Skip to content

Research Culture

What does research culture mean?

The term ‘research culture’ refers to the behaviours and values that influence how research is conducted and how people experience the environment in which research happens (Royal Society). Positive research cultures are often described in terms of being inclusive, collaborative, supportive, open, rigorous, and/or accessible, but there is no single definition. It is up to individuals, research groups, organisations and sector bodies to set their own vision and priorities for research culture.

A man and a woman sat at a table discussing a topic on a piece of paper. Photograph from VitaeCon2023.
ResearchCultureFrameworkinfographic

The Research Culture Framework

Following on from the launch of the Research Culture Initiatives in the UK (2023) report and as part of the same project commissioned by UK Research and Innovation, Vitae is proud to have developed the Research Culture Framework, in collaboration with Shift Insight and the UK Reproducibility Network (UKRN).

The Research Culture Framework is a tool for employers, funders, and policymakers to support strategic planning on research culture, and describes 13 elements of research culture across four themes:

  • How research is managed and undertaken
  • How research ensures value
  • How people are supported
  • How individuals engage with others

Each element of research culture is described in terms of values and behaviours, and provides a way of understanding the breadth of what is encompassed by research culture.

The framework has been designed for use in multiple contexts depending on the research setting, to help progress the research culture agenda. Based on your priorities, you can use the framework to:

  • Facilitate conversations on research culture between researchers, research enablers, research participants, employers, and other key stakeholders
  • Co-develop research culture definitions, priorities, and goals
  • Conduct gap analyses, considering available evidence and existing policies and practices
  • Create targeted action plans, prioritising actions to address gaps and agreeing measurable outcomes

The Research Culture Framework reflects sector perspectives from a wide range of role holders across a variety of institution and organisation types, as well as from individuals identifying as LGBTQ+, disabled, Black and minority ethnic, and women.

REF2029Logo

REF 2029 People, Culture and Environment Indicators project

In January 2024 the funding bodies commissioned a project to develop the indicators and template for the People, Culture and Environment (PCE) assessment in REF 2029. The commission was awarded to Technopolis and Vitae in collaboration with several community partners.

From May to October 2024, the project provided multiple opportunities for the sector to engage with the development of the PCE indicators, including a series of online workshops to co-develop definitions and indicators to be used in the assessment of the PCE. Details of the workshop themes can be found here.

You can find out more about the project on the REF 2029 website.