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ECR Newsletter - July 2025
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National Postdoc Appreciation Week
Monday 15 - Friday 19 September 2025
Join us for the University of Exeter's annual celebration of Postdocs. National Postdoc Appreciation Week celebrates the fantastic contribution postdocs make towards research and academic life both within the University of Exeter and nationally.
This year we celebrate with a series of activities, events and workshops including (NB - all details to be confirmed so stay tuned for further updates!)
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National celebration on Monday 15 September on theme of self-leadership;
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A session for Exeter ECRs on Wednsday 17 September, Leading from Within;
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An Exeter alumni panel session on Thursday 18 September to spotlight the value of research skills in diverse careers.
Additionally, the Researcher Development and Research Culture team is running an initiative for Staff to say 'thank you" to their ECR peers and team-mates and to acknowledge them for their contributions. Please nominate a postdoc by filling in this form. All those nominated will receive a personalised bookplate that is printed with your words of thanks and signed by Prof Krasimira Tsaneva-Atanasova alongside a small edible treat. Nominations will close on Monday 8 September 2025 (5 pm). After this date the bookplates will be created and sent to your nominated postdoc via internal mail.
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Research Staff Development Programme
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Learning and Development Opportunities: University of Exeter and Beyond
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Use of AI Notetakers in Researcher Development Workshops: New Guidance
Any form of recording whether via Teams or external tools like Fellow and other AI notetakers is NOT permitted. If you have any accessibility needs and do require a recording of the session, please contact Researcher Development in advance and we will arrange this with the trainer.
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Advancing Relational Intelligence for Research Leaders: Navigating Collaboration, Influence, and Impact
Thursday 17 July 2025 (10 am - 12.30 pm) Online
This interactive online workshop, delivered by Dr Elicia Robinson-Tomek of Venn Leadership Ltd, introduces researchers to practical tools for navigating the complex relationship dynamics of academic leadership.
Through guided reflection, peer discussion, and scenario-based practice, researchers will identify their key relationship strengths and challenges, then develop specific strategies for navigating typical challenges like building influence without formal authority, managing difficult conversations, and fostering psychological safety in research teams.
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Images of Research - for ECRs and PGRs
Opens - Monday 21 July 2025
Deadline - Monday 8 September 2025
The Images of Research competition provides Early Career Researchers with the opportunity to gain valuable experience communicating their research to a non-specialist audience. Due to popular demand, we are pleased to announce that this year, we will also be opening the competition to our postgraduate researchers too!
The competition has received hundreds of entries over the years and showcases the breadth of research undertaken at the University through a fantastic array of images and short, jargon-free descriptions. You can view past entries and the winners, as well as gain some inspiration for entering this year’s competition, in our Images of Research booklets.
Entries will be displayed online from the Autumn and winners promoted through social media.
The Images of Research competition is one of the ways we seek to support our early career and postgraduate researchers. You can find out more about how we support a positive research culture on our Research Culture SharePoint site.
Visit Reflections from winners of previous Images of Research competitions for insight into some previous entrants’ approaches and experiences.
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Visit by Professor Adriana Pagano from Federal University of Minas Gerais (FUMG)
Monday 14 July 2025
As part of the global partnership initiative and to foster research collaborations, we are delighted to inform you that Professor Adriana Pagano from the Federal University of Minas Gerais, UFMG, Brazil is returning to Exeter to meet IDSAI Director, Professor Aline Villavicencio and colleagues later this month. This visit aims to build on previous visits and further explore potential synergies between IDSAI and UFMG, fostering collaborations and laying the groundwork for future research partnerships and grant applications. The
discussions will focus on two key areas:
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Clinical AI - Advancing AI-driven healthcare research and applications.
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AI For Healthcare Communication - Exploring the potential to better understand, innovate and improve Healthcare communication.
There will be an opportunity to meet Adriana on Monday 14 July. If you would like to meet her, contact IDSAI: idsai@exeter.ac.uk.
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Get Seen: How to Create a Compelling LinkedIn Profile and Raise your Visibility
Thursday 11 September 2025 - online (click here to see your local time)
Registration Deadline : Monday 10 September 2025
In this practical online session, delivered by Ruth Winden, we will go live onto LinkedIn and analyse strong researcher profiles, share profile tips and strategies, and discuss the most effective ways of engaging on LinkedIn, in a way that feels comfortable and authentic. See flyer for more information.
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Getting Started with the British Library
Thursday 16 October 2025 (2 pm - 4 pm) Online
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What is the British Library?
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What’s in the collection?
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How can I find what I need?
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What development opportunities are available?
Join us online for an introduction to the British Library for prospective and current PhD researchers of all disciplines looking to engage with our collections. This event may also be useful for Higher Education staff who support postgraduate research.
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JPAG Early Careers Pharmaceutical Analysis - Research Awards Symosium 2025
Tuesday 11 November 2025 - Royal Society of Chemistry HQ, London
Abstracts/posters to be submitted by 31 August 2025
The Symposium encourages and promotes innovation and high standards in pharmaceutical analysis, Joint Pharmaceutical Analysis Group (JPAG) will be inviting selected presenters to showcase their work in the field via oral and poster presentations. The Symposium welcomes abstracts submissions from PhD researchers, postdoctoral fellows and early career industrial scientists currently carrying out research on an innovative application of pharmaceutical analytical science.
Awards will be given for the best oral and poster presentations. The prestigious Geoffrey Phillips Award for the best oral presentation will allow the winner to attend an international conference of their choice through a bursary of up to £1,000; a £250 prize is awarded to the runner up. There are also a £200 first prize and two runner-up prizes of £100 for the best poster presentations.
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Research Grants, Funding & Competitions
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Introduction to Horizon Europe Webinar
Thursday 24 July 2025 (10 am - 11 am)
This one-hour webinar is purposefully designed to help those with no or low recent knowledge about Horizon Europe gain an understanding of the opportunities it offers, and the basics about how to explore these opportunities further for yourself.
This Webinar will be repeated on a regular basis.
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VitaeCon2025 - Researcher Bursaries
Application Deadline : Thursday 31 July 2025 (12 noon)
Bursaries have been generously sponsored by UKRI, the British Academy's ECR Network (BA ECR Network) and Wellcome to offer researchers the opportunity to attend the Vitae Internaional Researcher Development Conference 2025 which takes place in September.
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Dr Andrew Cunliffe has created this Funding Finder platform which signposts hundreds of funding opportunities that will be of interest to current community members looking to undertake research, fieldwork, conference visits or exchanges with our partner organisations worldwide. It has easily searchable listings and awards ranging from £100 to £10,000,000.
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The University is a subscriber to PIVOT-RP, a comprehensive searchable online database of research funders and schemes, accessible to all colleagues and postgraduate researchers. To get started look at the Training and Guidance. Users can search for external and internal calls; create tailored searches, set up funding alerts, track opportunities, share, and collaborate with colleagues, and search for conference / paper calls
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Research Development Fund (RDF)
Deadline : Thursday 11 September 2025
Please note, the below opportunity is only open to research staff as well as students in the final year of their research degree.
The Worldwide Universities Network (WUN) has launched the 2025 call for its Research Development Fund (RDF), which offers grants of up to £10,000 to support international research collaborations among academic staff at WUN member institutions.
Proposals should align with WUN’s focus on sustainable development and demonstrate the added value of working across borders and contexts, themes such as:
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social justice and inequality;
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urbanization, energy, food, and water security;
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mental, maternal, and ageing-related health;
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the responsible and ethical use of artificial intelligence.
There is an Internal Application Process to shortlist up to two Exeter-led proposals.
Please contact Emma Clarke via GP-Funding@exeter.ac.uk for more information.
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2026 Lister Institute Research Prizes Now Open!
Deadline : Monday 29 September 2025 (midnight)
This Fellowship gives scientists the opportunity to develop their potential with an award of £300,000 of flexible funding over a five-year period. To date, we have been able to support some excellent early career researchers, awarding the Prize to eight outstanding scientists this year.
We aim to award at least six prizes, based on:
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the originality and quality of the proposed research;
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the achievements of the applicant in the context of their own circumstances;
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the transformational impact that the Prize would have on the recipient’s career, considering their research environment and other funding.
Please direct any enquiries to please email secretary@lister-institute.org.uk.
Read FAQs here.
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Research & Researcher Networks
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ECR Community on Viva Engage
Have you noticed the University community for ECRs on Viva Engage? Lots of ECRs have already been added and if you are not on there, you can join. This is a collaborative online space to share and discuss ideas, ask questions and keep up to date with the latest activities, events and opportunities.
Have your voice heard and shape our community and ECR culture.
Join the conversation now by sharing your first post!
This page is maintained and moderated by the Researcher Development and Research Culture team.
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Health, Wellbeing & Support
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Find out how the University can support Early Career Researchers. The page includes support from the University, Spectrum.Life as well as a list of networks to support staff wellbeing.
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