Research excellence

Deep dives into university research practices around the world, including supervision, community engagement, funding and publication.

Female student looking through a microscope

Europe invests in research but underinvests in forming researchers

Europe has built an admirable research support system but there is one crucial stage that is overlooked – the early formation of researchers, writes Adam Kola. He offers examples from his own institution on how to address this

Adam Kola

Nicolaus Copernicus University

A close-up of a lab worker looking through a microscope

Turning research sustainability from a tick-box exercise into ‘the way we work’

Sustainability can feel like yet another task for busy researchers. Here are ways to make greener research practices easier – and more memorable

Andrea Hodgetts, Caitlin Broadbent, Hong Zhang

UCL

A scientist stands in a greenhouse with a tablet

Environmental researchers know the impact of AI – so why do they still use it?

Academics are increasingly using AI for research, despite being aware of its environmental footprint. But is it their fault – and what can be done?

Sarah Hartley, Emily Robinson, Mayra Rodriguez

The University of Exeter

Two masked scientists fillin test tubes in a lab

From experiment to impact: reducing waste in teaching labs, part 2

How to move beyond basic waste reduction to teaching students responsible decision-making in experimental work

Rebecca L. Jones, Sara Thayammal, Fatema Khatun, Roberta Stinga

Imperial College London

Rethinking the process of patient and public involvement

To get a full picture of the impact of PPI, would it be better to focus on improving the process of involving people in health research as well as measuring outcomes?

Gary Hickey

University of Southampton

A group of students conducting an experiment in a lab

From experiment to impact: reducing waste in teaching labs, part 1

From cleaning glassware to choosing cooling systems, learn how small teaching interventions can help students experiment more sustainably

Rebecca L. Jones, Sara Thayammal, Fatema Khatun, Roberta Stinga

Imperial College London

The hidden environmental cost of cold storage in laboratories

Ultra-low-temperature freezers in laboratories can use as much energy as two UK households per year. Here’s how to make cold storage as efficient as possible

Marcelo Salierno

King’s College London

Greener labs don’t need bigger budgets – just better habits

When it comes to improving green practices across a university’s laboratories, meaningful change doesn’t always require major investment or new infrastructure. Small but intentional practices can yield substantial results

Autumn Timpano

Virginia Tech

Look beyond commercialisation to a wider landscape of impact

Instead of seeing commercialisation as an entrepreneurial activity, let’s look at it as part of a broader picture of the value research creates

Andy Phippen, Louise Rutt

Bournemouth University, University of Plymouth

Interdisciplinary research cultures are inclusive, not competitive

Research that crosses disciplines strengthens networks, diversifies expertise and moves thinking beyond inherited boundaries, but effective interdisciplinarity takes time, curiosity and willingness to tackle cultural and structural obstacles

Valentina Cardo, Claire Clarkin , Ingrid Slade

University of Southampton

Transgender disabled woman talking to a researcher with a laptop

How intersectionality impacts research with LGBTQ+ communities

In designing and conducting studies that involve members of LGBTQ+ communities, researchers need to recognise the diversity and complexity of participants’ experiences. Here are seven ways to apply an intersectional approach for better research

Emerson Zerafa-Payne , Mackenzie Rubens, James A. Fowler

The University of Southern Queensland

A group of research participants sitting in a circle

A trauma-informed approach to research

Practical strategies for researchers engaging with trauma-related issues and participants with experience of trauma

Helen Anne Nolan, Vicky Panossian

The University of Warwick

A man reads a book between the aisles of a university library

Making public work count in academia

Practical advice for universities and departments that want to begin including public work meaningfully in hiring, tenure and promotion standards

David Perry

University of Minnesota Twin Cities

How to articulate a clear identity for university libraries – and why it matters

In the digital era, the identity of the library has become blurred. Here’s how to emphasise its distinctiveness, writes John Cox

John Cox

University of Galway

A female professor at her laptop in the library

Safeguards against GenAI hallucination in literature reviews

Generative AI can speed up literature reviews, but it can also produce convincing false references. Learn practical strategies to help researchers use AI tools while keeping their work anchored in real, verifiable research

Jie Zhang, Lili Jiu, Yi Luo

Xi’an Jiaotong-Liverpool University

Distorted reflection of a man walking in the street

How AI is quietly distorting academic enquiry – and what to do about it

If students rely on AI summaries as starting points – or substitutes for enquiry – they risk bypassing the processes higher education is designed to cultivate: comparison, evaluation and critical analysis. Cayce Myers offers solutions

Cayce Myers

Virginia Tech

Academics discuss around a meeting table

Build a teaching and learning research network from the ground up

Early career educators can find support in teaching and learning scholarship through a community of practice. Here’s how

Paul Chesterton

Teesside University

Four ways to strengthen the PGR community and sense of belonging

The doctoral experience doesn’t have to be isolated. Here, Maisha Islam and Natasha Palmer share four recommendations to enable an inclusive, collaborative research culture and communities for postgraduate researchers

Maisha Islam , Natasha Palmer

University of Southampton

Why universities should be turned upside down

Reversing the flow of knowledge – so students, rather than established professors, drive enquiry – could help the next generation of scholars prepare society, and themselves, for the future, writes Robert Gibbs

Robert Gibbs

University of Toronto

Ashutosh Chilkoti speaks on the Campus Talks podcast

Campus Talks: Where research meets enterprise – lessons from a successful spin-out founder

Learn about the journey from academic researcher to entrepreneur and what it takes to launch a successful spin-out company, from a serial founder

Ashutosh Chilkoti, Miranda Prynne

Duke University

An academic career is rarely a straight line

A scientist’s path can include studying abroad, experience in industry, research and teaching as well as setbacks and uncertainty. Here, Kinga Vörös offers reflections as an early career neuroscientist and why the journey is most meaningful when research reaches patients

Kinga Vörös

Semmelweis University

Young researcher making a business pitch

What you need to know about securing investment for your spin out

Venture capitalists are ‘completely different beasts’ to grant bodies so academic founders need to embrace a new style of pitching if they are to secure funding for their companies, as Tim Witney explains

Tim Witney

King’s College London

A woman starts her business plan on a whiteboard

Write a business plan for a university spin-out company

Looking to secure investment for your spin-out? Find out how to write a business plan that ticks every box

Robert Crammond

University of the West of Scotland

A step-by-step guide to commercialising your research

A step-by-step guide to commercialising your research

Practical insight on how to take your discoveries from research laboratory to marketplace

Campus contributors, Kiera O’Brien

Campus

From lab to market – part 2: writing a business plan

In the second part of this two-part series on finding investment for research commercialisation, here’s how to build a business plan

Eirini Epitropaki

Birkbeck, University of London

Scientists discuss a project with an investor in the lab

From lab to market – part 1: finding investment

In the first part of this two-part series on investment and business planning for research spin-out companies, discover all you need to know about attracting venture capital

Eirini Epitropaki

Birkbeck, University of London

red paper airplane leaving line of white paper airplanes

Academia can never be ‘just a job’ (and why that is OK)

The uncomfortable truth is that academia doesn’t conform to the regular nine-to-five, and pretending otherwise will not fix working conditions that are broken, argues Sorin Krammer

Sorin M. S. Krammer

University of Southampton

Understand the motivations involved in research-policy exchange

The rush to expand policy engagement without understanding the goals for each side risks creating structures and processes that work for no one. Here’s how to understand each other better

Christina Boswell

Royal Society of Edinburgh

Man using visual brainstorming for business planning

Plan your route from research to market

To successfully commercialise research, you need first to understand the different routes available for taking your findings to market and how your institution can help, as Nicolas Huber explains

Nicolas Huber

King’s College London

Connecting the dots between academic and professional services staff

Advice for working with the essential – and often unsung – professional services teams who enable universities to deliver effective teaching, research and student success

Campus contributors, Eliza Compton

Campus

The first step in commercialising your research: start the conversation

Your university’s commercialisation office can help start your journey from academic to CEO. Here’s how

Jim O’Connell

University of Florida

A male and female engineer in safety gear pointing at project

How to lead industry-focused research without losing academic rigour

Working with industry can increase research impact, but many academics worry about protecting quality and rigour. Here, Firdous Nazir shares practical lessons on how to collaborate effectively on applied research without compromising academic standards

Firdous Ul Nazir

Glasgow Caledonian University

Asian man with glasses looking at screen

From mind to market: how young academics can approach research commercialisation

Translating research to real-world impact can be daunting for early career researchers. Here, Tiam Lin Sze offers a road map and why early protection of intellectual property is vital, especially before publication

Tiam Lin Sze

Singapore Management University

Young female engineer and older male colleague in a factory

Bridging the academic-commercial divide: a practical guide for university researchers

Industry collaborations demand thoughtful planning and engagement that extend beyond the bench in order to achieve the real-world impact that universities and researchers hope their discoveries will generate. Here are key considerations

Mary Albertson, Kashmira Kulkarni

Georgia Tech’s Center for 21st Century Universities

The path from ‘eureka’ to patent

Early action matters when it comes to protecting and commercialising university innovations. This step-by-step technology transfer process bridges the gap between lab discoveries and real-world impact

Dana Vouglitois

Florida Atlantic University

Two researchers make notes while working

Three ways for universities to collaborate with industry

Find advice on knowledge transfer and working with outside companies to help students gain experience, leverage existing research infrastructure and build solid partnerships

Julian C. Pena-Bermudez

Universidad del Caribe (UNICARIBE)

Group of professionals seated talking at a networking event

How female academics can turn network awareness into advancement

The ability to map, navigate and capitalise on professional connections – and disconnections – is not gender neutral, as Eric Quintane explains

Eric Quintane

ESMT Berlin

AI won’t replace qualitative researchers – it might help them

Large language models may not simply replicate human analyses of qualitative data; they can offer additional insights and both challenge researchers' assumptions and prompt further reflection on their interpretations

Dimitris Raidos, Sarah Jenner

Ipsos UK, University of Southampton

Balancing use of AI when doing academic writing

Yes, GenAI can make academic writing easier without making us less scholarly

Generative AI does not change scholarship’s foundations of judgement, authorship and care, but it does require academics to apply them more intentionally when writing

Nicole Brownlie

The University of Southern Queensland

Spotlight: What does innovation need to thrive in HE

What innovation needs to thrive in higher education

Advice on cultivating innovative mindsets across a university, among academics, staff and students

Campus contributors

Campus

Young Asian man recording observations in nature

‘The process of writing forces the writer to be present’

Writing is hard and uncomfortable, but the craft of turning thoughts into words should not be lost to the frictionless ease of generative AI, write Jackie Webb and Christina Birnbaum

Jackie Webb, Christina Birnbaum

The University of Southern Queensland

Harness the power of your university librarian in the age of information chaos

Find out how to tap the mine of knowledge your university library has, for trustworthy research sources, data expertise and information literacy advice

Ben Meunier

The Chinese University of Hong Kong

How to design and supervise GenAI-integrated doctoral research

Strategies for research supervisors and curriculum designers when embedding GenAI in research activities

Kate Abraham

Hult International Business School (Ashridge)

The difference between good and bad impact management

How do academics and research managers really feel about impact management? Here’s how it can be done badly, and how to do it right

Andy Phippen, Louise Rutt

Bournemouth University, University of Plymouth

Group of people in Kenya, looking at a mobile phone

Equitable research partnerships are no longer optional – here’s how to make them a reality

How to develop research partnerships between the UK and Global South in which knowledge, power and outcomes are equally shared among participants, based on a report by academics in South Africa, Kenya and the UK

BEAP (Building Equitable African Partnerships) team

University of South Africa, Lancaster University, University of Aberdeen, Kenyatta University , The Open University

GenAI isn’t for the big ideas, it’s for the tedious jobs that spark them

The small, repetitive tasks that are crucial to research can drain your time and energy. Instead, let’s hand over the grunt work to GenAI

Qinghua Chen, Angel Lin, Yiqi Liu

The Education University of Hong Kong

A robot uses a microscope in a laboratory

Balance human intuition with machine efficiency in scientific research

AI can automate scientific experiments quickly, efficiently and accurately – but what are we losing in the process? Here’s how to strike a balance

Mohamed Hussein

Dubai Medical University

Campus Talks: ‘Use your brain!’ And other pointers from a seasoned computer scientist on using AI in research

Hear a leading researcher in artificial intelligence discuss the potential of these digital tools for advancing knowledge and what effective and ethical AI use looks like

Karin Verspoor, Miranda Prynne

RMIT University

Why ECRs should have the courage to contact their academic heroes

How can Aristotle’s ancient wisdom about bravery help early career researchers overcome their fear of reaching out to established scholars?

Anastasios Koukopoulos

Athens University of Economics and Business

Ethical AI: safeguards for the research revolution

Artificial intelligence can accelerate discovery in ways humans alone cannot. For Hongliang Xin, the key is pairing AI’s power with ethical safeguards, institutional governance and responsible oversight

Hongliang Xin

Virginia Tech

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