Research Culture Maturity Framework
This pilot framework helps us better understand where we are, celebrate what works well, and identify where we can grow.
Building a positive research culture together
Research Culture is a broad topic, and often difficult to define. Like many institutions, we are working with our research community to enable and sustain a positive research culture, supported by a wide range of activities.
While institution-wide projects and policies are important, meaningful and lasting change depends equally on local action.
We believe that change belongs to all of us.
About the Maturity Framework
To help us capture, support, and celebrate the wealth of community-led work already happening, we’ve developed - and are now piloting - a Research Culture Maturity Framework.
The framework is designed to help research groups and teams:
- reflect on their current research culture
- evaluate what's working well
- identify priorities for improvement in a structured, supportive way
Our pilot
We're currently working with pilot groups across Newcastle University and with several of our partner institutions. We expect to receive our first feedback in Winter 2025, and we'll update this page as we learn more.
We're also building an institutional Research Culture Maturity Framework to help us evaluate and track our progress more broadly, and we welcome external collaborators to help us do this.
Below you can view our living authors list, a growing list of everyone who has contributed to shaping this tool and the insights behind it.
Get involved
Help shape the Research Culture Maturity Framework by completing our Expression of Interest form, so we can track use, follow up, and recognise your contribution.
You can also contact us at research.strategy@ncl.ac.uk to learn more about our research culture work.
Author list
We are grateful for the input of our growing list of contributors.
| Name | Title | Institution |
|---|---|---|
| Emma Beavis | People Services Project Lead | Newcastle University |
| Amanda Boll | Head of Library Research Services | Newcastle University |
| Steve Boneham | Open Research Officer | Newcastle University |
| Matt Dunlop | Senior Sustainability Manager (Net Zero) | Newcastle University |
| Chris Emmerson | Researcher Development Lead | Newcastle University |
| Ana Ferreira-Duarte | Deputy Director of Research (Research Culture), School of Engineering | Newcastle University |
| Matthew Grenby | Pro Vice Chancellor of Research and Innovation | Newcastle University |
| Natasha Mauthner | Associate Dean of Good Research Practice | Newcastle University |
| Vi Parker | Organisational Development Project Lead | Newcastle University |
| Julia Robinson | School Research Manager, Computing and Maths, Stats and Physics | Newcastle University |
| Candy Rowe | Dean of Research Culture and Strategy | Newcastle University |
| Nicola Simcock | Research Culture Manager | Newcastle University |
| Kirsty Steed | School Research Manager, School of Engineering | Newcastle University |
| Stacey Wagstaff | Research Integrity and Compliance Manager | Newcastle University |
| Sarah Warner | Research Funding Development Manager | Newcastle University |
| Sarah Whalley | Interdisciplinary Research Development Manager | Queen's University Belfast |
| Anne Whitehead | Director of Research, School of English Literature, Language and Linguistics | Newcastle University |
| Conny Zelic | Programme and Change Manager | Newcastle University |
Disclaimer
The Research Culture Maturity Framework is currently a pilot project. It is an evolving tool, co-created with the research community to help us better understand and support research culture development.
We will continue to develop the tool based on feedback from pilot groups and wider community input. If you would like to ensure you are using the most up-to-date version, please contact research.strategy@ncl.ac.uk.
We are grateful to everyone contributing to this collaborative effort to shape our research culture.