Enhancing Research Culture at Warwick Medical School (WMS)

Understanding ‘what’ research culture means to members of Warwick Medical School’s (WMS) diverse community and how it can be enhanced is important to ensuring that all can flourish and deliver the best quality, world-leading research.​ Through active consultation and engagement with staff and students, we coproduced an action-focused WMS Enhancing Research Culture (ERC) Roadmap. We hosted three (three-hour) semi-structured café-style conversations open to students and staff (both researchers and research enablers – that is, non-academic colleagues involved in the development and delivery of research). In Café 1, participants explored what ‘research culture’ meant to them. Cafés 2 and 3 built on these findings, exploring what could change, how, and when. A thematic analysis of findings was undertaken after each event, with findings shared and built on at each café. A five-year plan was crafted. The roadmap represents a community-driven, co-produced and values-driven understanding of the importance of a positive and inclusive research culture, which builds on existing initiatives and describes associated actions for change. Funding Acknowledgement The Rresearch Culture Cafés were funded by a University of Warwick Enhancing Research Culture Grant awarded 2022/2023.