Funded by a generous philanthropic donation, LURA has been established to help Loughborough University meet its ambitious aims to transform the research culture and environment, fostering a vibrant, inclusive, and collaborative research community.
LURA will support a step change in Loughborough’s research culture, enabling Loughborough researchers to excel by supporting, enhancing, and centralising the training and development support provided by teams across the university. This includes the creation of clear development pathways, both around specific skills and for more comprehensive career progression, to help our staff develop their skills, identify opportunities, and maximise their research potential.
Who is it for?
LURA exists to support the development of all of Loughborough’s researchers, regardless of job family or level – including doctoral researchers, academics, research-enabling staff, and technicians.
What are its objectives?
LURA will deliver a range of targeted interventions, infrastructure, and programmes to nurture talent, advance research, and create global impact. These include the following objectives:
Foster
a thriving research culture recognised as a top institutional priority.
Lead
manage, and co-ordinate development of the research community.
Cultivate
diverse and inclusive research leaders and innovators.
Promote
interdisciplinary collaboration and industry partnerships.
Deliver
comprehensive training and career development pathways.
Establish
sector-leading measurement and assessment of research culture.
Next steps
This microsite will be updated with further information on the specific programmes and opportunities being developed. We’ll keep the site updated with news and events, and will share more details as initiatives are launched. The plan is to develop a holistic website that guides you through the opportunities and pathways available, and signposts useful resources and support. Watch this space for further developments!
Training and resources
LURA collates and coordinates all research-related training and development organised and delivered by a range of different partners from across the university, including schools, Learning and Development, the Research and Innovation Office, library teams, and dedicated research centres.
This will be hosted on a new SharePoint site, which is currently under development ahead of LURA’s official launch later this year.