Research and Engagement

Research support teams

Research support at Edinburgh is provided through a network of teams distributed across School, College and University. College brokers connections across different levels in terms of researchers, Schools, Colleges and institutional structures with the aim of fostering a positive environment for research through its lifecycle.

Contact the College Research teams

College Research Office

Academic leadership on strategy and policy is provided by the Dean of Research, the Associate Dean for Research, Knowledge Exchange and Impact, and the Associate Dean for Research Ethics & Integrity.  The Deanery works closely with the College Research Office, a team of specialised professionals led by the College Research Manager, who deliver guidance and support across the College.

The team has a wide remit which includes:

  • Fostering and enhancing research activity.
  • Coordinating and disseminating research policy information and good practice.
  •  Supporting the Research Deans on the development, implementation, monitoring and dissemination of College research strategy and policies and other strategic development work.
  • Developing and supporting quality assurance and mandatory sectoral requirements such as the Research Excellence Framework (REF) and responsible metrics.
  • Promoting Open Research, including practices and tools to maximise impact and reputation and make our research as openly available as possible.
  • Supporting interdisciplinary research and connections through a range of initiatives and interventions including seed funding.
  • Supporting governance, ethics and integrity including NHS sponsorship.
  • Supporting coordination through committee infrastructure, including the College Research Committee, the College Research Ethics Committee and participation in University cross college committees. 
  • Supporting research management structures and practices across schools in the College.

Based centrally in the College, the team aims to provide a point of contact for research-related issues to complement the services provided by the various teams in Schools and other specialist, research-related central services.

College Research Office

CAHSS Knowledge Exchange and Impact Team

The KE&I team works alongside researchers to enable engagement with policy makers, practitioners, industry and the public. The team is based in the Edinburgh Research Office, along with the university’s public engagement coordinating team, and other teams supporting the research journey from idea to impact.  The team are networked across the College, the wider University and with a wide range of external stakeholders which enables strong connections with researchers and with research users.

 

The remit of the team includes:

  • Providing advice on developing pathways to impact.
  • Running learning events on engagement and impact.
  • Brokering relationships with research users in the public, private and third sectors through events and meetings.
  • Acting as the first point of contact for CAHSS researchers interested in licensing out intellectual property or setting up a company.
  • Providing funding for knowledge exchange activities via the CAHSS Knowledge Exchange and Impact Grant and the University’s Economic and Social Research Council Impact Acceleration Account.
  • Advising on how to source external funding to achieve research impact.
  • Support the College Knowledge Exchange and Impact committee and coordinate a network of Knowledge Exchange professional services colleagues.

School Research Offices 

Each School has a Director of Research as well as other key academic research roles, research managers and research committees who provide support to the research community within the framework of  the School's research strategy. School research offices are the primary contact points for individual researchers to progress their research plans or manage awards, and Schools will link researchers to other central research support services.  School-level research support staff provide guidance on the established local pathways to progress opportunities and deliver projects. These officerships and lead staff participate in College level committees or Management Groups, facilitating the development of strategy, policy and practices across the College, and ensuring coordination and sharing of good practice. 

School research offices

 

Edinburgh Research Office

ERO works with Schools to support researchers to develop their idea, identify funding, crafting the application and managing the award. ERO disseminates funder opportunities and intelligence to Schools with each School having a dedicated lead for its research portfolio who will work individually with researchers through to submission and award. ERO also provides specialist support for European and International funding initiatives and for Knowledge exchange and impact. At College  level, the ERO Research Funding team works with  senior leaders to support  the implementation of  its research strategy and to support associated initiatives and programmes.

Edinburgh Research Office