HaSS Post-Award Research Updates – September 2026

As we enter the new academic year, I wanted to start with a reminder about the post-award support available in the Faculty. Your school research team should be your first point of call for any operational activity (booking travel, purchasing equipment etc.) and providing updates on your budget and spend. The Post-Award Handbook also provides useful starting point to help navigate the different areas involved in implementing your research project. I am available to provide additional support for large or complex projects, help navigate challenging partnerships, and give project management guidance. I also want to hear about recurring roadblocks so that we can approach these more strategically and work across functions and services to improve things. I’m happy to come out to your school or unit to talk about this more, just get in touch and we can arrange a suitable time.
Some other updates below:
Launching an NHS community in HaSS
There is a diverse range of research being carried out across HaSS that may involve NHS, including patients, staff or services. In many cases this is carried out independently from colleagues in the Faculty of Medical Sciences.  Following discussion with colleagues involved in this work a community of practice has been established to support colleagues working with the NHS from HaSS. The purpose of this community is to share best practice and insights when it is useful for colleagues. It is an informal group and there is no obligation to take part.
To join the Teams site, click “Join or create team”, in the right-hand corner of Teams, select “Join Team” and then enter the code 1ev59pa
​A guidance document to help navigate the different processes involved in NHS Research is available here.​ This has been created with input from colleagues across the faculty. ​​​​​​​ ​​​​​​​​
An event will be arranged for this semester so people can share their experiences and get support. More information will be shared here.
 
My Impact downtime
My Impact is now in a period of downtime, which will continue until 9th November 2027, when the new Research Information Management System, NU Profiles, is launched. More information on the system change is available on NU Connect.
Feeding into the New Researcher Development Action Plan
 
As the 2023–26 Researcher Development Concordat Action Plan draws to a close, a cross-university Task and Finish Group is in place to help shape our next plan. The group has been reviewing progress against the current action plan, reflecting on what’s working well, learning from approaches at other universities, and considering how best to support the needs of our research community in the future.
We’re inviting researchers and importantly also managers of researchers to join our in-person consultation sessions to share your experiences, ideas and priorities for researcher development at Newcastle.
Session dates:
8th October, 10am–12pm (researchers)
13th October, 1pm–3pm (managers of researchers)
22nd October, 10am–12pm (researchers)
3rd November, 1pm–3pm (managers of researchers)
 If you would like to take part, please complete the sign-up form: Researcher Development Concordat Action Plan Consultation Sessions – Fill in form
If you have any questions, please feel to get in touch with Farhana.chowdhury@ncl.ac.uk
 
Development opportunities with the Research Space
 
Research Project Leads Programme
Are you currently leading, or preparing to lead, research projects and teams? The Research Project Leads programme is designed to support researchers in developing their research leadership skills. Through a combination of expert-led workshops, peer learning, networking and cross-disciplinary discussion, participants will explore topics including research impact, funding, psychological safety, public engagement, research integrity, leading teams and research culture. The programme runs from January to June 2027.
Managing Successful Research Projects
At the end of the workshop participants will:
  • Identify how success and quality is defined for research projects and how you can plan for success
  • Develop detailed project delivery plans within a research environment taking into account the inherent uncertainty of the research process
  • Develop plans for how to communicate with stakeholders and how this can support your research in making an impact Understand the basics of managing research budgets
  • Understand how you can use risk management to anticipate and actively manage the challenges within research projects
Date: 20th October
Location: Devonshire
Time: 9:15-12:30 pm
Book here
Leading and Managing Research Teams
At the end of the workshop participants will:
  • Discuss with peers how to get the best support research teams to be productive
  • Clarify the role and key responsibilities of an effective research team leader
  • Have a greater insight into how to motivate your team members
  • Be clear on how to delegate effectively across the research team balancing autonomy and control
  • Have insights into how to prevent and manage conflict within a team.
Date: 10th December
Location: Online
Time: 9:30-12:30 pm
Book here
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