The Russell Group report, Realising Our Potential, examines the current UK academic research culture and environment, including the system drivers and incentives which can create challenges and unintended consequences for researchers. The report is based on conversations and interviews with almost 100 representatives from Russell universities (including researchers at all career stages), funders and publishers.

The report produced a toolkit and a case studies document to share best practice. The toolkit offers recommendations in the following seven areas:

• Research careers: reducing the use of short, fixed term contracts, offering broader career pathways with more senior posts and bridging funding to support research teams in between grants

• Career progression: more career support and management for early career researchers and postgraduate students, raising awareness – and promoting positive narratives – around alternative career routes outside of academia and access to mentoring and training

• Recognition and reward: ensuring research culture priorities are reflected in promotion and hiring criteria and an integral element of internal funding applications, providing training on good publishing practices

• Wellbeing, management and support: offering leadership and management training to all research supervisors, creating robust support networks for the PGRs and researchers and developing mentoring schemes

• Visibility, sense of community and engagement: considering how ECRs can be given opportunities for visibility, co-creating initiatives that promote a positive research culture

• Equality, diversity and inclusion: ensuring career progression is open to all, developing an ED&I action plan and an effective training plan for all staff and senior leadership

• Preventing and addressing bullying and harassment: ensuring clear line management and accountability, clear and well-advertised reporting and complaints systems and access to mediators who can support conflict resolution.

Read the full report