Significant strides have been made in advancing the ‘Improving the Researcher Experience’ project, placing the researcher at the heart of research grant processes.

The project aims to streamline processes, ensuring simplicity and efficiency every step of the way.

Driven by insights gathered from stakeholder workshops and in-depth interviews, the progress made directly addresses the pressing concerns and challenges voiced by the university’s academic community.

Focusing on the three key themes of improving award setup, communication and the recruitment of project staff, actions to date have included:

• Collaborative working of staff from across faculties, schools, and Professional Services to review and refine the award set up process to make it as efficient as possible
• Drafting communications that clearly outline the process, the support available, and the requirements from the academic, while also setting up a process to benchmark and continuously track levels of academic satisfaction
• Improving the research related staff recruitment process to be more agile and less risk-averse than present, exploring the possibilities within UniCore

These and other actions were shared in further workshops with both academics and APM staff to keep those involved in the project updated on progress and to gather feedback.

Project lead Rachel Brereton, Director of Research and Innovation Operations, explained, “The feedback was invaluable in helping us ensure the project remains on track by benefiting all involved in the research project lifecycle.

The workshops stimulated a lot of discussion and generated further great ideas, and I would like to thank everyone for their participation.”

Project sponsor and Pro-Vice-Chancellor for Research and Knowledge Exchange, Tom Rodden, added, “I am delighted with the progress made. This has only been possible from everyone working together on a shared vision and desire to simplify and improve our processes for fund bidding and grant management.

“While there’s undoubtedly much more to be done, I’m optimistic that by keeping up this momentum, we can revolutionise our operations. This transformation will not only bolster the university’s reputation but also help attract the best talent, crucial for driving forward our world-class research.”