Actively supporting research

Here you will find some example development objectives that we think will support you at this stage. They have been developed by a working group of diverse, multi-disciplinary colleagues. The themes were raised by colleagues – including managers – in a cross-University survey about researcher needs, and are mapped to external benchmarks and sector good practice (e.g. Vitae), plus relevant internal strategies and policies.

The objectives identify some key actions for you to complete, and which we hope will support you in your role. Staff needs are likely to be different as the research career progresses, but progression is not always linear and different forms of objectives and support may be required at different times. You may want to adapt them to your own needs, in consultation with your line manager, mentor or research lead.

Developing identity as a researcher

Schedule a meeting with a supportive colleague to discuss your aims for the future. Write down some keywords describing your future plans and meet with your line manager to identify how these might be supported in your current role.

Broadening your research knowledge (skills) and experience

Consider attending development sessions for researchers that match your interests to broaden your understanding of research knowledge. Share your learning with your team to extend your learning to others and support their development. Speak to the central research services about the activities undertaken and knowledge and skills required by research managers and administrators (RMAs) working in a range of different roles.

Equality, diversity and inclusion

Embed discussions/activities on equality, diversity and inclusion (EDI) in your liaison with researchers to further integrate EDI in research culture across the institution and beyond. Consult on what is needed and act to embed change. Talk to research colleagues about the barriers to EDI becoming an embedded element of research activity and work together to plan and act in response to these challenges. Where colleagues are doing research relevant to EDI, consider how evidence-based actions could be applied in your area. Engage with professional guidance specific to your particular area (e.g. ARMA, the professional association for research management/ administration in the UK.

Organisational expectations/vision

Identify areas for improvement in how the University meets its strategic research objectives and use this as the basis for one of your Performance and Development Review (PDR) objectives.

Developing networks, partnerships/collaborations

In working with a UON partner, learn the internal processes that best serve the partnership. Identify opportunities to engage with partnerships to share with their research support staff.

In this section we have provided some examples of development activities, top tips and good practice. UON colleagues have found these activities helpful, and we hope they will be useful to you at this stage. These fall under four categories, and you can ‘pick and mix’ according to your needs and development objectives:

• Information, policies and guidance for researchers at UON (including guidance for those applying to become an Associate Professor);
• Existing resources via recorded sessions previously held at UON, or offered via development platforms that we have a license for, including LinkedInLearning and SAGE research methods;
• Forthcoming development sessions hosted by the University of Northampton;
• Professional Development Framework, developed by ARMA to help you plan your professional development, assist in mapping your career pathway, and aid managers and institutional staff developers with providing professional development for research managers and administrators.

We will continue to update this section with examples and activities. Please share any feedback, or other examples you have found useful, using this research development feedback form.

A big part of building our research community is developing supportive links between different individuals and teams. We really want to you to feel supported as you progress your research aspirations, whatever those aspirations might be. Here, you will find a list of the people/teams/centres who are there to support you. They are a good first port of call for you to seek support and guidance and can signpost you to others if they aren’t able to help directly.

Research and Innovation Funding Services Manager: Paul Bramble

Head of Research Support: Dawn Hibbert

Faculty research leads

Faculty of Health, Education and Society: John Horton

Faculty of Arts, Science and Technology: Lee Machado

Faculty of Business and Law: Shaowei He

Institute leads

Institute for Social Innovation and Impact: Richard Hazenberg

Institute for Public Safety, Crime and Justice: Matthew Callender

Institute for Creative Leather Technologies: Will Wise

Research Institutes and Centres | University of Northampton

Graduate School

Thinking about the future, as a line manager we also want to support you to work with those you manage to support each other in contributing to our existing research centres/institutes or developing new areas of interest.

If you would like some guidance or support to facilitate these discussions, please get in touch with your research lead, who will work with you to identify the best way of doing this for your team. This might be through supporting at an existing team meeting, or by setting up an away day session to enable you to focus on your future research aspirations – you know your team best, and we will follow your lead on the best way(s) to engage with them.