2026 Programme
Take a look at the 2026 programme for all the events that took place.
inFrame Project
These symposiums explored the work of four projects seeking to improve collegial research leadership through the Culture Catalyst Fund, as part of the InFrame Project. Attendees had the chance to learn, ask questions, and reflect on how these ideas can translate into meaningful cultural change within their own research ecosystems.
REF Managers Group & Scottish Research Cultures Collaboration Manager
This event brought together universities to discuss a programme of programme of training for responsible research assessment (within and beyond REF2029).
University of Edinburgh
This session introduced the Good Research Practice Roadmap- an online resource designed to help increase awareness among researchers (particularly early career researchers) to help them implement these practices across the research lifecycle: during the planning, doing, and disseminating stages of a project.
Queen Margaret University
Community Wealth Building (CWB) is a progressive approach to economic and community development which places people and the planet at the heart of the economy. This introductory session explored what CWB means for HEIs and opportunities for collaboration, place-based initiatives, and funding.
inFrame Project
When you look to change research cultures through collegial leadership, what work does it take to make that happen? When you invite new leaders to come forward with new ideas, what support do they need to take the seed of an initial idea through to the mighty oak of implementation? The Community Knowledge Hub in the InFrame project brings together people and learning in an approach that is about support, sharing, and embedding.
Collegiality isn't just a university buzzword - it is the basis of a positive research culture. This for interactive workshop explored the real meaning of collegiality, how it transforms teams, and how its absence can impact them and their output. Together, identified practical strategies to implement in their own team to allow for stronger, better collaborations.
University of Strathclyde
This event looked at effective ways of capturing individual contributions, using the University of Strathclyde’s CRIS (Current Research Information System), Pure, as an example.
University of Edinburgh
This session gave participants an opportunity to share practice around researcher induction and gave an overview of the work have undertaken at Edinburgh University, and our next steps.
University of Glasgow
This session aimed to consolidate our conversations about the value of leadership in research integrity, and empowering leaders to embed the right environment to conduct research with integrity. Attendees were joined by Ralitsa Madsen, member of UK CORI and an advocate of responsible research practices.
Glasgow Caledonian University & University of Strathclyde
Where will your research journey intersect with others?
This event helped researchers from across Scotland discover unexpected collaborations. Using our unique mapping activity, exploring different dimensions of research identity—from current challenges to collaboration dreams. Researchers left with concrete connections and potential collaborators across the community.
Glasgow Caledonian University
Research Cafés offer an informal space for the public, students, and staff to engage with research over coffee, tea, and biscuits. No slides, just conversation and ideas! Speakers gave a short talk on endometriosis then led a discussion about their area of research.
University of Edinburgh
This session shared good practice from the University of Edinburgh's Leadership Academy Programme, which was built to cultivate a supportive research culture and equip people with skills for research leadership.
inFrame Project
This session brought together learning from three projects designed to recognise collegial research leadership — People Make Research (University of Glasgow), Seek, Find, Celebrate (University of Edinburgh), and Together, Research Excels (University of St Andrews), to explore how leadership is enacted, sustained an valued.
University of Dundee & Abertay University
The Research Culture Café format provided a safe informal space for researchers to come and talk about challenges they face navigating their individual career paths whether they plan to stay in academia or not. The interactive discussions over lunch, helped researchers to identify their unique transferable skills, consider career options, and think about their next career steps whether inside academia or beyond.
University of Glasgow
This session aimed to provide attendees with dedicated time to consider, write and discuss their experiences and achievements using the Narrative CV format as a structure
University of Edinburgh
This interactive workshop explored the ethical issues emerging from the use of AI in scientific research and public use. It also explored the ways that AI technologies are impacting how research is being done, evaluated, and disseminated.
Scottish Graduate School for Arts & Humanities & University of Glasgow
This session examined the development of the ‘Environmental Impact Assessment’ (EIA) by the Scottish Graduate School of Arts & Humanities (SGSAH). The purpose of the EIA is to enable PhD researchers to consider the environmental impact of their research, in a process aligned to that of a research ethics application. The session explored the development of the EIA and its role in working towards embedding environmentally-aware research practices to the entire ecology of the PhD.
University of Aberdeen
Every researcher has had the experience of taking what appears to be a ‘wrong turn’ during a project, which can lead to setbacks and frustration. Is it possible to reconceptualise this not only as a natural by-product of success, but as an integral part of the process?
This session session explored these themes from a variety of perspectives through a panel discussion and interactive audience participation.
University of Stirling
This session shared good practice for the OTOR Framework, a framework designed by Stirling to better understand the level of risk associated with undertaking a particular activity or collaboration.
Scottish Graduate School of Social Sciences
This online event brought together research supervisors in peer-to-peer conversations about supporting diverse candidates, particularly neurodiverse and disabled PGR students, to enable the sharing of practice and to promote self-reflection.
Queen Margaret University
Aimed a researchers considering an academic career, this event offered insights on this career path and the expectations. It also explored the next steps attendees could take on their career path.
University of Strathclyde
Collaboration is at the heart of how research and innovation happen. This one-day event explored how collaboration interacts with equity, inclusion and meaningful impact.
University of Glasgow
The Open Research Scotland Group is open to anyone based in Scotland or Northern Ireland interested in open research, holding regular meetings to discuss open research topics and share best practice. This session provided an update on the Scottish Journal of Open Research, which provides a platform for communication around open research.
University of Edinburgh
This session introduced Patient and Public Involvement (PPI) and its relevance & application to different stages and fields of research. This workshop help researchers explore possible motivations for doing PPI, help them think more broadly and creatively about the applicability of PPI to their research and to consider the needs and perspectives of patients and members of the public.
University of Dundee & Abertay University
This workshop discussed the importance of high quality outputs and the strategies that could be used to maximise output potential as 4-star research.
inFrame Project
This workshop explored the design and implementation of inclusive selection processes in panel training and awareness raising in terms of EDIA considerations and drew on guidance from DORA (Declaration on Research Assessment) 2024) on the debiasing of committees, research assessment, and funding panels.
University of the Highlands & Islands
This session explored how education in the North is influenced by Arctic Pedagogy, a developing research field which is being developed by a partnership of institutions in the Circumpolar North.
University of Aberdeen
Storytelling is associated more with creative disciplines than others, but all researchers need to develop narratives about their research and why it is important. This hybrid session explored the interaction between evidence and storytelling through a panel discussion and interactive audience participation.
More than 120 attendees from across Scotland came together for an inspiring, in person celebration and exploration of research cultures across Scotland.
Developed and delivered by the partner institutions and networks, this showcase brings together colleagues from across the sector to explore how we can continue to collectively shape positive, inclusive, and sustainable research cultures.
University of Glasgow
The University of Glasgow Research Professional Staff Network hosted a Network Accelerator Event for Research Professional Staff across institutions.
University of Dundee
This internal event provided an overview of the Discovery Research Portal, the institutional research repository.
Robert Gordon University
Ever felt like your online research study was going great… until you realised your “ideal participant” was more fiction than fact? This session examined the growing challenge of inauthentic participation in research and taught practical strategies to screen participants, protect research and reflect on the impact it has on research integrity.
inFrame Project
These symposiums explored the work of four projects seeking to improve collegial research leadership through the Culture Catalyst Fund, as part of the InFrame Project. Attendees had the chance to learn, ask questions, and reflect on how these ideas can translate into meaningful cultural change within their own research ecosystems.
University of Glasgow
This session aimed to provide attendees with dedicated time to consider, write and discuss their experiences and achievements using the Narrative CV format as a structure.
University of Dundee & Abertay University
This interactive workshop guided people through the process of writing a narrative CV through the consideration of reflective questions.
University of Glasgow
In this session PGRs and those who support them had a group conversation offering the opportunity to reflect on the value of PGR peer connections and share ideas and examples of how PGR peer connection can be supported.
University of Glasgow
In this session attendees explored the results from a recent evaluation of our staff online research integrity course, carried out at the University of Glasgow. This included the study design and approach, key themes from staff feedback and the recommendations for next steps.
University of the Highlands & Islands
The session, jointly led by Dr Andrew Lind from UHI
Institute for Northern Studies and Caitlin Crawford from UHI
Graduate School, looked at the issues surrounding
providing an equivalent learning experience for PGRs studying
across the world.
University of Glasgow
In the years since Rhodes Must Fall, and the events that triggered the Black Lives Matter movement, universities have thought closely about decolonising curricula, diversifying reading lists, and about addressing inequities of access to education, but less attention has so far been paid to decolonising research culture. This session brought together colleagues from across the research ecosystem for a critical conversation on epistemic violence, structural inequities and systemic injustices in our research culture.
This website is managed by the University of Aberdeen, a charity registered in Scotland, No.SC013682
For more information, contact cpdservices@abdn.ac.uk