Spotlight on...

Shining a spotlight on the latest opportunities and resources for researchers...

 

New for Autumn 2026: The 'First-time PI' series

So, you’ve secured your research funding – congratulations! Now what...? 

The ‘First-time PI’ is a short, focused development series, designed to support you in transitioning from team member to independent research leader. Blending practical guidance with reflective development, the 'First-time PI' offers a structured opportunity for you to learn and grow in the role of Principal Investigator (PI). You’ll discover the essentials of what you need to know as a PI, spend time exploring key areas (how to manage your grant, understand impact and lead your research team) to build confidence, and be signposted to additional support available through Research and Innovation. It is recommended that you attend all 5 sessions in the series:

• First-time PI (session 1): what do I need to know? (introduction) - Book here (14 October 2026)

• First-time PI (session 2): effective project set up and grant management - Book here (20 October 2026)

• First-time PI (session 3): understanding research impact at the outset - Book here (5 November 2026)

• First-time PI (session 4): leading your research team - Book here (11 November 2026)

• First-time PI (session 5): reflections - What? So what? Now what? - Book here (25 November 2026)

This new series is aimed at Early Career Researchers (ECRs) who are preparing to or have recently embarked on their first project as a Principal Investigator (PI) – or anyone who would like a ‘refresher’.

 

Research Culture Cafe (wellbeing) - 21 October 2026

In October we'll be running our first ever Research Culture Cafe, with a focus on exploring researcher wellbeing. This is an opportunity to talk about your experiences and share ideas for improvement in an informal setting.

Book your place to join us to help build a stronger research culture together.

Supporting the wellbeing theme, we're also pleased to introduce our Researcher Wellbeing page - a resource that combines practical ideas with useful information and handy links.

 

EDI for Researchers - 26 November 2026

This new online session, delivered by Skillfluence, will support researchers to understand how EDI shapes high‑quality research design, what funders are looking for and how to write clear, credible and impactful EDI statements for funding bids. Moving beyond generic EDI training, the session focuses specifically on the research context, giving participants a practical framework for identifying EDI considerations at every stage of a project: from shaping research questions to designing methods, selecting participants, assembling teams, managing data, and planning outputs.

EDI for Researchers - Book here

You can also check out a range of resources to support Inclusive Research on our Research Practice page.

 

More resources and courses...

For further learning resources, please visit our Researcher Development page. The resources here have been grouped by theme (research practice, research impact, research leadership, research identity and research career) - take a look and see what might be useful!

You can view and book all the latest Research and Innovation courses through the drop-down menu on our Training & Development page.   

Any questions? Contact Alison Monkhouse (Academic Researcher Development Manager).