Leading Researchers programme

The Leading Researchers programme is a collaborative interdisciplinary leadership development programme, designed to enable mid-career and senior academics to raise their research ambitions and achieve their goals. It is specifically aimed to support colleagues as they develop their next big research idea and related large funding proposals. It is delivered in collaboration with external facilitators 64 Million Artists.

The programme runs over 8 months (April to November), where participants work on their next big research idea alongside a programme of personal and professional development. Ideas and projects developed during the programme are tackling global problems including the climate crisis, achieving net zero, sustainability in manufacturing and design, and healthcare. Several of these ideas have since been developed into successful large scale external funding proposals.

The programme comprises:

• Five tailored workshops covering topics such as purpose and vision, idea development, engaging people with your research, and communicating ideas.
• Access to four online ‘spotlight sessions’ on topics including developing and managing people, funding insights, and engaging with industry and policy. These are linked sessions with other universities that encourages external networking and cross-disciplinary learning.
• One-to-one coaching for each participant (six sessions over six months), and optional ‘opt-in’ Action Learning Sets.
• An ‘Ideas Summit’ where the participants share their insights and innovative research projects with senior leaders from across the University and potential collaborators, colleagues, funders and networks.

Cohort participants in 2023 and 2024 were nominated via their Head of School and School Research Directors, who were asked to identity academics with leadership potential, while also considering EDI characterises in making their nominations.

For more information about this course, please contact rst@manchester.ac.uk