{"id":154776,"date":"2024-11-22T15:27:25","date_gmt":"2024-11-22T15:27:25","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/beta-ukri.msappproxy.net\/?post_type=news&#038;p=154776"},"modified":"2025-05-22T16:24:25","modified_gmt":"2025-05-22T15:24:25","slug":"bbsrc-mobilises-team-science-to-improve-uk-research-culture","status":"publish","type":"news","link":"https:\/\/www.ukri.org\/news\/bbsrc-mobilises-team-science-to-improve-uk-research-culture\/","title":{"rendered":"BBSRC mobilises team science to improve UK research culture"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>In 2022, the Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council (BBSRC) pledged to pioneer its approach to enhancing the equality, diversity and inclusion (EDI) of talented individuals within the bioscience research and innovation community.<\/p>\n<p>With strong foundations now in place to help nurture a more inclusive and representative bioscience ecosystem, BBSRC is excited to announce two initiatives that reflect a whole new approach to research culture.<\/p>\n<h2>Pioneering research culture connectivity<\/h2>\n<p>BBSRC\u2019s eight <a href=\"\/publications\/bbsrcs-strategically-supported-institutes\/\">strategically supported institutes<\/a> are a vital component of the UK\u2019s bioscience research and innovation ecosystem.<\/p>\n<p>Spanning the length and breadth of the UK, they represent an interconnected network of capabilities fundamental to advancing UK bioscience research.<\/p>\n<h2>The Connecting Culture Fund<\/h2>\n<p>Four institutes have received a strategic investment from BBSRC\u2019s new Connecting Culture Fund.<\/p>\n<p>Now, they are drawing upon their <a href=\"\/publications\/bbsrc-institute-strategy\/\">deep connections<\/a>, along with their individual skills and expertise, to solidify their role as leaders for improving research culture.<\/p>\n<p>Through the Connecting Culture initiative, leading institutes aim to promote a strong ethos of learning, best practice and knowledge exchange across the biosciences focused on three critical areas:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>evidence and reporting<\/li>\n<li>mentoring<\/li>\n<li>neurodiversity<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2>Addressing under-representation<\/h2>\n<p>In an effort to tackle under-representation within the biosciences, BBSRC\u2019s second new initiative is a unique pilot designed to enhance engagement among minoritised groups across five well-established research networks.<\/p>\n<p>Five projects have each received a share of more than \u00a3450,000 to help strengthen existing networks.<\/p>\n<p>The aim of the investment is to deliver greater impact by better understanding the lived experiences of specific minoritised groups and identifying solutions to overcome the challenges faced.<\/p>\n<p>The projects funded under this initiative aim to:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>enhance EDI within the Animal Welfare Research Network (AWRN)<\/li>\n<li>promote equity for women, low-income classes and carers in BioImagingUK and Physics of Life networks<\/li>\n<li>advance diversity in biofilm research and innovation<\/li>\n<li>elevate marginalised voices in the Agri-food for Net Zero Network+ through EDI co-design<\/li>\n<li>empower the UK wheat community to achieve gender parity<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2>Building on diverse activities<\/h2>\n<p>Bringing about meaningful change to our research culture cannot rely on funding alone.<\/p>\n<p>These latest initiatives build upon a multitude of other activities that we continue to progress across BBSRC, including:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>working with our researcher and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=SltX6PnM3ks\">research technical professional<\/a> communities to foster team science representation within our peer review processes<\/li>\n<li>supporting more inclusive research environments by embedding requirements into new research network grants<\/li>\n<li>ensuring research culture and EDI best practice features in BBSRC&#8217;s daily work through staff training and networking<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2>A commitment to change<\/h2>\n<p>Professor Anne Ferguson-Smith, BBSRC Executive Chair, said:<\/p>\n<blockquote><p>We are immensely proud of the strides we have taken to enhance BBSRC\u2019s research culture.<\/p>\n<p>These initiatives not only foster a more inclusive and diverse bioscience community but also strengthen the UK\u2019s leadership in global research and innovation.<\/p>\n<p>By investing in crucial areas like neurodiversity, mentoring and metrics, we are ensuring that our talented ecosystem remains at the cutting edge of scientific innovation and societal impact.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<h2>Expanding leadership in research culture<\/h2>\n<p>Recruitment is actively underway for new members of BBSRC\u2019s EDI Expert Advisory Group (EAG), with Professor Candy Rowe accepting the role of Chair for an additional year.<\/p>\n<p>This group plays a crucial role in steering BBSRC\u2019s EDI action plan and ensuring that our initiatives continue to lead in fostering an inclusive bioscience community.<\/p>\n<h2>Enriching UK bioscience<\/h2>\n<p>Professor Candy Rowe, Chair of BBSRC&#8217;s EDI EAG, said:<\/p>\n<blockquote><p>The recent developments in BBSRC&#8217;s research culture initiatives highlight a real commitment to creating an inclusive and supportive environment.<\/p>\n<p>By engaging with minoritised groups through targeted networks and programmes, BBSRC is not only addressing under-representation but also enriching the entire bioscience ecosystem with diverse perspectives and experiences.<\/p>\n<p>Along with members of the EDI EAG, I\u2019m looking forward to continuing guiding BBSRC\u2019s efforts towards a more equitable and collaborative research culture over the next year.<\/p>\n<p>I\u2019m sure we will learn a great deal from the work ongoing across our communities.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n","protected":false},"featured_media":154772,"template":"","categories":[49],"tags":[],"wf_news_folders":[],"class_list":["post-154776","news","type-news","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-bbsrc"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.ukri.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/news\/154776","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.ukri.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/news"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.ukri.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/news"}],"version-history":[{"count":8,"href":"https:\/\/www.ukri.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/news\/154776\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":167075,"href":"https:\/\/www.ukri.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/news\/154776\/revisions\/167075"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.ukri.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/154772"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.ukri.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=154776"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.ukri.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=154776"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.ukri.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=154776"},{"taxonomy":"wf_news_folders","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.ukri.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/wf_news_folders?post=154776"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}