate.
  4. Ensure researchers who experience personal challenges either from within their environment or as a consequence of their research (for example, sensitive topics) are appropriately supported. Providing a map of clear pathways and responsibilities for different scenarios, including but not limited to the Staff Wellbeing Strategy 2024-27, and research integrity and governance policies.
  5. Ensure equity of access to high quality training opportunities for all staff involved in research.
  6. Use learning from the evaluation of the Cynnau | Ignite Pilot Programme to further refine and embed leadership for a positive research culture throughout communities.
  7. Embed continuous improvement in development of research culture by regularly reviewing progress aligned to the research culture action plan and making adjustment as required.
  1. Ensure that School research strategies, plans and priorities articulate and foster a positive research culture which are collaborative, creative, open, inclusive and founded on integrity.
  2. Address systemic barriers to increasing the diversity and representation in the research communities, working in partnership with the EDI Hub where appropriate.
  3. Support and encourage the research community to engage with the national and international development of best practices concerning inclusivity and equal opportunities working in partnership with the EDI Hub where appropriate.
  4. Ensure the Postgraduate Research (PGR) Strategy and plans embed an inclusive and supportive research culture for the PGR community.
  5. As human resources processes are reviewed, ensure impacts concerning research culture are explicitly considered in the assessment of individuals, including activities aligned to recruitment, probation, PDR, promotion and Research Excellence Framework (REF) decision-making processes.
  6. Develop innovative means of acknowledging, recognising and rewarding colleagues from all role types and career stages involved in research who exemplify and pioneer a positive research culture across the organisation.
  7. Extend involvement and voice of R-only and ECR T&R staff in research policy development, alongside other communities.
  8. Promote the CRediT (Contributor Roles Taxonomy) where appropriate and increase awareness and encourage participation through improved communications.
  1. Build on the agreed development of new careers pathways for technicians to consider alignment with other professional services roles in support of the TALENT commission report recommendations.
  2. Through the development of the Future Research Service, ensure clear grade descriptors for PS staff involved in research, drawing on the example provided by a recent updated description of grade progression for research staff.
  3. Review sectoral best practices for research staff progression from grades 5 through 7, including alignment to independence and support for development.
  4. Promote opportunities for training and career development for all members of the research community including supporting role and career mobility, such as secondments and placements.
  5. Continue to monitor employment patterns and contract precarity, seeking to increase contract security wherever possible in the context of sector wide funding constraints.

The Research Culture Development Group (RCDG) is responsible for implementing the research culture action plan. Our initial proposal for transforming our research culture was agreed in December 2021, preceding the inaugural survey. A selection of outputs achieved through this initial plan is available.

Contact

We would love to hear your thoughts and ideas for positive research culture change. If you would like to share any ideas with us, or would like to learn more about our work on research culture, contact either: