NCRC Conversation Series
NCRC Conversation Series
The National Centre for Research Culture (NCRC) 'Conversation Series' is an opportunity for those working on research culture projects to share their work in an open online forum. These sessions allow a deeper dive into a project or theme.
Sessions are made available to anyone who has an interest in research culture (including, for example, researchers, research enablers, technicians, research developers, policymakers, funders, publishers, industry etc) and are free to attend.
Want to present at a future conversation series?
We are looking for speakers from networks, organisations or higher education institutions who have been involved in projects that have made a difference to research culture.
This could be from externally funded projects, or institutional projects in an area of research culture. The format of these sessions are negotiable and can take different approaches, such as online workshops, seminars or group discussions. For a discussion about the most appropriate format for your session, please complete the expressions of interest form.Link opens in a new window
Next Event
| Time and Date |
Description | Joining Details |
| December 17th, 12-1pm online |
Working Well Together: Exploring culture, leadership and teamwork under pressure through a purpose-built online escape room.
There are clear benefits to building a strong and positive research culture, which lead to higher quality research. These positive cultures are built by all individuals working within them, and how these individuals work together as teams, groups and collaborations is an important factor. However, there is a tendency to focus on the individual in research development, leadership and training initiatives, rather than on group initiatives. The opportunity to stop, take stock and review group culture, values and individual preferences within the group is often not prioritised. Understanding and acknowledging the complexities of research teams, groups and wider schools, divisions and institutions and the implications of these is an important part of this process.
As part of the Working Well Together project at University of Bristol, we have been pioneering a game-based approach to empower groups to stop and take stock. The initiative does this through an experiential workshop which involves a purpose-built online escape room and facilitated discussions before and after.
A non-traditional, game-based approach was used because 75% of workplace training is considered ineffective and 85% is forgotten after 14 days (McKinsey, 2018). In contrast, game-based training is shown to be more effective than traditional training in several ways:
- Increased confidence - Improvement in conceptual knowledge - Increased productivity and application of new knowledge - Increased retention of information and knowledge (90% rather than 5%) - Experiential learning more closely replicates everyday behaviour and skills The game-based workshop aims to enable groups to understand and reflect upon culture, leadership and teamworking styles that exist in the team; the impact of communication and decision-making under pressure, considering individual strengths and weaknesses; and to identify key learnings and actions to take back to their professional practice about how they work with others. This session will discuss the background to the initiative and the development of the workshop. It will then present an overview of the workshop, a brief demonstration of the escape room and then discuss the types of groups across professional services and research groups that have engaged with the workshop, presenting the learning and impact to date.
Dr Sarah Campbell is a social entrepreneur bridging academia and business, using technology’s reach to co-create equitable, evidence-based interventions. By translating scientific knowledge into experiential learning, her aim is to drive behavioural and systemic change. Sarah envisions a future where technology enhances face-to-face connection, fostering meaningful relationships and positive transformation.
|
Those signed up to the NCRC mailing list will automatically be invited to attend. Not signed up yet? If you'd just like the joining details for this particular event |
| February 12th 2026, 12-1pm |
Equitable Partnerships in Research. Presented by Professor Palladino, Keele University |
|