Enabling collaboration and team science

Collaboration and team science are two related trends that characterise twenty-first century science. This proposal identifies three challenges to collaboration and team science – prevalent across the research and innovation ecosystem in the UK and worldwide – which if overcome would make a positive and long-lasting difference to research culture at UCL and beyond. It outlines three novel interventions - linked to each other and to UCL’s research strategy – to address these challenges. Each intervention focusses on a different research community group - researchers, research professionals and principal investigators – and includes a commitment to co-production with a diverse range of voices. The programme of work aligns with UCL’s Strategic Plan 2022-27 and will have the highest level of institutional support. It will be sponsored by the lead applicant, Vice-Provost Research, Innovation and Global Engagement and overseen by the Director of Research Culture to maximise impact and alignment. An expert team of UCL academics and professional services staff as well as external collaborators, will be coordinated through the Research Culture team. The team will bring a range of expertise – such as behavioural science; change management; evaluation; communications; EDI and stakeholder engagement - to maximise the chances of success.