Reflections on an experiment in research culture change

Recognising that scientific research cannot be divorced from the research culture that produces it, Wellcome’s funding of PhD programmes in 2019 emphasised its role, and made positive research culture an equal criterion of evaluation to scientific excellence. The Emerging Research Cultures project was funded to establish a community of practice to support and facilitate shared learnings and practices on improving research culture among the 23 funded programmes. This Open Letter is my own reflection on the main learnings I gleaned from working closely with the community; learnings about making research culture a priority in doctoral training, and about the terms of engagement in a community of practice in its relationship to the funding context.