ABOUT RSVP
The Next Generation Research SuperVision Project
The Next Generation Research SuperVision Project (RSVP) is a £4.6million, Research England funded project designed to professionalise research supervision. Working with 35+ universities (UK and international), research organisations and global businesses (including GSK, Unilever, BBC, Railway Museum and London Museums Trust) and with the support of all seven UKRI research councils and the Wellcome Trust. RSVP is believed to be the largest collaborative, cross-disciplinary, translational research project into doctoral education ever funded.
RSVP has four key areas of exploration:
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Celebrate the contributions made to supervision practice by different stakeholders
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Explore, challenge and problematise the nature of supervision as it relates to different disciplines and contexts
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Critically examine how quality of supervision is articulated, recognised and rewarded
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Learn from each other and identify what more is needed to elevate the status of supervision practice
ABOUT THE CONFERENCE
Aims of the conference
An inclusive scholarly-based conference with a focus on culture change and transformation of doctoral supervision. The primary aim of this inaugural conference is to recognise and celebrate research supervision as a vital element of the research environment.
Inspired by the railway heritage of the Milner Hotel, our conference venue, we will ‘signal’ the need for change, consider who drives the doctoral engine and explore if we need to change track in the way we engineer supervision practice. We invite you to join us in sparking imagination, stoking ambition for change, and to fuel conversations about the conditions that result in poor supervision practice.
Railway metaphors aside, we will provide an inclusive space for intellectual debate and discussion where people can feel free to be themselves and voice their experiences. We want to actively support global conversations about what effective supervision practice looks and feels like in a range of contexts, to recognise and surface the barriers and blocks to engagement in professional development, and to celebrate innovation in supervisory practice.
Conference Themes:
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Professional development for supervisors in HEIs and Industry
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Recognition and value of supervision as part of a positive research culture
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Team and collaborative supervision
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The ‘hidden curriculum’ of supervision
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Imagining the Next Generation of supervisors
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Quality and consistency in supervision practice and experience
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AI, social media and emerging technologies and their impact on supervision
These themes are replicated in the Call for Contributions and will be picked up in our keynotes and panel sessions.
SUBMIT AN ABSTRACT
Call for Contributions
We welcome contributions from supervisors, supervisor developers, researchers, research managers, PGR leads, policy makers, funders and Deans and Directors of Doctoral Schools.
EXTENDED SUBMISSION DEADLINE
We have received many requests for an extension for abstract submissions so we have moved the closing deadline to:
07 October 2026
ADDITIONAL SUPPORT
Watch the clinic replay
In this session, aimed at prospective contributors, we walked through the conference submission criteria and offered perspectives on what reviewers will be looking for. As part of the writing clinic, we also shared practical tips for developing a cohesive 300-word abstract (see the writing prompts below).
CONFERENCE VENUE
& ACCOMMODATION
Conference venue and accommodation
We are delighted to host the RSVP International Conference 2027 at The Milner Hotel, located in the heart of York, just a two minute walk from York train station.
York also offers a wide range of accommodation options. Whether you are looking for independent guesthouses or modern hotels, you will find many choices within walking distance of The Milner Hotel and the city’s historic centre.
Getting to York
York is one of England's most celebrated historic cities and one of the best-connected by rail. Direct services run from London Kings Cross, Edinburgh, Manchester, and Birmingham. The Milner Hotel is a short walk from York Railway Station.
London King's Cross
1h 50 min direct
Edinburgh
2h 20 min direct
Manchester
1h 20 min direct
Birmingham
2h direct
The nearest airport is Leeds-Bradford, however there are also direct trains to York from Manchester Airport
REGISTRATION
Booking information
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​Booking will open at a later stage, but to aid your planning, indicative registration costs are outlined below. ​​​​
Indicative conference fees
Pre-conference workshops (17 March)
£100
Two-day conference registration rate (18-19 March)
£299
Conference dinner
£30
We will be providing reduced registrations rates for postgraduate researchers.
​​​​​​​​​RSVP is generously funded by Research England. To enable conversations across disciplinary and geographic boundaries we are deliberately keeping costs low.
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Registration links for the conference will be open shortly, in the interim please consider submitting an abstract.​
