Why research culture matters
We are cultivating a culture where collaboration and bold ideas lead to impactful innovation.
Research culture refers to the shared perceptions and practices that shape how research is conducted, communicated and experienced within an institution or discipline.
Across the sector, research cultures have historically faced scrutiny for perpetuating practices that harm people’s careers and wellbeing as well as the quality of research. Fortunately, momentum has been building to change this, and at Loughborough we are committed to playing our part.
At Loughborough, we strive to embody our University Values – collaborative, adventurous, creative, responsible and authentic – in all we do. For our research and innovation culture, this means nurturing a research community that is connected, empowered, fair and inclusive, and open and accountable. Together, we want to embrace bold ideas and encourage the imagination needed to take research forward, while upholding the highest standards and staying true to what makes us unique.
Research culture is just part of the picture
Our research and innovation culture sits within Loughborough’s broader academic and institutional cultures. We recognise that focusing too narrowly on one area risks creating artificial divides, so our approach aims to ensure positive change benefits the whole University.
Some ambitions – building capacity, championing equity, diversity and inclusion, fostering collegiality, and supporting careers – span all we do. However, some challenges like career precarity require focused attention from a research perspective, while areas such as open research, research integrity and responsible assessment are unique to research and innovation.
As we strengthen our research and innovation culture, we will draw on Loughborough’s sector-leading education and student experience and wider University efforts to enhance academic and institutional culture, being mindful not to create barriers or inequities between different areas of our work.
Research culture and REF2029
At Loughborough, our commitment to a thriving research culture is driven by our values and the passion of our community, rather than external assessments. While not our primary motivation, we do welcome the expanded focus on research culture in the next Research Excellence Framework (REF 2029), as the UK’s system for evaluating research in higher education institutions.
The proposed increase in the weighting of the People, Culture, and Environment component will better recognise the diverse roles and activities essential to underpinning and delivering quality research.