We’ve published a new sector guide as part of our Member Benefits 2025–26, providing higher education institutions with practical tools and evidence-informed approaches to strengthen research culture and maximise research impact.
A new guide that encourages higher education institutions to develop coherent, system-wide strategies that connect leadership, governance, reward structures, research practices and institutional priorities is now available to Advance HE members.
Developed following Advance HE’s member benefit event ‘Connecting Research Culture and Impact’, Creating Your Impact-Forward Research Culture draws on the expertise of sector leaders, researchers and practitioners, alongside questions and priorities raised by Advance HE members.
Created by the sector, for the sector, the publication aims to help institutions move beyond viewing impact solely through the lens of the Research Excellence Framework (REF) and instead embed impact in everyday research practice. It also highlights the need for stronger collaboration across the sector, calling for improved mechanisms to share successful approaches, lessons learned and evidence of impact.
This new guide reflects Advance HE’s commitment to working in partnership with our members to understand what enables positive research cultures and to share practical approaches that support meaningful change across the sector.
Dr Ireen Litvak-Zur, Senior Consultant for Leadership & Management at Advance HE
“Creating Your Impact-Forward Research Culture provides a practical framework for creating research environments that are inclusive, collaborative and sustainable. Crucially, it reinforces the message that research culture is not separate from research excellence – it is fundamental to it. When leadership, systems, behaviours and values are aligned, institutions are better placed to foster innovation, support researcher wellbeing, strengthen research integrity and maximise research impact.“
“We hope this resource will help Advance HE members take a more strategic, system-wide approach to culture change. By sharing evidence, insights and good practice from across the sector, the guide aims to support institutions in creating the conditions for researchers to thrive and for impactful, inclusive research to flourish.
