Research Culture and Research Integrity for Technical Professionals

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Terms and Conditions

• 1-day virtual Research Culture and Research Integrity course, suitable for technical professionals of all career stages, sectors (higher education/ industry/ health service) and disciplines (e.g. STEM, creative subjects, etc.). No prior knowledge of the topics by attendees is required.

• Trust is the currency of research and without it, even the best ideas lose impact and influence. Drawing on the trainer’s 20 years of experience, this interactive session will unpack the principles of research culture and research integrity and explore how everyday decisions, team culture and research systems shape the work of technical professionals and the wider research community. It will also explore how to fulfil the requirements from funders and others to conduct research and innovation responsibly and with integrity.

• Whether you’re early in your career or an experienced technical professional, you’ll gain practical strategies to build integrity into every stage of your work, navigate challenges with confidence and create a research culture that supports excellence – strengthening the impact of your research.

• The course uses presentations, facilitated group work and structured discussion to examine the challenges involved in upholding robust and ethically responsible research. It explores the demands and pressures placed on the research community and how these can affect day-to-day practice. The session also focuses on practical steps that individuals and organisations can take to strengthen standards, support positive behaviours, and build environments that encourage best practice in research.

• Participants will be invited to reflect on their own experiences and to learn from others, contributing to an open and supportive space for shared learning and discussion.

This session introduces core principles of research integrity and research culture – in other words, responsible research practice and the conditions that support it - informed by the trainer’s 20 years of extensive practical experience across the research landscape. By the end of the session, technical professionals will be able to:

• Articulate the key principles that underpin responsible and trustworthy research practice and research environments.

• Assess why attention to research integrity and research culture is central to robust research, ethical decision-making, data quality, safety and reliable outcomes.

• Identify common pressures, misunderstandings and risks that can lead to errors or poor practice.

• Reflect on how research integrity relates to their own role and on how their own work contributes to the integrity and robustness of research outputs.

• Analyse the ways in which local research environments, ethos, systems and leadership shape behaviour and decision-making, as well as the impact of national systems and incentives for research.

• Identify routes for advice, guidance, help and escalation when questions or concerns about research practice or culture arise.

The course will consist of two 3-hour sessions, covering:

• research culture;

• research integrity and research quality;

• leadership and supporting staff/colleagues;

• key challenges posed by complex issues such as:

  • authorship and publication ethics;

  • responsible use of AI in research;

  • aligning with funder and national expectations, requirements and frameworks;

  • safeguarding and enhancing positive research cultures with integrity, inclusion, wellbeing and equity at their heart.

Sessions will be a mix of talks plus Q&A, case study session, and facilitated discussion allowing the audience to share their own perspective and experiences, raise topics for exploration, and seek advice from the facilitator and peers. Attendees will receive a PDF slide deck and PDF case study pack, pre-session reflection exercise and links to other materials.

“James delivered a highly engaging and well-structured session on ethical principles in research excellence. The session was extremely interesting, clearly presented, and thoughtfully paced, making complex concepts both accessible and practically relevant for the audience.The presentation was exceptionally well delivered and received outstanding feedback from participants. James is the first speaker in our training programme to achieve a perfect 5 out of 5 speaker rating, alongside an overall content score of 4.92 out of 5 - a strong reflection of both delivery quality and the value of the content.”