Research culture: let's reimagine how we work together
We want to hear your solutions to improve research culture. As a funder we need to play our part, and your role is essential. Achieving a successful research culture needs collective responsibility and change at all levels. Your ideas will help us to craft a set of ambitious goals for creating a better culture.
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Thousands of researchers have taken part in the largest ever survey into experiences of research culture. Now we want to hear your solutions to some of the concerns that have been raised. Your ideas will help us craft a set of ambitious goals for creating a better culture.
Check out the ideas that have already been suggested below, comment and vote for the ones you think could make a difference. Or you can add your own idea following this format (you'll need to create an account to vote and add responses).
Add your idea:
Title of your idea/solution
Enter a short description (optional):
1) A brief description - who can make the change and how?
2) Examples of what you could do to support this change.
3) Stick to under 250 words.
4) If you want, you can tag your institution!
Help us make sure everyone feels safe and free to engage in discussions. Don't be rude, hateful or insulting--we will not tolerate this. You can respectfully challenge ideas but never attack the person. Check out our forum etiquette and moderation rules.
Find out more about Wellcome's campaign to reimagine research.
View All Ideasover 1 year ago
Embrace a sustainable and healthy working regime
PhD students, postdocs and PI tend to work very long hours (often nights and weekends): 1. Sometimes it is a necessity. Although some experimental work requires long time to perform often working during the night and the weekends is a necessity because lab facilities might be over-used/subscribed and researchers feel more comfortable in making use of facilities not at peak-hours. Institutions could solve this by keeping a watchful eye on usage of their facilities and funders could help by providing avenues to acquire more piece of kit (i.e. Wellcome Multi User Equipment scheme). 2. Sometimes it is a choice. I met many researches in my life at the bench, who were much happier to be working without “people around”. This behaviour must stop. Institutions could keep lab access at night/weekend strictly regulated. If the night/weekend work is not properly justified, it should not be allowed. 3. Often there is a view that such type of working regime is an acceptable price to pay to be competitive and "ahead in the game". Lab leaders need to help passing a different type of message: competitiveness does not simply boil down to the speed at which results are produced but how reproducible and transformative they are. This also ties into a wider discussion of learning to work effectively by allowing more time for planning experiments. Advocate for better working/life balance, improve the working environment by ensuring that the right facilities are available, provide rules on access to laboratories/institutions outside the normal working hours.
about 1 year ago
Discourage a culture of overwork
The organisation and people in positions of power must make it clear that working beyond contracted hours is not the expectation. If you work to your contracted hours it does not mean you are not committed.
over 1 year ago
Restore faith in the reviewing system (papers and grants)
Problem: science is founded on anonymous peer review. Currently, in many situations that system is broken. It leads to disillusionment, despair and dropout. Two solutions: 1) all reviews should be open after n years (n = 30 for Government records, after all). 2) Top-slice 2 week’s salary of every academic, redeemable by their university/institution after they review the requisite amount (even offer to send people to reviewing ‘camp’). Why? 1) Any system that can be corrupt probably is. Historians will be able to judge. A welcome element of fear/shame will be introduced into the minds of powerful gatekeepers. 2) Good reviewers are too busy. If everyone is doing it, the culture should change. At the end of their careers, scientists should be proud of the data they have published AND the reviews they have written.
over 1 year ago
Management accreditation mandatory for investigators and researchers on grants
Anecdotally, experience in academia is hugely dependent on your line manager but there are inconsitent approaches to management training and performance which would not be allowed in businesses. A nationally recognised certification for line management which would need to be kept up to date (every 5 years) should be introduced which all investigators funded by Wellcome and others must have to apply for funds, with a process for removing accreditation permanently or temporarily. Also needed for investigators entering UK from elsewhere in the world with different approaches to research to prepare them for 'this is the way we do things here'.
over 1 year ago
Ring fence public engagement with research funding within grants
Funding for public engagement with research used to come via the Pathways to Impact statement. Now that this has been dispensed with, it is important that budget within grants for public engagement with research is ring fenced for that purpose. Previously, if a PI chose to use that funding for other purposes there was absolutely no comeback or negative consequences. By ring fencing such funding, hopefully it will mean that the PER is actually delivered!
