Increasing Collegiality in Research: Lessons from the InFrame Project

Join us for an Inspiring Online Symposium, "Increasing Collegiality in Research: Revealing Hidden Structures, Culture, and Networks, Lessons from the InFrame Project".

How can leadership in research and academia become more collaborative, supportive, and transformative? This interactive online symposium dives into that question, offering fresh insights and practical strategies from the InFrame Project team on how they have fostered collegiality and driven cultural change.

Drawing on real-world examples from the InFrame Project, our expert team will share four complementary and dynamic perspectives:

✅ Giving voice to the community: Co-creating a framework for research culture change

(Lisa Backwell, Community Knowledge Analyst on InFrame Project, University of Edinburgh).

Drawing on empirical data from the Culture Catalyst Fund to identify how research communities collectively design initiatives to increase collegiality.

✅ Making the hidden labour visible: Mapping leadership, collegiality and support networks underpinning research culture funding success.

(Zain Ul Abidin, Community Knowledge Analyst on InFrame Project, University of Glasgow)

Surfacing infrastructures of collegiality encountered during a funding application process, and contributes a network-informed perspective, positioning care and connection as central to individual and collective success.

✅ Role modelling collegiality in an interdisciplinary research support team 

(Joulie Axelithioti, Leadership Developer on InFrame Project, University of Glasgow, Caitlin McDonald, Project Coordinator on InFrame Project, University of St Andrews, Cristina Vazquez Martin, Project Coordinator on InFrame Project, University of Glasgow) 

Presents a case study of how a newly formed research support team collectively navigated role delineation, mutual dependence, and shared purpose.

✅ Recognising research leaders across the ecosystem – themes and insights from three InFrame projects

People Make Research (UofG), Seek Find, Celebrate (UoE), and Together Research Excels (UStAn), collect, recognise and celebrate everyday examples of collegial research leadership, including doctoral and postdoctoral researchers, academic staff, technicians, and all research support and research professional colleagues.

Offering a thematic and analytical lens on what colleagues choose to recognise as collegial practice in others, uncovering the key traits, forms of support, and their influence on personal and professional development.

(Charmaine Lim, Community Knowledge Analyst on InFrame Project, University of Glasgow)

There will be an opportunity for discussion and Q&A at the end of the presentations. 

[This event will be recorded and shared on the InFrame YouTube channel – If you do not wish to be recorded, please email Rebecca Neish, InFrame Events Manager (rkn5@st-andrews.ac.uk) and she will ensure you are removed from the recording.]

Accessibility Policy

We aim to ensure all people have equal access to InFrame events. If you need alternative formats or other reasonable adjustments, please contact the InFrame events team via email: InFrame@St-Andrews.ac.uk with your request by close of business on Wednesday 11th February 2026, so that arrangements, where possible, can be made. Our underpinning project commitment to equality, diversity and inclusion will apply to all events, and we can accommodate accessibility requests, for example, hire of British Sign Language interpreters, use of devices related to meeting accessibility, and other arising accessibility adjustments.