There is a broad range of research culture activity occurring across the research and innovation sector. The goal of the Good Practice Exchange (GPEx) will be to harness and consolidate these existing activities, for the benefit of researchers, research itself, and society.
The GPEx was proposed in the 2021 Research and Development People and Culture Strategy (GOV.UK) and further developed in the ‘Research culture initiatives’ report. It will facilitate joint activity and scaling-up of good practice, bringing together people from across the full breadth of UK research and innovation disciplines and sectors.
Developing the exchange
From 2022 to 2023 engagement events with internal and external audiences were held to further the scope of GPEx.
The report Research culture initiatives in the UK was published in January 2024, which:
- scoped the research culture landscape
- proposed a Research Culture Framework
- identified opportunities and key considerations for the GPEx
From this report and the underlying engagement with stakeholders, we identified three overarching objectives for the GPEx:
- Building networks, sharing and collaboration: providing a route for people across the sector to come together, sharing good practice and encouraging collaboration.
- Supporting more and better evaluation: responding to the need for more research culture initiatives to be evaluated, using more robust approaches, to build understanding of what works.
- Strengthening strategic leadership.
Developing a delivery model
UKRI has commissioned a consortium of RAND, Vitae and CultureBase to develop a delivery model for the GPEx. The model will be co-developed with the research and innovation community through a series of interviews and focus groups, as well as a short survey and consultation.
The delivery model project will conclude at the end of 2025, with the view to commissioning the GPEx itself in 2026 (subject to future budget allocations).
Input from the research and innovation communities
The input to date of research and innovation communities has been integral to the scoping of the GPEx and has ensured that it will be rooted in the core needs of the community.
Ongoing engagement with our audiences and partners is fundamental to the successful development of the GPEx and will be a core aspect of work on the delivery model.
If you would like to get involved in the delivery plan project, email: culture@ukri.org
Last updated: 28 April 2025