The University of Hull has been selected to join the Next Generation Research SuperVision Project (RSVP).
Funded by Research England, this £4.6m four-year project officially launches in October 2024 and aims to review, enhance and shape doctoral supervision practice. It includes representation from 50+ research organisations across the whole of the UK and beyond.
The University of Hull is one of the RSVP practitioner partners and will work with other partners, the UK Council for Graduate Education (UKCGE) and the RSVP team to develop, co-create and pilot a programme of Continuing Professional Development opportunities for research supervisors.
Institutions were selected as practitioner partners to reflect diversity in terms of size, modes of doctoral provision, capacity and commitment to sharing and evaluating practice.
Dr Tricia Shaw, Director of Postgraduate Research at the University of Hull, said: “We are delighted to be one of the practitioner partners, which reinforces Hull’s commitment to improving support, training and development opportunities for our Postgraduate Research (PGR) supervisors.
“We are committed to a culture of continuous improvement in all aspects of PGR support. The RSVP project provides us with a framework for self-assessment and reflection, collaboration and benchmarking with other HEIs, resulting in higher standards of doctoral supervision, in staff development, more inclusive practice and even better outcomes for our PGRs.”
Dr Karen Clegg, Co-Principal Investigator of RSVP, added: “The expressions of interest (we received) demonstrated that there is already significant work taking place within organisations to support research supervision. We will cascade what we learn to the whole sector and will be inviting people to engage in new networks.”
Practitioner partners will work with existing partners and six core members to pilot and evaluate professional development for research supervisors at all career stages. Together they will explore and review approaches such as onboarding, workshops, mentoring, observation of supervision, communities of practice, and recognition of excellent supervision.
This element of the project complements the research being undertaken with industry partners and Higher Education supervisors to explore what team supervision looks like, and to better understand the needs of supervisors across different disciplines, career stages and study routes.
Professor Doug Cleaver, Co-Principal Investigator of RSVP, said: “We are delighted that several of our UK Practitioner Partners have linked with international collaborators, so making this a truly global effort to transform and enhance research supervision practice.”