The Loughborough University Research Academy will allow us to create a more connected and supported research community, where those at all stages - and in a variety of roles - can be creative, curious and collaborative to push boundaries and deliver research with global impact.
The Academy’s Hub will be located in Graduate House – the current home of the Doctoral College. The building will be refurbished to provide modern and high-specification space for training and development, collaborative work and networking.
The Research Academy will lead the development of a comprehensive research development programme aimed at transforming the experience of researchers at all career stages across Loughborough. It will:
- Support the growth of our research community through tailored skills development and initiatives to address the leaky pipeline
- Foster greater creativity and interdisciplinary collaboration, while deepening and broadening our partnerships.
- Advance diversity and inclusion by improving representation from underrepresented groups within our research environment.
Specific initiatives delivered through the Academy could include: the provision of a summer school programme, providing undergraduate and post-graduate taught students with hands-on experience of research to give them an insight into future research career opportunities; the development of a leadership programme to equip staff with the skills, confidence and strategic insight required both to lead interdisciplinary research teams and to develop others as future research leaders; and the provision of funding grants for researchers to undertake placements or secondments with partner organisations, and to travel to work face to face with their researcher collaborators.
The establishment of the Research Academy is a key priority in the Research and Innovation core plan.
Professor Dan Parsons, Pro Vice-Chancellor for Research and Innovation and the lead for the core plan, said: “We have a strategic ambition to intensify our research base and become a global leader in research and innovation. The development of a strong and vibrant research and innovation culture is key to achieving that. The Research Academy will cultivate an environment that attracts and nurtures talent, enables growth and development and recognises achievement, empowering everyone involved in our broader research ecosystem to make a positive societal difference.
“The development of the Research Academy is an exciting endeavour that will help to position Loughborough as a vibrant and ambitious place where our staff at every level are supported and enabled to undertake research and innovation that makes a real difference to the world.”