Royal Society Research Culture Award

This award is for outstanding contributions to the wider research community.

  • Opening date

  • Closing date

  • Winners announcement

The award

The Royal Society Research Culture Award is awarded annually to an individual or team for outstanding and sustained work in the improvement of the research system/research culture.

The award will recognise a wide variety of contributions to improving science including, but not limited to:

  • individuals who have gone beyond the normal expectations as a sponsor or mentor, who have contributed to improving scientific careers, or contributed to improve diversity
  • individuals or teams who have made significant contributions to open science practices such as sharing data, code, software or reagents, developing cell lines, building repositories for other scientists to make use of, preprint servers, AI tools for intelligently searching the literature, text and data mining innovations, open experimental protocols, novel open peer review platforms etc
  • individuals or teams who have supported others in their scientific careers, made significant contributions to improving the culture, environment and working conditions for researchers, or to improving appointment and promotion practices; efforts to promote research integrity, reproducibility and good research practices; campaigning or advocacy to promote science and its benefits, or to attract attention to important scientific issues; contributions to open access publishing; and technological innovations in support of research

The award winner or winners will be presented with a medal of silver gilt and a gift of £2000.

The terms and conditions (PDF) for the Royal Society Research Culture Award should be read before submitting a nomination. 

Nominations are closed

Nominations will reopen in November 2024.

Eligibility

The Royal Society Research Culture Award is open to UK/Commonwealth/Republic of Ireland citizens or those who have been residents for three or more years. There are no restrictions on career stage and nominations will remain valid and shall be considered by the award selection committee throughout three nomination cycles. Teams or groups may be nominated for this award.

2024 winner

  • Dr Kate Shaw

    Dr Kate Shaw

    The Royal Society Research Culture Award 2024 is awarded to Dr Kate Shaw for making a substantial impact on improving equality, diversity and inclusion through education, outreach, communication and open data.
  • Past winners

    • The Daphne Jackson Trust
      Awarded in 2023

      Daphne Jackson Trust

      For being a leading organisation dedicated to realising the potential of returners to research careers after career breaks taken for family, caring or health reasons.
    • blank avatar
      Awarded in 2022

      Dr Mark Richards

      For his inspiring contribution to, advocacy of, and commitment to increasing equity in physics, including the development of the UK’s first network of Black physicists: the Blackett Lab Family.