University Expands British Academy Early Career Researcher Network into Midlands

The British Academy’s Early Career Research Network (ECRN) is embarking on a new expansion into the Midlands as the initiative begins its national rollout.

The University of Lincoln, UK, is one of the new delivery partners for the network. As such, Lincoln academics can benefit from a wealth of additional opportunities and an environment specially designed to strengthen their skills and networks.

Prof Simon Lilley, Professor of Management and academic lead for the ECRN at Lincoln said: “Lincoln joined what was then one of the regional pilots for the British Academy’s now national scheme of Early Career Researcher (ECR) networks at its earliest opportunity and immediately became one of the most active institutions in the network, organising and hosting numerous events and supporting all manner of its initiatives.

“Being an ECR can be an isolating and lonely experience. Organising and participating in events of mutual interest to ECRs provides an excellent buttress against those risks along with a safe base from which to grow into the profession with and through the mutual support that the network provides.”

Dr Alessia Vacca, Senior Lecturer in Law at the University of Lincoln, recently hosted a Sustainable Fashion Forum with the backing of the network. The event exemplified the power of collating expertise, demonstrating how the network can connect experts to form collaborations and ultimately strengthen the breadth of research being produced on a topic.

Dr Vacca said: “Scholars, researchers, and practitioners explored ways of thinking about sustainability in fashion, the challenges it presents, and the opportunities for meaningful change within the industry.

“The ECRN BA (British Academy) was incredibly supportive and it was amazing to connect with so many others doing progressive work in the same field. We created a network for future collaboration and hopefully some selected papers will be published.”

Dr Loice Natukunda, Lecturer in Research Methods at the University of Lincoln organised and ran two ECRN BA supported events in the last year that successfully attracted network-wide participation, which in turn sparked the creation of interuniversity friendships and networks among ECRs.

Dr Natukunda explained the value of Lincoln becoming a delivery partner and said: “The role brings close to the University the opportunities for growth in research leadership, skills development, interuniversity networking opportunities and will no doubt ease the researcher development journey of ECRs.

“ECRs and their mentors can look forward to the synergetic benefits of working with others to realise their potential for growth and advancing a supportive research culture in the hub and nationwide.”

The ECRN is funded by the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology (DSIT) and the Wolfson Foundation.

To find out more or sign up to the ECRN, follow this link: Early Career Researcher Network | The British Academy