Research funding for librarians: reflections on the Research Catalyst programme 2025-26

In 2025-26 RLUK, ARMA and the AHRC ran the third instance of their research catalyst programme. The aim is to engage library staff to consider their role as research participants. This builds on their 2021 report The role of research libraries in the production of scholarly research. 

Four participants in the programme will share their learning, their reflections and experience of the programme. Everyone who has some interest in doing research or to learn more about what research might look like in the context of academic libraries should attend. A lot more of us are already doing research or research adjacent work than we might think.

The speakers will be:

Delphine Doucet - University of Sunderland

Cheryl Francis - University of Sunderland

Nicola Wylie – Lancaster University

Katherine Stephan – Liverpool John Moores University