GW4 Re-Culture: Research Culture Programme

If ‘culture is one of the two or three most complicated words in the English language’, it’s no wonder that the term research culture has become so vigorously debated across UK universities. As the values, expectations and behaviours that shape how we support, deliver and communicate research, the concept of research culture or even research cultures is now spoken about everywhere – mentioned in strategies, reviews and funding calls.  

But what does an enhanced research culture actually look like on a day to day level – in our team meetings, on our lab floors, in the way that we talk to each other, and in the way that we differ in opinion? How do we as individuals know which values, behaviours, expectations and skills we each need to improve our own and others’ professional lives? And how do we harness the collective energy around research culture to ensure that the systems, practices and procedures that shape our research environment allow those working within it to thrive?

The Programme  

GW4 Re-Culture examined these thorny questions from the inside out, offering a highly creative experience that leveraged participants’ collective wisdom through practical knowledge-exchange activities alongside a comprehensive skills programme facilitated by our partners at 64 Million Artists.  

Participants attended three in-person workshops where they were supported to engage and lead bold new conversations to accelerate research culture change while acquiring skills in distributed leadership, conflict resolution, interpersonal communication and group facilitation. 

The programme sought to:

• Build understanding of the skills, behaviours and systems that contribute to a positive research culture.
• Raise awareness of research culture initiatives across GW4.
• Support reflection on participants’ leadership, strengths and values.
• Encourage cross-role and cross-institutional collaboration.
• Introduce creative approaches to learning and problem-solving.
• Strengthen networks and peer connections across the GW4 partnership.

Impact Funding

Following completion of the programme, participants were invited to apply for impact funding of up to £5,000 per project. The fund aimed to support collaborative, cross-institutional activities that addressed opportunities identified through the programme to strengthen research culture across the Alliance. 

We received a small number of high-quality applications which translated learning and cross-institutional connections into practical initiatives. Funding has been given to two projects from September 2026 – February 2027:

• Valuing Supervisors, Recognising People (VSRP), led by Liz Wren-Owens (Cardiff), will focus on strengthening support and recognition for postgraduate research supervisors. Working with colleagues from Cardiff, Bristol and Bath, the project will explore how the UK Council for Graduate Education’s Research Supervision Recognition Programme can help create a culture in which supervision is valued, recognised and celebrated.
• When the Future is Hard to Find: Building Futures Literacy Across the GW4 Alliance, led by Bentley Crudgington (Bath) and Annayah Prosser (Bath), together with colleagues from Bristol and Exeter, this project will bring researchers and professional services colleagues together to develop futures-thinking skills and explore how these approaches can support research culture development. Through a series of collaborative workshops, participants will build capability in imagining and shaping more inclusive, sustainable and positive futures for research. 

 For more information please email us at talentandskills@gw4.ac.uk.