Research Culture Pilot Projects

Anybody affiliated with a TRI (e.g., researcher, academic, staff, technician). While the exchange that you organise should be open to all members of the Trinity community, the lead applicant should be affiliated with a TRI.

We particularly encourage early career researchers, including PhD students and postdocs to apply.  

Note: if you are not sure whether you are affiliated with a TRI, reach out to the project leads: maedbh.king@tcd.ie; adam.partridge@tcd.ie

The topics can vary widely and should be tailored to encourage attendance from across Trinity. For example, here is an illustrative, but not exhaustive, list of topics:

• Hackathons;
• Conceptual deep dives into emerging ideas;
• Informal problem-solving sessions;
• Responsible use of AI;
• Reading groups across disciplines;
• Research as narrative / storytelling;
• Live debates in my research field;
• Reproducible research and open scholarship;
• Working with new and emerging technologies;
• ‘Vibe coding’ and generative AI;
• Thematic analysis for scientists;
• Translation and communication (e.g., honing the elevator pitch);
• Research through performance;
• Introduction to various Python workflows;
• Improv for researchers;
• One problem, every discipline;
• Grant funding process: knowledge exchange;
• Failure workshops;
• Writing or Grant review groups;
• Research ethics;
• Public engagement and media training.

Any costs that do not directly enable the Peer to Peer Knowledge Exchange session. 

Payments to the team. 

Note: If you are uncertain if costs are eligible, please get in touch to discuss further.

Trinity Research will manage this initiative, specifically, the Research Culture and Quality Managers for HS and STEM, who will put out a call for proposals, evaluate the proposals, and disburse the funds. We can also: 

• Provide funding (€500 / 1000 / 1500 / 3000)
• Ad-hoc queries
• Support internal communication/’marketing’ of your exchange
• Share processes for room bookings and catering
• Liaise with TRI directors & administrators/managers
• Signpost facilitation skills support, and if there's interest, run a facilitation skills workshop
• Provide feedback on proposals to help make the exchange more successful
• Connect applicants with relevant groups across campus
• Provide a one-page evaluation template for you to complete at the end of the exchange.

• Submit your proposal (one page) by the deadline!
• If required, work with colleagues to combine proposals
• Lead organisation and delivery of the Peer to Peer Knowledge Exchange
• Plan communications and advertise your event
• Book rooms and catering as required
• Spend funds as described in your proposal
• Explore and upskill, as required, on facilitation techniques required for delivery
• Complete the provided evaluation template at the end of the project

Proposals should have a lead applicant and specify which institute(s) they're affiliated with. Beyond that, we'll assess proposals against the following:

• Interdisciplinary relevance: Does the topic have appeal or relevance beyond a single discipline? Is it framed so that other members of the Trinity community outside the discipline would understand its value and attend?
• Collaboration across institutes: We encourage proposals involving two or more institutes. While institute-specific proposals are still welcome and eligible, we will prioritise proposals that target two or more institutes.
• Novelty: Priority will be given to new peer-to-peer exchanges – i.e., activities that aren't already happening in some form.
• Overlap with other proposals: If we receive multiple similar proposals, we may reach out to applicants to discuss merging or consolidating them into a single, stronger initiative rather than funding overlapping efforts separately.