Transforming the culture and practice of research supervision
50+
Research organisations
6
Core partners
24
Practitioner partners
10
Industry partners
Save the date!
The RSVP International Conference will take place on Thursday 18 and Friday 19 March 2027. Further information, including the call for abstracts, key themes, venue details, and how to register, will be shared in our subsequent newsletters and on the RSVP website in the coming months. We look forward to welcoming you to what promises to be an engaging and impactful conference.
The Next Generation Research SuperVision Project (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.​
Between 2023 to 2027, RSVP is exploring four key research areas:
The role of team supervision
Working with industry partners to understand the role that ‘tertiary’ supervisors (non-HEI), and often ‘hidden’ supervisors (postdocs, technicians, researcher developers), play in supervisory teams. We seek to understand from whom doctoral candidates get their steer.
Supervision practice in different disciplines and contexts
Understanding from supervisors in HE and industry what constitutes effective supervision to develop and pilot continuing professional development (CPD) to support research supervisors in a range of disciplines.
Supervising different types of research degree
Developing support for supervisors of co-tutelle, part-time, distance/hybrid, by prior (and post) publication, portfolio and professional practice doctorates.
Understanding and combating poor supervision practice
Exploring, with Deans and Directors of Doctoral Schools as well as funders/government policy makers, the scope and scale of what might be considered ‘poor’ supervision practice. We will develop policy guidelines to support consistency of practice and enhance the postgraduate research experience.
About RSVP
Funded by Research England and supported by all seven UKRI research councils, the Wellcome Trust and the Crick Institute, RSVP aims to transform the culture and practice of research supervision.
Our research focuses on the four key areas outlined above which is underpinned by our three-pillar approach (pedagogy, practice and policy).
What will RSVP offer?
To understand the evolving doctoral landscape and drive culture change, we're working with a range of HEIs (our Practitioner Partners) to develop, co-create and pilot a programme of Continuing Professional Development (CPD) opportunities for research supervisors. These interventions will be refined over 2026 to 2027, and shared widely with the sector once available.
The RSVP Collection
Consisting of self-published reports and position papers detailing our major findings on the UK’s research supervision landscape, the RSVP Collection provides insights into our data-informed and pedagogically grounded approach to developing relevant professional development opportunities, championing policy changes, and driving culture change across the sector.
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