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Research Culture

Research Culture Action Plan

The University’s Research Culture Action Plan (RCAP) was published in January 2021. It represents our commitment to promoting a more supportive, inclusive, and collaborative research culture over the coming years. The Plan is a constantly evolving document which is co-owned and co-delivered by the research community at Queen’s. This site contains information about the actions and interventions we are implementing as part of this Plan.

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Research Culture Action Plan (PDF)
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Research Culture Action Plan - Key Aspects
Five Strategic Priorities

The Research Culture Action Plan aims to deliver five strategic priorities for research culture at Queen's. These will be the focus of RCAP activity, initially in the period 2020-21 to 2022-23. Each priority and related actions has been developed in the context of three cross-cutting themes that apply across the Plan: Equality and Diversity, Operating in the context of Covid-19, and Research Quality and Ambition.

  1. Cultivate an inclusive and compassionate culture in which all members of the research community, inclusive of all personal circumstances, are supported in delivering their research ambitions to their greatest potential
  2. Encourage and facilitate collegiality and collaboration amongst the research community in which individuals and groups support each other to deliver disciplinary and cross-disciplinary research ambitions
  3. Respect and facilitate a diverse range of career pathways that exist within research, both in and out of academia, and provide tailored support to attract and retain talent across the research community
  4. Incentivise a culture of creativity and innovation in which researchers have the freedom and flexibility required to explore ambitious and novel research ideas in the spirit of openness, transparency and integrity
  5. Reward and recognise the entire range of contributors and contributions that are made towards research outcomes, regardless of seniority, profile or function
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RESEARCH CULTURE SEED FUND
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Research Culture Action Plan - Implementation
Priority Projects 2021-22

The Research Culture Action Plan comprises a combination of new and existing actions initiatives to be delivered during the period 2021 - 2024. A number of these will be ongoing activities throughout the period, while others will act as a strategic focus during a particular academic year. Listed below are some of the main projects that will represent the focus of activity during the 2021-22 academic year. Additional details and links will be added as they become available.

  • Launch and implement a new Postdoctoral Development Centre, including publication of a new three-year Action Plan for institutional implementation of the Concordat to Support the Career Development of Researchers.
  • Explore, develop and trial new policies and procedures to recognise the full range of contributors and contributions to research, including the CREDIT Taxonomy and Narrative CVs.
  • Continue the conversation around research culture through a series of events, each focussed around a particular theme. Three events to be held in total.
  • Develop and launch a new Research Culture Seed Fund to provide pump-prime support for innovative projects and initiatives that will help to achieve the strategic aspirations of RCAP. The fund will provide a flexible test bed for new approaches that can be piloted before wider institutional roll-out.
  • Develp an agreed institutional 'Best Practice in Research Culture' which will aggregate and synthesise the full range of commitments and aspirations that Queen's has for improving our research culture.
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Useful links and resources

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Research Integrity
Research Integrity

We have in place a range of regulations, principles and standards to maintain ethics, integrity and good practice in research taking place at Queen's.
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Responsible Metrics
Responsible Metrics

We are a signatory to the San Francisco Declaration on Research Assessment (DORA) and have introduced institutional principles on the use of research metrics.
Postdoctoral Researchers
Postdoctoral Researchers

We are a signatory to the Concordat to Support the Career Development of Researchers, which our Postdoctoral Development Centre leads on implementing.
Technician Commitment
Technician Commitment

We are a founding signatory of the National Technician Commitment and our Action Plan aims to address key challenges affecting technical staff.
Graduate school
Postgraduate Researchers
Postgraduate Researchers

Our Graduate School provides an exclusive postgraduate hub that values the needs of our students and prepares them for their future careers.
Engaged Research Action Plan
Engaged Research
Engaged Research

We are proud to be an outward-looking institution, responding to the challenges faced by wider society.
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Researcher Development
Researcher Development

The People & Culture Directorate provides access to a range of dedicated people and services to assist researchers develop their careers.
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Open Research
Open Research

We support researchers in openly and transparently sharing their research findings and the data that underpin them.