Changing Research Culture

9th July 2024, 10am-3pm

Workroom 2, the Wave, University of Sheffield

In person, with online attendance available for keynote talks only

In anticipation of REF2029’s heightened emphasis on People, Culture and Environment, ‘research culture’ is increasingly coming into scope as a focus of attention for UK institutions. But critical and reflective work is needed to avoid the term becoming, like ‘excellence’ itself, a floating signifier that obscures the genuine conditions, processes and limitations of academic practice. 

This one-day workshop will address this task with a particular focus on practices around openness and transparency. With reference to UKRIO’s component principles of research integrity, we will examine the degree to which open practices present a necessary condition of a culture of research integrity and inclusion and explore the extent to which embedding and facilitating open practices offers a significant mechanism of culture change. 

Keynote speakers:

• Tanita Casci, Director, Research Strategy & Policy Unit, University of Oxford
• Stephen Curry, College Consul and Professor of Natural Science, Imperial College London, and Chair of the Declaration on Research Assessment (DORA)

Keynote talks

Dr Tanita Casci, Director, Research Strategy & Policy Unit, University of Oxford

Research culture: making it stick

Better research, and better trust in research, depends on making sustained improvements to our day-to-day research habits, including how we implement the highest standards of practice in the design, planning, execution, and reporting of research findings. Our practices, however, are too often shaped by the somewhat narrow and traditional way in which we evaluate quality, support careers, and recognise contributions made to research.

Research funders and REF are increasingly holding institutions and PIs responsible for demonstrating positive and supportive research cultures — now is therefore the right time to promote positive practices across institutions, funders, publishers, and the wider sector.

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Professor Stephen Curry, College Consul and Professor of Natural Science, Imperial College London, and Chair of the Declaration on Research Assessment (DORA)

Weaving the threads of a revitalised research culture

Plans to place greater emphasis on People, Culture and Environment in the UK’s next Research Excellence Framework represent the latest strand of work worldwide to reform research culture. These include efforts to address research issues such as assessment, integrity, openness, and diversity & inclusion, which have emerged from many different parts of the academic landscape. In my presentation I will argue that these strands need to be woven together through inspiring and action-oriented leadership if we are to create the fabric of a revitalised research culture that is focused on the challenges of the 21st Century.

Event programme

The full programme for the event can be found here: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1tCexuUiaGawAxTqNHi02amcfKO-XzPJuC10EIwbhOik/edit?usp=sharing 

Book your place

Book a place (Ticket Tailor link)

Book a place for online attendance of keynote talks only (Ticket Tailor link)