Nurturing a positive UK research culture: lessons for funders

There’s a long way to go to reimagine research culture, but this report from the Russell Group is a welcome step forward. By drawing from the many pockets of good practice found across UK universities, the publication offers pragmatic ideas to help us all make a difference.

Through our own Reimagine Research initiative, Wellcome shares this desire to nurture a workplace culture that shows the research community’s best side, rather than our worst. Only by doing this will the research sector retain its trusted position in society – the public rightly care not just about what we do, but also how we do it.

Each journey will be different, but I see three key lessons funders must learn along the way:

1.     We must reward the things we want to see

Funders can influence culture by establishing clear expectations around the things we don’t want to see, such as research misconduct or bullying and harassment. These requirements must then be communicated clearly and enforced fairly, so that funders, institutions and researchers are all working under a mutual understanding.

But requirements alone can’t lead us to a positive workplace culture. We must also reward the things we do want to see – be that good management, high-quality research practices or personal development. We must work out how to identify and reward those strengths in individuals and institutions, creating a system that values aspiration over adequacy.

2.     We must rebuild trust across the research community

After hearing from thousands of researchers through our Reimagine Research initiative, we know that aspects of the prevailing culture have eroded trust between institutions, individuals and funders. Funders must do their part to rebuild this trust, recognising that we’re all on the same side.

For Wellcome that will mean partnering with, rather than policing, those we work with. Recognising research as a joint endeavour will help us all achieve more and build a set of incentives that encourage expectations to be surpassed, rather than just met.  Honest dialogue will be essential, and we’re pleased to have taken some first steps through our Town Hall series of events across the UK.

3.     We must learn to experiment with the system

If the research community can clearly describe the culture we’d like to create, then we can experiment with the many ways to reach that shared goal. This is essential because we don’t yet have the right answers.

The entire research sector including funders must embrace careful, structured experimentation, with an open evaluation of the results of each new approach. As a community, researchers are perhaps uniquely qualified for this evidence-led, iterative approach to identify what works.