The workshops are appropriate both if you are working as the PI/Co-I on a grant application or if you are supporting the writing of an application. The workshops have been designed to develop your grant writing skills and optimise the chance of success with future grant submissions.

You may choose to attend all/most of the sessions or those most relevant to your needs.

• Introduction to Research Funding- getting started and the research funding lifecycle - Wednesday, 14 January 14.00-15.30 This session will help you understand where to position your research ideas to align with current priorities and signpost to the support available through the research services team.
• Data Management and Reproducibility in your grant application - Tuesday, 20 January 11.00-12.00 Having problems with the reproducibility statement? Don’t know where to start with your Data Management Plan? This funding workshop will answer your questions big and small, and take a look at data management plans from previous funding applications..
• Future Leaders Fellowships (FLF) Information session - Wednesday, 28 January 13.00-15.00 This session will provide an overview of UKRI's prestigious Future Leaders Fellowships scheme. You will hear from some of our current FLF holders, find out about the University's internal selection process and have opportunities to ask questions.
• Developing a Successful Expressions of Interest (EoI) - date to be determined For many funding applications a successful EoI is needed before you can submit a full proposal. In this interactive workshop you will review a number to identify the features of a successful EoI.
• Narrative CV's - date to be determined

Future workshops:

• Research Outputs
• Writing Quality Proposals
• Building your networks - internally and in industry
• Building your networks - EU
• Ethics, Trusted Research and Export Control

Email: researchculture@lancaster.ac.uk to express your interest in attending any of these future workshops and we will notify you as soon as it has been scheduled.

For researchers, much professional development and advancement is linked to successfully delivering projects. Any post-doctoral or early–career researcher will have had to organise, analyse and present an enormous amount of information, set goals and review progress.

Facilitated by Dr Steve Hutchinson this programme will equip you with applied project management skills and an overview of various project-planning tools and techniques.

Project Management for Researchers registration - this registers you for both the sessions detailed below.

Session I – Research Project Management Essentials - Wednesday, 21 January 13.00-15.30 (Online)

This first session introduces the essential elements of research project management and equips you with a series of tools to help with:

• Understanding the value of coherent management in research projects and recognising contextual difficulties.
• Identifying and protecting the scope boundaries with a project (i.e. helping identify and work with what any given project IS and IS NOT.)
• Project planning and recognising the life-cycle of a project
• Understanding, identifying and communicating with stakeholders
• Communicating objectives and timelines
• Managing risks and uncertainties within a project

Session 2 – Enhanced Management Practice - Wednesday, 28 January 13.00-15.30 (Online)

This session will explore:

• Keeping things on track - Monitoring and Status Reporting
• Working with collaborative project teams
• Handling project changes, issues and crises
• Influencing project stakeholders

Please note:

You are asked on registering for this event to make a commitment to attend both sessions. We understand that unavoidable circumstances can prevent your attendance. In this instance, please cancel your place at the earliest opportunity so that a colleague can be offered your place.

Less

This workshop explores how to build, maintain, and proactively manage effective student-supervisor relationships using the UKCGE framework.

In this workshop, you will begin to consider:

• The core principles of the UKCGE framework and how they apply to supervisory relationships
• Expectations and responsibilities of both students and supervisors
• Techniques for building trust and maintaining effective communication
• Strategies for navigating common challenges and resolving conflicts
• A practical toolkit for proactively managing your role in the supervisory dynamic
• Lancaster's rules and regulations relating to PhD Supervision
• Opportunities to reflect on your current practices and share insights with peers

Who is it for:

This workshop is designed for postgraduate research supervisors at all career stages-whether you're newly appointed or looking to refresh and refine your approach. It's ideal for those who want to deepen their understanding of supervisory dynamics and foster more productive, supportive relationships with their students.

Why attend:

Supervisory relationships are at the heart of successful research journeys. By attending, you'll gain actionable strategies to enhance your practice, address concerns in a safe and supportive environment, and connect with fellow supervisors to exchange ideas and build useful connections. You'll leave with renewed confidence, a toolkit of resources, and a clearer sense of how to navigate the complexities of supervision with empathy and effectiveness.

Facilitator: Steve Hutchinson

This is a full day in-person workshop:

Tuesday 24th March 2026, 9.30 am - 4.30 pm

Lancaster University is part of the Mid-Career Researcher (MCR) Mentoring Scheme - a collaborative initiative with partner institutions across the north of England. The scheme has run for several years and has received excellent feedback from both mentors and mentees.

Why join?

Mid-career researchers often find themselves with fewer structured development opportunities compared to early-career researchers (ECRs). Joining this scheme as a mentee helps to fill that gap by offering access to mentors from other universities, broadening your networks and perspectives and providing tailored career development support.

For Mentors

We are inviting experienced senior researchers and research leaders to share their expertise and help shape the next generation of research leaders. Mentoring is light-touch, involving approximately three to four meetings, usually online, over four to six months, starting in February 2026. This is an opportunity to contribute to the research community and build connections across institutions.

The number of mentee places at Lancaster depends on how many colleagues sign up as mentors. Please help support mid-career researchers by signing up as a mentor.

Key Details

• Deadline for applications: Friday, 23 January 2026
• Participating institutions: Lancaster University, Manchester Metropolitan University, University of Manchester, University of Salford, Sheffield Hallam University, Leeds Beckett University and University of Huddersfield.
• Definition of a Mid-career’ or ‘established’ researchers: you will have developed an independent research reputation, have likely been promoted and have a long active career ahead. You are no longer an early career researcher (ECRs) (an ECR is usually defined as someone who is no more than five to eight years post-PhD (dependent on discipline) or up to ten years with career breaks or has equivalent experience). Typically, your role will be as a Senior Lecturers, Senior Research Fellow, Reader, or Associate Professor. For the purposes of this scheme MCR does not include colleagues who are mid-career chronologically, having started their career beyond academic research, but still early in their research career.
• Mentoring partnerships will run until July 2026.

How to apply:

• Register as a Mentor
• Register as a Mentee

For more information about the scheme and eligibility criteria, please visit the dedicated website or email: researchculture@lancaster.ac.uk.

Mentoring is a valuable source of development. It can help you to focus on your next move, consider new opportunities and open up a wider network.

Outside of the Cross-institutional Mid-Career Mentoring Programme there are two ways in which you can engage in a mentoring relationship:

1. Your department can allocate a mentor to you as a new member of staff (this is not the same as a buddy - a buddy is someone who will show you the ropes, local conventions such as tea and coffee routines, how to claim your expenses and general local orientation etc).
2. Direct approach to someone known to you, or recommended by your manager or colleague.

Visit the OD mentoring pages for more information on becoming a mentor and mentee.

The university has an internal coaching network, that has a small number of qualified coaches. Coaching requests can be submitted via the OD coaching pages, however individuals should be aware that due to demand, there may be delays in being paired with a coach and sessions starting