Research Culture Pilot Projects

Coffee Morning Pilot - Frequently Asked Questions

What is the Coffee Morning Pilot? It's a one-semester seed funding opportunity for schools, institutes, and centres that don't currently have a regular informal gathering for their research community. The goal is to lower the barrier to starting something, demonstrate its value, and hopefully help it become a permanent fixture in your school's culture.
Why is this being offered? Research culture thrives when people know each other beyond their immediate lab or office. Coffee mornings are a simple, low-effort way to build social cohesion, reduce isolation, and create the kind of informal connections that often lead to unexpected collaborations.
Is this a one-off, or will funding be available again? This is a pilot. If it's successful, we hope schools will continue their series independently. Future funding rounds will depend on how the pilot goes.

Application closes on July 10th and applicants will be notified on their application by July 14th. Funds will be disbursed before September 1st

Eligibility

Can any school/centre/institute apply? The pilot is open to schools, institutes, and centres across all faculties that do not currently have an established coffee morning or equivalent regular informal gathering.
Who in the school should apply for this funding? Anyone in the school can apply. If multiple people from the same school submit an application, we'll notify all parties and designate a single point of contact for administrative purposes. Trinity Research will work with the applicant to transfer funds into the relevant school account and, if needed, help circulate details of the coffee morning more broadly.
Who will run the coffee mornings? Each school is responsible for organising and running its own series. Whoever applies for the funding should take ownership of the practicalities: picking a day and time, sending an invite to the school community, and sourcing refreshments. Trinity Research can help connect you with other pilot schools if you'd like to share tips or learn from their experience.
What if our school already does something similar occasionally, but not regularly? If your school has something occasional or ad hoc rather than a consistent series, you are still eligible to apply.
Can multiple schools submit a joint application? Yes, schools are welcome to submit a joint application and pool the funds, if their intention is to host a joint coffee morning series.

Funding

How much funding is available per school? Funding covers up to five sessions across one semester, at a flat rate of 70 euros per session. This is intended to cover light refreshments only: tea, coffee, pastries, fruit etc.
What can the funding be spent on? Refreshments only. It is not intended to cover catering beyond refreshments, room hire, speakers, or any other costs.
What if we run out of funding before the semester ends? The funding is fixed, so we'd encourage schools to keep costs modest and consistent across sessions. We can provide guidance on local procurement options to help with this.
Can we spend more than the allocated amount if we want to? You're welcome to supplement the funding from your own school budget, but this is not expected or required.

Running the Coffee Mornings

How long should each coffee morning last? That's entirely up to you, there's no formal agenda. Most schools find that 45 minutes to an hour works well, but the format is deliberately flexible.
Does it need to be a morning event? Not necessarily, the name is informal. If an afternoon slot works better for your school, that's fine.
Who should be invited? Everyone: researchers, technicians, ECRs, postdocs, professional services staff, and faculty. The intention is that this is a genuinely inclusive gathering, not just for certain staff levels.
Do we need a formal agenda or speaker? No. The whole point is that there is no agenda. This is informal social time.
Will someone from Trinity Research attend? The Research Culture and Quality Manager will attend your first session to introduce themselves and give a brief overview of the research culture initiative. After that, the event is yours to run.

After the pilot

Will we be asked to report back? Yes, but lightly. At the end of the pilot we'll ask whoever submitted the application to complete a brief survey covering attendance, feedback from participants, and whether your school intends to continue.
What happens when the funding runs out? We hope that by the end of the semester, the coffee morning has become enough of a habit that schools choose to continue it independently. The costs are modest enough that most schools should be able to absorb them.
If we want to continue, will there be any support available? We'll share a simple template and any learnings from across the pilot schools to make it as easy as possible to keep going independently.