ARMA Awards 2025: Shortlist for Research Culture in Research Management

The Research Culture in Research Management award celebrates a project or initiative that has made a significant and positive impact to research culture, identifying challenges and opportunities and their resolution and enhancing the current culture across their organisation, sector or research ecosystem.

After much discussion and debate, the Awards Working Group selected the following nominations for the shortlist:

• Open Societal Challenges: The Open University
  The Open Societal Challenges programme has revolutionized research culture at The Open University, with a focus on bottom up, challenge-driven research with real-world impact. Engaging over 500 researchers to tackle 330+ community-driven interdisciplinary research challenges, the team has brought to life The Open University’s crowdsourced research priorities, focusing on sustainability, wellbeing, and tackling inequalities. This vibrant culture shift has driven research quality, 100+ open access publications, and initiatives like Challenge Us! and the Centre for Protecting Women Online, truly delivering a transferable framework for enhancing research excellence.

• Research Culture Enablers Network: National Centre for Research Culture at University of Warwick
  The Research Culture Enablers Network (RCEN) offers a dedicated platform for RMA colleagues to enhance research culture as a distinct specialism, providing space to improve practice and develop as thought leaders. It connects members with innovative initiatives and influential stakeholders, including funders, while showcasing grassroots projects and sharing what works and doesn’t work. By creating a trusted forum to test ideas, reduce duplication and build camaraderie in roles that are often stretched and have limited power, alone, RCEN inspires and has mobilised the community towards action, soon launching co‑created working groups to add value for everyone. Through podcasts, a national report with targeted recommendations to develop research culture professionals, and in‑person workshops, RCEN is empowering RMAs as actors of research culture change.

• The Institute Culture Consultation: Babraham Institute
  The Institute Culture Consultation (ICC) at the Babraham Institute was a comprehensive project to define and embed team science across the organisation. Through interviews, focus groups, online engagement and workshops, staff engaged with the ICC, identifying positive aspects and also challenges in the way of working, and prioritising areas for action. The project formalised the Institute’s definition of research culture and team science. Key outputs are a 4-year operational programme, the Roadmap for Team Science, organised around four themes: People, Communications, Technology, and Community). Tangible changes include improved recognition practices and a Staff Communication and Consultation Forum.

• Outputs Development Team: University of Liverpool
  The Outputs Development Team is pioneering research culture change by addressing gaps in support, recognition, and strategic development of research outputs. They champion  non-traditional outputs (NTOs), provide targeted resources and training, and      shape      institutional policy to ensure equitable recognition of all research. The sector-wide engagement includes contributions to The Hidden REF and ARMA. As one of the first teams of its kind, it is driving innovative, researcher-led change to enhance research quality, visibility, and impact – all the more impressive as is a team of only two.

The winner of this year’s award will be announced on Wednesday 18 June as part of the ARMA Awards Ceremony. The Awards Ceremony will take place during the ARMA Conference Gala Dinner at the National Museum of Scotland in Edinburgh. Registration is currently open for the annual conference and gala dinner.