Research excellence

Deep dives into university research practices around the world, including supervision, community engagement, funding and publication.

An academic career is rarely a straight line

A scientist’s path can include studying abroad, experience in industry, research and teaching as well as setbacks and uncertainty. Here, Kinga Vörös offers reflections as an early career neuroscientist and why the journey is most meaningful when research reaches patients

Kinga Vörös

Semmelweis University

Young researcher making a business pitch

What you need to know about securing investment for your spin out

Venture capitalists are ‘completely different beasts’ to grant bodies so academic founders need to embrace a new style of pitching if they are to secure funding for their companies, as Tim Witney explains

Tim Witney

King’s College London

A woman starts her business plan on a whiteboard

Write a business plan for a university spin-out company

Looking to secure investment for your spin-out? Find out how to write a business plan that ticks every box

Robert Crammond

University of the West of Scotland

A step-by-step guide to commercialising your research

A step-by-step guide to commercialising your research

Practical insight on how to take your discoveries from research laboratory to marketplace

Campus contributors, Kiera O’Brien

Campus

From lab to market – part 2: writing a business plan

In the second part of this two-part series on finding investment for research commercialisation, here’s how to build a business plan

Eirini Epitropaki

Birkbeck, University of London

Scientists discuss a project with an investor in the lab

From lab to market – part 1: finding investment

In the first part of this two-part series on investment and business planning for research spin-out companies, discover all you need to know about attracting venture capital

Eirini Epitropaki

Birkbeck, University of London

red paper airplane leaving line of white paper airplanes

Academia can never be ‘just a job’ (and why that is OK)

The uncomfortable truth is that academia doesn’t conform to the regular nine-to-five, and pretending otherwise will not fix working conditions that are broken, argues Sorin Krammer

Sorin M. S. Krammer

University of Southampton

Understand the motivations involved in research-policy exchange

The rush to expand policy engagement without understanding the goals for each side risks creating structures and processes that work for no one. Here’s how to understand each other better

Christina Boswell

Royal Society of Edinburgh

Man using visual brainstorming for business planning

Plan your route from research to market

To successfully commercialise research, you need first to understand the different routes available for taking your findings to market and how your institution can help, as Nicolas Huber explains

Nicolas Huber

King’s College London

Connecting the dots between academic and professional services staff

Advice for working with the essential – and often unsung – professional services teams who enable universities to deliver effective teaching, research and student success

Campus contributors, Eliza Compton

Campus

The first step in commercialising your research: start the conversation

Your university’s commercialisation office can help start your journey from academic to CEO. Here’s how

Jim O’Connell

University of Florida

A male and female engineer in safety gear pointing at project

How to lead industry-focused research without losing academic rigour

Working with industry can increase research impact, but many academics worry about protecting quality and rigour. Here, Firdous Nazir shares practical lessons on how to collaborate effectively on applied research without compromising academic standards

Firdous Ul Nazir

Glasgow Caledonian University

Asian man with glasses looking at screen

From mind to market: how young academics can approach research commercialisation

Translating research to real-world impact can be daunting for early career researchers. Here, Tiam Lin Sze offers a road map and why early protection of intellectual property is vital, especially before publication

Tiam Lin Sze

Singapore Management University

Young female engineer and older male colleague in a factory

Bridging the academic-commercial divide: a practical guide for university researchers

Industry collaborations demand thoughtful planning and engagement that extend beyond the bench in order to achieve the real-world impact that universities and researchers hope their discoveries will generate. Here are key considerations

Mary Albertson, Kashmira Kulkarni

Georgia Tech’s Center for 21st Century Universities

The path from ‘eureka’ to patent

Early action matters when it comes to protecting and commercialising university innovations. This step-by-step technology transfer process bridges the gap between lab discoveries and real-world impact

Dana Vouglitois

Florida Atlantic University

Two researchers make notes while working

Three ways for universities to collaborate with industry

Find advice on knowledge transfer and working with outside companies to help students gain experience, leverage existing research infrastructure and build solid partnerships

Julian C. Pena-Bermudez

Universidad del Caribe (UNICARIBE)

Group of professionals seated talking at a networking event

How female academics can turn network awareness into advancement

The ability to map, navigate and capitalise on professional connections – and disconnections – is not gender neutral, as Eric Quintane explains

Eric Quintane

ESMT Berlin

AI won’t replace qualitative researchers – it might help them

Large language models may not simply replicate human analyses of qualitative data; they can offer additional insights and both challenge researchers' assumptions and prompt further reflection on their interpretations

Dimitris Raidos, Sarah Jenner

Ipsos UK, University of Southampton

Balancing use of AI when doing academic writing

Yes, GenAI can make academic writing easier without making us less scholarly

Generative AI does not change scholarship’s foundations of judgement, authorship and care, but it does require academics to apply them more intentionally when writing

Nicole Brownlie

The University of Southern Queensland

Spotlight: What does innovation need to thrive in HE

What innovation needs to thrive in higher education

Advice on cultivating innovative mindsets across a university, among academics, staff and students

Campus contributors

Campus

Young Asian man recording observations in nature

‘The process of writing forces the writer to be present’

Writing is hard and uncomfortable, but the craft of turning thoughts into words should not be lost to the frictionless ease of generative AI, write Jackie Webb and Christina Birnbaum

Jackie Webb, Christina Birnbaum

The University of Southern Queensland

Harness the power of your university librarian in the age of information chaos

Find out how to tap the mine of knowledge your university library has, for trustworthy research sources, data expertise and information literacy advice

Ben Meunier

The Chinese University of Hong Kong

How to design and supervise GenAI-integrated doctoral research

Strategies for research supervisors and curriculum designers when embedding GenAI in research activities

Kate Abraham

Hult International Business School (Ashridge)

The difference between good and bad impact management

How do academics and research managers really feel about impact management? Here’s how it can be done badly, and how to do it right

Andy Phippen, Louise Rutt

Bournemouth University, University of Plymouth

Group of people in Kenya, looking at a mobile phone

Equitable research partnerships are no longer optional – here’s how to make them a reality

How to develop research partnerships between the UK and Global South in which knowledge, power and outcomes are equally shared among participants, based on a report by academics in South Africa, Kenya and the UK

BEAP (Building Equitable African Partnerships) team

University of South Africa, Lancaster University, University of Aberdeen, Kenyatta University , The Open University

GenAI isn’t for the big ideas, it’s for the tedious jobs that spark them

The small, repetitive tasks that are crucial to research can drain your time and energy. Instead, let’s hand over the grunt work to GenAI

Qinghua Chen, Angel Lin, Yiqi Liu

The Education University of Hong Kong

Campus Talks: ‘Use your brain!’ And other pointers from a seasoned computer scientist on using AI in research

Hear a leading researcher in artificial intelligence discuss the potential of these digital tools for advancing knowledge and what effective and ethical AI use looks like

Karin Verspoor, Miranda Prynne

RMIT University, Campus

A robot uses a microscope in a laboratory

Balance human intuition with machine efficiency in scientific research

AI can automate scientific experiments quickly, efficiently and accurately – but what are we losing in the process? Here’s how to strike a balance

Mohamed Hussein

Dubai Medical University

Why ECRs should have the courage to contact their academic heroes

How can Aristotle’s ancient wisdom about bravery help early career researchers overcome their fear of reaching out to established scholars?

Anastasios Koukopoulos

Athens University of Economics and Business

A researcher reading a pile of books next to a robot with a trolley of more books

GenAI as a research assistant

GenAI is reshaping research, from accelerating discovery to easing administrative burdens. Discover practical guidance on how researchers can use these tech tools effectively and ethically

Campus contributors, Laura Duckett

Campus

Ethical AI: safeguards for the research revolution

Artificial intelligence can accelerate discovery in ways humans alone cannot. For Hongliang Xin, the key is pairing AI’s power with ethical safeguards, institutional governance and responsible oversight

Hongliang Xin

Virginia Tech

The prediction problem in management research

Does a research-based explanation hold when applied to new situations? Here’s how to predict the future as well as clarifying the present

Ahmed Maged Nofal, Frédéric Delmar

EMLyon Business School

AI and human collaboration concept illustration

Harnessing AI to expand scientific discovery

From drug design to climate modelling, artificial intelligence can process data at scales far beyond human capacity. Hongliang Xin argues that the future of research lies in harnessing agentic AI through human-guided discovery

Hongliang Xin

Virginia Tech

From model collapse to citation collapse: risks of over-reliance on AI in the academy

The way GenAI surfaces sources for literature reviews risks exacerbating the citation Matthew effect, writes David Joyner. Here, he offers ways to prevent AI-driven search from blunting the impact of new research

David Joyner

Georgia Tech’s Center for 21st Century Universities

A conductor gestures with a baton against a black blackground

Be the conductor of your own GenAI orchestra for academic writing

Instead of using a single GenAI tool to create a one-note research paper, why not tune up an orchestra of machine assistants?

Aditi Jhaveri, Nora Binte Hussin, Siyang Zhou

Hong Kong University of Science and Technology

Beyond search: how AI agents are redefining research

AI-augmented research can speed up processes such as literature review and data synthesis. Here, Ali Shiri looks at functionality of three AI agents

Ali Shiri

University of Alberta

An academic works on a document on a laptop

What is developmental editing, and why does your scholarly manuscript need it?

Academics might find it hard to see the flaws in their work, but to be a writer is to be edited – embrace it. Laura Portwood-Stacer outlines the importance of developmental editing

Laura Portwood-Stacer

Manuscript Works

A guide to arts-based methods in medical research

Achieve a deeper understanding of human experiences by deploying the creative practices in research. Here’s how

Heather Spooner

University of Florida

The case for arts and humanities spotlight guide

Making the case for arts and humanities

The arts and humanities are often dismissed as an unaffordable luxury, when these disciplines underpin vital human skills. This collection explores how arts and humanities can be harnessed for the benefit of all – students, universities and wider society

Campus contributors, Eliza Compton

Campus

Creating a safe space for patients and public in research

How can healthcare researchers ensure that non-researchers feel comfortable to share opinions or ask questions during project meetings?

Gary Hickey

University of Southampton

Microscope focusing light on a group of people

How to engage the public in research

Advice for fostering citizen science and public engagement in research

Campus contributors

Campus

Research culture begins with curiosity in the classroom

Research culture starts in the classroom, where enquiry becomes a habit and curiosity drives learning. Kashan Pirzada offers guidance on small, everyday teaching practices to cultivate it

Kashan Pirzada

Birmingham City University

A meeting takes place around a long table

How to engage with stakeholders for research that matters

For meaningful research impact, stakeholder engagement has to be genuine and built over time. Follow these tips for better collaboration

Andy Phippen, Louise Rutt

Bournemouth University, University of Plymouth

Male Asian student working on a robot arm

GenAI as a research assistant: transforming start-up due diligence

Universities are not just centres of innovation, they are also platforms for promoting the commercialisation of research. As ‘research assistants’, GenAI can open the door for ‘under the radar’ start-ups that human evaluators may miss

Tiam Lin Sze

Singapore Management University

Two female Asian fashion design students in workshop

Beyond the creative supplement: reframing the value of arts-based research

When traditional methodologies struggle to capture sensory, emotional and lived dimensions of culture, researchers can turn to arts-based enquiry. This practical advice explains how to integrate audio, visual and reflective data collection into research design

Peng Liu

Macau University of Science and Technology

How to get a four-star impact case study? Stop chasing one

Research assessment exercises have turned impact into a means to an end. Instead of writing a good story, do good work for genuine impact

Andy Phippen, Louise Rutt

Bournemouth University, University of Plymouth

How to demonstrate the worth of arts-and-humanities-based research

Express the tangible benefits of your creative work and practices, by showcasing public value

Mette Hjort

The Education University of Hong Kong

Use GenAI to slow down and reflect more deeply

University staff are under pressure to produce more with less. But what if, instead of using GenAI to save time, we took a slower approach?

Sam Illingworth

Edinburgh Napier University

An illustration of a book with coloured and newsprint rays shining out from it

Honour the university library as a creative space with an artist residency

Make your institution’s library a hub of innovation, exhibitions and community art by inviting artists to use its space. Here’s how

Darlene Maxwell, Corinne Noble, Alexandra Genova

Royal College of Art

The dos and don’ts of developing an international network in higher education

International collaborations sound impressive on paper – but most fail to move beyond initial enthusiasm and a signed memorandum of understanding. Jeremy Howick shares lessons from building a global network focused on empathy in healthcare

Jeremy Howick

University of Leicester

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