5th Annual PRIDE Conference 2023 at the University of Porto

Introduction

A researcher working in the creative space of science walks a tightrope. They have constantly to set high (often hardly attainable) targets, step out of their comfort zone and break the boundaries of conventional wisdoms whilst operating in an environment governed by codes and regulations that will not tolerate mistakes or misconduct.

The world of academic research can favour the competitive spirit, often discouraging the collaborative project or the failed hypothesis. It is an environment that increasing numbers of junior and senior researchers see as unhealthy and unwelcome, as recent articles in Nature have underscored. The notions of sacrifice and a scramble to the top are losing the acceptance they once enjoyed. Well-meaning programmes to build skills and retain early career researchers, especially women, do little to fix an underlying system that their target audience reject.

At the same time, the guidelines and requirements for good research, enacted in all good intention to support and promote researchers, can be understood by them as yet another layer of constraint, of administrative obstacle and intervention. For administrators, this response can appear as walls of resistance or disinterest, and their reaction can be to multiply policies and regulations. In the end, all those involved become wrapped in a cycle of misinterpretation and mistrust.

How can we, as PRIDE, understand what’s going on for researchers in the world of academic research today? How do we support supervisors, doctoral candidates, postdocs walk that tightrope? How can we make the carrot more appetising, instead of lengthening the stick?