Research culture, according to the Royal Society, “encompasses 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”. Of course, one can’t – and shouldn’t – separate research culture from the rest of the university environment and its many other cultures: teaching, institutional, administrative, sustainability, and so on. Whichever way you slice it, research culture should infuse all areas of the university community and its work.
We want everyone involved in research – including researchers, technicians, and Professional Services staff – to feel valued, supported and able to do their best work as part of a team. This blog is part of a larger mission to understand our current cultures and their values and behaviours, and to think about what we want these to be. We’ve been having conversations across all parts of our University so that this vision is a shared one, and these discussions will continue. In the meantime, these posts aim to explain and clarify many aspects of research culture at Bristol.
Professor Marcus Munafò, Associate Pro Vice-Chancellor for Research Culture