{"id":1175,"date":"2023-09-21T13:32:32","date_gmt":"2023-09-21T12:32:32","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blogs.kent.ac.uk\/ris\/?p=1175"},"modified":"2025-05-19T12:05:22","modified_gmt":"2025-05-19T11:05:22","slug":"launching-kents-research-and-innovation-support","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.kent.ac.uk\/ris\/2023\/09\/21\/launching-kents-research-and-innovation-support\/","title":{"rendered":"Launching Kent\u2019s Research and Innovation Support"},"content":{"rendered":"

On Thursday 14 September<\/strong>, RIS colleagues gathered on the Templeman lawn to mark the beginning of the new Research and Innovation Support structure. The social event provided a much-needed opportunity for colleagues old and new to connect, reflect on recent changes and look ahead to the future ahead of the new academic year.<\/p>\n

The gathering marked the directorate\u2019s transition from \u2018Research and Innovation Services\u2019 to \u2018Research and Innovation Support\u2019, better reflecting the nature of its role as a community of professional staff that enable Kent\u2019s thriving research and innovation activity through support. This minor change in nomenclature comes with an even greater focus in how funded R&I support will be delivered and how the team can ensure that key drivers, such as the development of partnerships, the changing Research Excellence Framework (REF) landscape, the development of a positive research culture and agendas such as Trusted Research can be better supported. RIS staff previously based in Kent\u2019s six academic divisions will now report to the Central Professional Services \u2018hub\u2019 and work in close partnership with a centrally-located RIS team which will focus on governance and compliance.<\/p>\n

The Director of Research and Innovation Support, Kerry Barber, commented:<\/p>\n

Research and Innovation support, both centrally and within Divisions, was greatly enhanced during Organising for Success. This means that we have been able to build upon a successful model to support Kent\u2019s researchers. The committed and talented R&I professional services staff at Kent have always worked in close partnership with academic colleagues, leading to remarkable achievements such as the institution\u2019s outstanding REF 2021 results and doubling the value of research and innovation applications submitted between 2021-22 and 2022-23. We\u2019re therefore looking forward to continuing to enhancing R&I support at Kent, and helping our colleagues achieve even greater research and innovation success.<\/em><\/p>\n

\"Shane
DVC of Research and Innovation, Shane Weller, speaks to the directorate alongside Director of RIS, Kerry Barber at the Research and Innovation Support launch event<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

 <\/p>\n

With the new structure now in place, there is no better time for Kent staff to explore what support RIS has to offer. The RIS Intranet site<\/a>, accessible via the Kent Community homepage, can help you do that. Here you\u2019ll find guidance on a wide range of research and innovation activity, including how to:<\/p>\n