Have an idea to improve research culture and practice?
The Responsible Research in Action Unconference is looking for leaders who would like to propose and lead a project during the unconference. If your proposal is selected, you will lead a team of up to 20 people who will work collaboratively on your proposed project. Proposals are due by 23:59 CET on Sunday, January 26, 2025.
Projects may seek to improve any aspect of research culture and practice, including all phases of the research process. Examples may include projects related to open science, responsible research practices, team science, stakeholder engagement in research, diversity, equity and inclusion, research assessment reform, research funding allocation, or scholarly communication.
Developing projects
The unconference will focus on projects that will create tangible outputs to improve research culture and practice. Outputs might include tools or toolboxes, white papers, grassroots networks, recommendations, meta-research study protocols, or other resources. Project leads are encouraged to propose projects that will be of interest to a broad range of researchers and may also appeal to other stakeholders, such as funders, publishers and editors, research administrators, or leadership of research performing organizations.
The following types of proposals are unlikely to be selected:
- Projects that are not designed to improve research culture and practice
- Projects that focus on individual research groups or narrowly defined communities rather than systems (e.g. a proposal to create a data management plan template for a single lab or department)
- Projects that will not lead to tangible outputs
Criteria for project leads
Each proposal can have a maximum of 2 project leads, who should have expertise in the content of the proposed project and in facilitating collaborative teamwork. Proposals can be submitted by researchers or members of other stakeholder groups (e.g., individuals working for funding organizations, publishers, or in science management positions). Others with a strong interest in the project may be invited to join the project team when they register to participate in the unconference.
The unconference organizers strongly recommend that for projects submitted by researchers, at least one of the project leads be an early career researcher. Early career researchers include graduate students, postdoctoral fellows, or new PIs who have just started their own research group. We strongly encourage submissions from project leads who belong to groups that are underrepresented in research.
Selection criteria
Proposals will be reviewed by the Programme Organizing Committee and evaluated according to the following criteria.
- Feasibility: Is it feasible and likely that the specified output will be completed by the end of the unconference? If not, is the plan to continue the work afterwards feasible and realistic? (Weight: 1/3)
- Potential impact: Does the project have the potential to improve research culture and practice for many researchers or other stakeholders (e.g. institutions, funders, publishers)? (Weight: 1/3)
- Qualifications of project leads: Do the project leads have the content knowledge (Weight: 1/6) and leadership experience (Weight: 1/6) to lead the proposed project? Note that this will include a blinded evaluation of the project application, completed by the Programme Organizing Committee, as well as a confirmatory check of short CVs, to be completed by the Local Organizing Committee.
Responsibilities of project leads
Project leads whose proposals are selected will be responsible for the following tasks:
- Prepare a 2-minute project video: Videos will be used to advertise projects and will help unconference participants to determine which project they would like to register for.
- Complete a brief online facilitation training: This will help project leads to develop essential skills that they may need during the unconference.
- Advertise the unconference within your networks: While the unconference organizers will advertise the unconference to a broad audience, sharing within your network may attract additional participants who are interested in your specific project.
- Lead group activities during the unconference: Project leads should be aware that participants may come from different backgrounds, fields and stakeholder groups.
- Communicate with the project group before, during and after the unconference: This may include sharing any preparatory materials with registered project participants prior to the unconference and discussing follow-up activities after the unconference.
- Coordinate follow-up activities needed for finalising the project after the unconference: If the team decides to continue working on the output after the unconference, the project leads should either facilitate this work, or hand the project off to others within the project team who would like to lead further activities.
Resources available to project leads
The unconference organizers will provide leaders of selected projects with the following resources:
- Free registration
- Hotel (2 nights, September 22-24, 2025)
- 2nd class train tickets or economy flight costs to and from Berlin. Advance booking is strongly encouraged to lower costs.
- Ticket to the conference dinner on September 23, 2025
- Basic materials (e.g. white boards, post-it notes, pens, markers)
- Working space for the project team. This may be a single small room, or a larger room that will accommodate two groups. All rooms will have internet access.
- Project team of up to 20 participants. The unconference organizers will advertise the unconference and projects, using materials provided by the project leads. Participants will select a project when they register, and the unconference organizers will share names and contact information for participants who registered for specific projects with the leaders for those projects. While project leads will not be able to select participants, they may encourage people in their networks to register and join their project. The maximum team size will be 20 people. Leads may request smaller teams if this is more suitable for their project. The unconference organizers cannot guarantee that each project will reach the maximum number of participants. Project leads can request to lower the maximum number of participants, depending on the needs of their specific project. One participant will be a person from the QUEST Center for Responsible Research or University of Coimbra EXCELScIOR ERA Chair team, who can provide project leads with basic support tasks during the unconference (e.g. taking notes, communicating with the local organizing committee about urgent needs).
Please use this form to submit your proposal by 23:59 CET on Sunday, January 26, 2025.