Research Development Programmes

01

A programme gives related work a common plan

An institution may identify a research-support gap but need several changes to address it: clearer processes, faculty development, methodological support and better reporting. An individual project may need the design, analysis and manuscript considered together.

A programme provides a structure for those connections. It should specify the participating units or projects, the stages of work, the deliverables and the decisions required from the client. It also needs a review process for changing priorities and dependencies.

The models below are starting points for scoping. Their duration, specialist involvement and delivery arrangements are confirmed for the engagement. They do not represent fixed-price packages or guaranteed research outcomes.

For research leaders who need to move from institutional evidence to coordinated improvement. The proposed model begins with a baseline assessment, develops priorities and responsibilities, and supports selected implementation activities with progress reviews.

A 12-month structure can provide a planning framework where appropriate, with the actual scope and timing agreed around institutional capacity. The programme brings together strategy, research support and measurement, rather than treating publication counts as the only objective.

Explore the University Programme ↗

For deans, departments and doctoral schools seeking to strengthen the progression of research towards suitable publication. The proposed model combines an assessment of project readiness with methods support, writing development and internal review arrangements.

Projects need to be grouped by stage and need. A study still collecting data requires a different intervention from a manuscript approaching submission. The programme can coordinate those routes without promising journal acceptance or imposing identical publication targets across disciplines.

Explore the Faculty Programme ↗

For institutions with recurring support needs that benefit from continuity and an agreed allocation of work. The proposed partnership can provide a defined service scope, request process, review schedule and handover arrangements.

The agreement should clarify capacity, priority-setting, exclusions and what happens when a request falls outside the agreed support. An ongoing relationship should make responsibilities clearer, including the institution's role in approvals and implementation.

Explore the Institutional Partnership ↗

For individual researchers or teams whose project needs support across selected stages. The proposed programme can connect design, analysis, interpretation and publication preparation through explicit handovers.

The research team supplies the substantive research inputs, makes scholarly decisions and reviews the work. Each stage needs a clear output and a decision about readiness to proceed. A programme should adapt to the evidence, including findings that require a change in the intended route.

Explore the Project Programme ↗

06

What to agree before work begins

A useful programme proposal states the objective, participants, baseline, stages, outputs, client responsibilities and review points. It identifies the material needed, the scope of specialist input and the assumptions behind timing and fees.

For institutional work, it should also address procurement arrangements and the internal sponsor. For project support, it should clarify author contributions, permissions, data access and the boundary between the agreed work and later revisions.

If the need is already narrow and well defined, a scoped service may be more appropriate. The engagement options page explains the difference between an audit, project, workshop, programme and ongoing support.