training and development
foundations
These workshops are usually delivered online and run for 60-90 minutes, depending on the time available. They can also be delivered in person where this is preferable. Each session is self-contained, with no need for previous experience, and consists of a presentation with time for questions and discussion.
Laying the foundations of research impact
Trainer: Nick Bibby
Getting an impact strategy right from the outset can save a huge amount of time, stress and frustration later on. This session explores how to embed impact into a research project from the outset, the importance of anticipating and addressing the needs of partner organisations, and the critical role of relationships grounded in trust. This session provides context to communication practices by grounding them in a wider framework of research about concepts of impact and securing change in the world more generally. •The fundamentals of impact and how is it achieved •The four principal ingredients of impact and their role in developing a strategy •The importance of networks and respecting collaborators and those most affected by actions
Principles of science communication
Trainer: Hannah Grist
There is an ever-increasing pressure on scientists to communicate scientific research outputs beyond peer-reviewed papers and conference presentations. This session focuses on how best to identify appropriate audiences and methods for research communication and delves into the specific benefits and challenges of communicating science. •Common science communication outputs and techniques •Overcoming pitfalls to make your communication effective to your purpose •Designing science communication plans
Who funds research in the UK?
Trainer: Al Innes
Understanding the funding landscape is a useful component in any research career. However, it’s not always obvious where to start. This workshop will help anyone new to the UK's sometimes bewilder ecosystem of funders and their processes get going. •Practical strategies and knowledge to effectively navigate the UK funding landscape •In-depth exploration of the research funding ecosystem in the UK •How to anticipate and navigate funders’ priorities and concerns
delivery
These workshops are a little more focussed than the previous set but are also self-contained, requiring no previous experience. They can be delivered online or in person and consist of a presentation with plenty of time for questions and discussion.
Audience and message: developing your strategy
Trainer: Nick Bibby
It can be tempting to grab at certain communications activities and platforms without taking the time to assess whether they will work for you or your audiences. It can also be tempting to stick with those tools long past the point when they were helpful. This practical session will explain how to better understand the ideas of ‘audience’ and ‘message’ in a research context, how to build collaborative partnerships through meaningful feedback and reflection, and how to create the habit of listening that in turn helps you to be heard. •Understanding the needs of your audience and how to tailor a message for them •How to learn alongside your audiences through planning, delivery, feedback and discovery •The value of seeing communication as a collaborative tool rather than a declarative one
Building and working in interdisciplinary teams
Trainer: Hannah Grist
Interdisciplinarity can be key to overcoming large-scale holistic challenges, but effective working involves moving beyond talking and into active integration across disciplines and ideas. This session introduces the thinking and methods behind working effectively across disciplines, and provides practical tools and examples to help you lead and work with interdisciplinary teams. •Discussing different forms of interdisciplinarity and finding what works for you •Understanding the challenges and benefits of interdisciplinarity •Tools and methods to build and lead a team
Funding types and when to use them
Trainer: Al Innes
There is a very familiar frustration in having a great research idea but finding obstacles in the way of getting it funded. Whether that’s developing an early set of results into a larger project, or building a research team for the first time following a successful fellowship. Maybe the funding is to develop a network to share research outputs and develop new ideas. No matter the needs of an individual researcher, there is a mechanism for developing their plans for external funding - knowing when this is required and when it isn’t is vital to developing their career. This session will provide an overview of the options and equip participants with the knowledge to take their research forward. •Different types of funding mechanisms available from external organisations •The activities different mechanisms will and won’t allow for an intended project •How to best support research plans, and when and how to take them forward
Our friends in the press: research and media management
Trainer: Nick Bibby
This session examines how the media approach research and how best to position academic work to be of interest to journalists. It will consider how media activity can relate to a broader communications strategy, and how to develop a relationship with the press over time, in a way that moves beyond a single story. The session will also highlight some of the common challenges researchers face in working with broadcast and print media and introduce some common tools. •Understanding how the needs of researchers and journalists intersect •Establishing the place of the media in communicating research to different audiences •Appreciating why some approaches maximise the chance of coverage – and why others don’t
Planning and managing research communications
Trainer: Nick Bibby
In an age of seemingly endless communication options, planning how a research project should be presented can seem like a daunting task. This session offers PIs and other researchers an overview of which strategies work best for which audiences and topics. Participants will explore the importance of understanding their audience, consider the challenges in planning ahead, and reflect on how power dynamics determine which voices should be heard. •Creating and maintaining effective communication channels •Consistency and quality in establishing trusted relationships with partners •Starting small and building up from solid foundations
Policy & communications options for early-career researchers
Trainer: Hannah Grist
When establishing an academic career, it’s useful to understand common communications channels and the world of public policy. Navigating around this new world is easier with a few signposts. This session will help participants find their own place in a world where every niche often seems to be filled. It starts with basic principles before looking at how to plan a career with impact and engagement embedded at all stages. •The policy and research communications landscape •Opportunities for early-career researchers •How to build a portfolio of experience and impact
Running successful workshops and events
Trainer: Hannah Grist
Knowledge exchange events and workshops can be a key part of a successful two-way communication strategy for research. This session offers practical advice and strategies on designing and delivering these types of events, from choosing between online or in person engagement right down to writing an effective workshop plan. •When and why workshops and events are useful communications tools •Designing engaging workshops that keep participants motivated •Facilitation skills and how to maximise impact
Tools of the trade: communications in practice
Trainer: Nick Bibby
This session explores the practice of research communications through the prism of three common tools: the press release, the policy brief, and the humble blog post. What can each of these tell us about how different knowledge users approach research outputs, how best to engage that group, and how to maximise the effectiveness of these or any other communications tools? This workshop will explore how to choose between different communications methods and how to avoid common errors that can easily derail any strategy. •How to make decisions about which communications tools are useful and which are distractions •Considering what to say and how to say it from the perspective of an audience •How to make the best use of policy briefs, press releases and blogs
Writing for policy professionals
Trainer: Nick Bibby
Writing for a policy audience presents a very particular set of challenges in terms of the both the tone and content of what needs to be said, and how it needs to be said. It also requires an understanding of the needs of different policy stakeholders and an appreciation of how their work can interact with any given research: and how both fit into the policymaking process as a whole. This session provides an overview of how to write in ways that will be most useful for officials and politicians. •Ways to influence policy and the obstacles policymakers face in using evidence •The complexity of the policy landscape and the value of prioritising relationships •The needs of different policy professionals and how best to present research to meet them
Writing a research fellowship application
Trainer: Al Innes
Writing any proposal for funding is a challenge and can be off-putting. Doubly so when doing it for the first time. The first funding application many researchers have to tackle is frequently for fellowships, and this workshop will equip participants with the knowledge they need to shape a fellowship around their research priorities, and design a research plan that will be attractive to funding organizations. •How a fellowship differs from other types of research proposals •What leadership looks like in successful research fellowships •Articulating research questions, aims, and methods in a way that creates a high quality, competitive fellowship proposals
conversations
These ninety-minute sessions include three parts. They begin with a short presentation introducing participants to some of the key concepts and skills relating to the topic to be discussed. This is followed by a conversation with an expert guest, usually one of research and impact’s associates. Finally, there is an opportunity for all participants to ask questions of both speakers and discuss any issues that they may wish to explore in more depth.
Media for medics
Nick Bibby talks to Jennifer Trueland
Medical researchers face a wide range of challenges in getting their message across in the print and broadcast media. This workshop introduces participants to some of the basic principles of working with the press, discusses how they can form part of a wider communications strategy and introduces ways of working with different types of media outlet. Jennifer Trueland has been a journalist for over thirty years, specialising in health journalism for most of her career. Her early roles included Health Editor for the Newcastle Journal and Health Correspondent for the Scotsman. Her more recent credits include The Doctor, Nursing Standard, Health Service Journal and Digital Health, in addition to The Guardian, Sunday Times (Scotland), Herald, Times, and Daily Record. •How can medics communicate effectively through the traditional media? •What is the difference between working with the specialist health press and more mainstream publications? •How can research best be presented to interest health journalists?
Partnership in practice: a case study of SHAAP and GCU
Nick Bibby talks to Elinor Jayne
Establishing effective and mutually beneficial partnerships, grounded in trust, is at the heart of achieving impact. Elinor Jayne heads up an NGO which has a number of longstanding collaborations with researchers and research centres. This session will examine how partnerships between academic and non-academic organisations can grow and develop over time. Currently Director of Scottish Health Action for Alcohol Problems (SHAAP), a partnership of the Medical Royal Colleges, Elinor has previously worked with other charities, mainly in the area of public health, which made use of academic research in order to pursue their missions. What makes for an enduring partnership? What lessons could be applied to other situations? What have been the key challenges in the relationship? •What are the benefits for NGOs in working with researchers? •What do researchers and research centres need to know about working with charities? •What have proved to be the attributes of successful partnerships?
Working with… local government
Nick Bibby talks to Paul Godzik
It would be easy to assume that the world of policymaking only extends to parliament and central government. However, much of the policy that most affects people’s day-to-day lives is determined in town and city halls across the country. Researchers often believe that the best routes into policy are those running through the national institutions; however, working with local government offers opportunities to connect with key delivery organisations and shape policy and practice as it is implemented on the ground. Paul Godzik is a public affairs & strategic communications consultant based in Edinburgh. He has worked in both the UK and Scottish parliaments and was a councillor in Edinburgh for ten years, including four years as Convenor of the Education, Children and Families Committee. •How can academics best connect with local government and how are councils structured? •What are the main routes into working with councillors and what are their areas of responsibility? •How can working with councils be part of connecting with a local community more generally?
Working with… the specialist press
Nick Bibby talks to Jennifer Trueland
When we think of the media, we tend to think of the newspapers and magazines available in the supermarket and the main TV and radio broadcasters. However, there is a whole world of specialist media, covering every conceivable professional group, societal interest and personal affiliation, which are often overlooked by scholars seeking to promote their work. This session explores what specialist journalists need from researchers and how to pitch stories and comment pieces to their publications. •What opportunities are there for academics to work with the specialist press? •How can specialist publications provide a route to allied practitioners and policymakers? •Are there particular challenges to engaging with specialist publications?
Working with… the third sector
Nick Bibby talks to Elinor Jayne
Charities and other non-governmental organisations are often key partners in researchers’ engagement and impact plans. Working with them can present huge opportunities as well as some challenges for both parties. This session will explore how those relationships look from the perspective of the third sector partner. What do charities need from academics? What obstacles do they face when working with them? Why and how do charities work with academics? •How does the third sector make use of academic research? •What are good ways of contacting a third sector organisation? •What are the hallmarks of an effective third sector partnership?
development
These workshops can be delivered in person or online and can be scheduled either as a half-day event with one of our consultants, or a day-long event involving two or more. They can be either a smaller workshop-style discussion involving the leadership team of a research centre, or a facilitated conference-style discussion with a larger group. Where it is helpful, a short note of any decisions or suggested next steps can be produced as part of the fee.
Our consultants and associates are also available to chair or facilitate events and workshops and we can provide a quotation for such work on request.
Communications strategy workshop
Nick Bibby & Hannah Grist
Getting a communications and engagement strategy right from the outset can save a lot of headaches down the line. This session will help research teams identify key audiences and messages and consider their capacity to reach those audiences using a range of tools. The workshop will help participants think in terms of building relationships for the longer term that will maximise the impact of their research outputs.
Funding strategy workshop
Nick Bibby & Al Innes
Thinking through key funding outcomes and developing a strategy in the context of diverse and demanding funding options can be a tall order. Making decisions in this space involves a whole series of variables; the current skills and capacities of the researchers involved, the need to maximise opportunities for income in the short term, and also allowing all members of the team to develop over time. This session will help research teams move towards a strategic, balanced, and sustainable approach that grows as they do and allows the funding to support the needs of the research, rather than the other way around.
Stakeholder mapping workshop
Nick Bibby & Paul Godzik
This workshop will help teams reflect on their existing relationships and consider which new ones it would be useful to build. Participants will assess the strength of those existing links, how they might be enhanced, and how the network as a whole might be expanded to included valuable new relationships. Auditing existing relationships and planning how to develop new ones is a fundamental aspect of developing an impactful research presence, and yet it is routinely neglected. This workshop helps research units address that and helps researchers enhance their skills in this important area.
Policy relationships and goals
Nick Bibby, Hannah Grist & Elinor Jayne
It can be tempting to set very broad goals when seeking to connect with policy professionals – frequently just “we want to engage with policy”. It is useful to be as specific as possible, using a clear understanding of the remits of different organisations, the teams within them and their functions, and the motivations and pressures on different types of professionals. This workshop helps research centres drill down into their policy engagement goals and turn aspirations into plans by identifying key opportunities to engage with policy and which organisations and individuals to approach.
ecr career panels
It’s not much of a secret that there are more doctoral graduates than there are academic jobs available. For PhD students and postdocs in particular, deciding on the next career step can be an arduous and bewildering task. Even identifying opportunities for research degree graduates beyond the academy is no mean feat and that's without discovering how to pursue them.
Each of these ninety-minute panel sessions features a curated discussion with holders of different types of research roles within each sector before an opportunity for students to ask questions.
Research careers in policy
Nick Bibby joined by a panel from the world of policy
Central government and other policy institutions recruit large numbers of higher degree graduates into research positions. These roles are very varied but include the Civil Service’s own research profession, opportunities in all of the UK’s parliaments and many local authorities, think tanks, regulatory agencies and other public bodies. This session will give a sense of the diversity of available roles, an appreciation of how they differ from academic research, and the differences made by different disciplinary backgrounds. Panellists will also offer some insights into their own career paths and a few hints on how to get started and where to apply.
Research careers in the private sector
Nick Bibby joined by a panel from the private sector
Research roles in the private sector can range from innovation and development opportunities at the cutting edge of technology, through to analyst roles in financial institutions, data scientists working in retail and service companies, or research scientists in the chemicals or pharmaceutical sectors. This session will explore how these jobs are filled, what different career paths look like, what makes companies tick and how these roles differ from working in a university environment. The event will see panellists share their own experiences of securing a job in the first place and then excelling in their chosen career. They will also offer a few tips on how to stand out from the crowd.
Research careers in the third sector
Nick Bibby joined by a panel from charities and NGOs
Many charities are highly dependent on research expertise. However, it is a hugely diverse sector with opportunities ranging from medical research to international development to public policy to environmental protection. Charities also come in all shapes and sizes, ranging from huge organisations operating globally to one- and two-person outfits focussed on helping particular communities or highlighting neglected societal problems. This event will give students insights into different career trajectories within the sector and a sense of how best to approach the process of getting hired.