School of Critical Studies

The School would like to support research clusters in their aims of peer-reviewing work-in-progress, co-authoring outputs, working together on preparing grant applications, planning future conference organisation, developing impact case studies, and devising fresh departures in collaborative, innovative and interdisciplinary research. We are therefore offering some funding for research clusters to hold away days or away-half-days to make concentrated progress on one or more of these goals.

 

Held twice yearly/semesterly – these should be themed and goal-oriented with a clear agenda. For example, colleagues in a cluster should aim to devise a collaborative project – grant application, conference proposal, edited collection, or public engagement event – as part of the day/half-day’s activity. Collective endeavour will prove key to all our future research activity so projects that involve teamwork are essential alongside individual research trajectories. Part of the awayday/half-day should also be devoted to discussion of the research culture colleagues want to see develop in order to encourage collective ownership of research strategy and collegial participation in the broader goals of the School.

 

Since collaboration, innovation and interdisciplinarity will be the watchwords for future research these should be the headings under which research clusters debate and develop strategies going forward. Further down the line, as clusters cohere, an away day/half-day should focus on ways in which clusters might work beyond the School, across Colleges, with Social Sciences and with STEM subjects (relevant for GCRF bids, for example), and with other institutions (inter-institutional collaboration being an important strand going forward).

 

At the end of each away day/half-day a short summary report and draft document (e.g. grant proposal) should be compiled by the cluster lead.