Research Culture

Welcome to the Northumbria University Research Culture pages. On these pages you can find out more about our work to ensure we offer a vibrant, fair and inclusive research culture at Northumbria. You can also find out about our Research Culture Action Plan and Initiatives to deliver this ambition, the Research Culture team who are delivering this work, the Research Culture Committee that overseas and advises on our approaches, and the Concordats we are signed up to that demonstrate our external commitments on Research Culture.

What do we mean by research culture?

Research Culture is described by The Royal Society (2018) as encompassing:

‘The behaviours, values, expectations, attitudes and norms of our research communities. It influences researchers’ career paths and determines the way that research is conducted and communicated.' 

Research culture is therefore about the way we conduct, enable and celebrate our research. It is also reflective of the wider environment we work in and the systems, policies and processes that underpin this. 

Across the sector a positive, inclusive and vibrant research culture is recognised as a key factor in delivering high quality research and an increasingly important part of research assessment. The focus on research culture reflects a growing recognition that historical inequalities have created poor research practices.

Research assessment has often focused on a narrow range of metrics, reducing incentives for ambitious research, and undermining interdisciplinarity and openness. The contributions of technicians and other professional services staff has been undervalued, and different types of research and research outputs have often had limited recognition. On these pages, you can find out how we are tackling these issues and find opportunities to get involved.