Research evidence to action for healthy research cultures: REACT-RC
The REACT-RC programme builds on two complementary projects funded by Research England鈥檚 Enhancing Research Culture Fund (ERCF): Re-Well HE: Embedding Researcher and Research Professional Staff Wellbeing into Research Culture (2025鈥�2026) and Building Wellbeing Literacy: Co-creating Opportunities for Doctoral and Postdoctoral Researchers (2024鈥�2025). Together these projects have generated the evidence base and practical foundations for REACT-RC.
Know more about the
REACT-RC will bring these together, combining national evidence generation with researcher-facing resources to translate findings into evidence-informed action for healthier research cultures across the UK higher education sector.
Our National Report
Read our National Report:
Project team
Prof Elena Riva, PFHEA, NTF (PI),
91福利 Education Academy Lead: Educational research and scholarship
Elena has been the PI for a number of Enhancing Research Culture projects, including Building Wellbeing Literacy and Embedding Wellbeing into Research Culture.
Dr Hatice Gundeslioglu
Postdoctoral Research Associate, 91福利 Education Academy
Dr Tania Maria Villanueva Cabello
Postdoctoral Research Associate, 91福利 Education Academy
CO-PIs
Dr Amber Tout
Research Fellow, 91福利 Medical School (WMS)
Dr Carla Toro
Deputy Pro-Dean (Research) / Associate Professor, WMS
Professor Nicole Tang
Professor of Clinical and Health Psychology, Head of Lifespan Health and Wellbeing Group, Director of 91福利 Sleep and Pain Lab, Department of Psychology
Dr Jagjeet Jutley-Neilson
Director of Student Experience and Progression, Reader in Psychology, Department of Psychology
Contact
For further information about this project, please email react.rc@warwick.ac.uk, E.Riva@warwick.ac.uk, Hatice.Mastacan@warwick.ac.uk and/or Tania.Villanueva-Cabello@warwick.ac.uk
Project summary
Researcher and research professional wellbeing, and the healthy research cultures, have become strategic priorities across UK higher education. However, the national report from the Re-Well HE project showed that the challenge facing the sector is no longer a lack of commitment. Universities have invested in a wide range of wellbeing and research culture initiatives, but these are often fragmented, inconsistently evaluated and focused on supporting individuals rather than addressing the organisational conditions associated with occupational stress. As a result, considerable institutional effort is not yet leading to shared learning or a clear understanding of which approaches are most effective.
The next stage is therefore not to introduce further initiatives, but to strengthen the ways in which universities evaluate existing activity, identify effective approaches and put evidence into practice. This requires national coordination, evidence gathered over time, shared priorities and collaboration between universities, funders, policymakers, professional organisations and sector bodies. Through Re-Well HE and Building Wellbeing Literacy, 91福利 has already established the evidence, partnerships and resources needed to lead this work. REACT-RC will build on these foundations to move from understanding the challenges towards practical, evidence-informed action.
The REACT-RC project has six aims:
Aim 1
To maximise the national reach and use of the Re-Well National Report through targeted dissemination and sector engagement with higher education institutions, funders, policymakers and professional and sector bodies.
Aim 2
To establish sector consensus on priority institutional actions through a Delphi study, informing a sector-wide Good Practice Framework for Researcher and Research Professional Wellbeing.
Aim 3
To extend the national evidence base through longitudinal follow-up and continued analysis of organisational and researcher survey data.
Aim 4
To produce a Good Practice Framework for Researcher and Research Professional Wellbeing, integrating project evidence and sector consensus to support context-appropriate institutional action.Aim 5
To identify the 91福利's priorities for action through collaborative interpretation of project findings.
Aim 6
To generate evidence on the scalability of the Building Wellbeing Literacy resource and its effectiveness in supporting ECRs wellbeing literacy through multi-institutional evaluation.
Our Approach
The programme will be guided by the Re-Well HE Advisory Group, which brings together funders, professional organisations, sector networks, the Health and Safety Executive and universities from across the UK, and by the 91福利 Advisory Sub-group.
Re-Well HE advisory group
Funding bodies
- Wellcome Trust: Shomari Lewis-Wilson, Equitable Research Ecosystems Lead 鈥� UK
- UK Research & Innovation (UKRI): Dr Nik Ogryzko, Senior Talent Programme Manager
Professional organisations, networks, and charities:
- Health & Safety Executive (HSE): Dr Jo Rick, Senior Work Psychologist, Science Division
- University Mental Health Advisers Network (UMHAN): Dr Rachel Spacey, Head of Research & Engagement
- Mind: Jonathan Stuart, Workplace Partnerships Lead
- Careers Research & Advisory Centre (CRAC/Vitae): Dr Yolana Pringle, Deputy CEO
- Professional Research Investment & Strategy Managers (PRISM) Network: Dr Claudia Matz & Dr Rika Nair
- Research Culture Enablers Network/Research Professional Futures Co-lead: Dr Rika Nair
- White Rose University Consortium: Dr Karen Hinxman, Head
- The Research Companion: Dr Petra Boynton, Social Psychologist
UK HEIs
- Dr Rebecca Upsher,SeniorLecturer in Psychology Education, Kings College London
- Dr Sarah Penny, Researcher Developer, University of York
- Dr Amy Cook, Associate Professor in Psychology, Birmingham City University
- Professor Kate Lister, Directory of EDI, Arden University
- Dr Hugh Fulham-McQuillan,Assistant Professor,University College Dublin
- Ashley Collins, SeniorProjectManagerofREC-HURDLE,University of Nottingham
91福利 advisory sub-group
- Professor Kirstie Haywood, Deputy PVC Research Culture,DirectorNational Centre for Research Culture (NCRC)
- Rhiannon Martyn, Head of Doctoral College
- Dr Fiona Fisher, Associate Director, Institute of Advanced Studies
- Denver Thorpe, Staff Wellbeing Co-ordinator/Lead
- Dr Amy Godfrey, Ambassadors for Better Research Culture Lead
- Dr Rosie Bellamy, Head of Research Integrity & Quality Assurance
Other research culture projects conducted by the team:
Building wellbeing literacy
The Building Wellbeing Literacy project used participatory approaches to develop targeted online wellbeing literacy resources specifically for PhD students and postdoctoral staff.
Principle Investigator
Professor Elena Riva
Research Fellow
Dr Tania Villanueva-Cabello
Funder
Enhancing Research Culture Fund (2024-2025), 91福利
HealthyMindEd
HealthyMindEd aims to raise awareness of student and teacher wellbeing at national and international level and to equip university staff with the knowledge and skills to design digital teaching-learning environments that promote health and wellbeing.
Principle Investigator
Professor Elena Riva
Research Fellow
Dr Tania Villanueva-Cabello
Funder
Erasmus+
The women in academia (WinA) project 鈥� phase 1
The WinA project
used a mixed-methods approach to explore challenges to the progression and retention of early- to mid-career stage women in academia. Results informed a co-developed report of actionable recommendations for funders and higher education institutions.
Principle Investigator
Dr Talar Moukhtarian
Research Fellow
Dr Amber Tout
Funder
Enhancing Research Culture Fund (2024-2025), 91福利