Another year, another Research Consulting BBQ Last Friday the team fired up the grill for our annual summer BBQ. 🧑‍🍳Rob manned the tongs (no burnt sausages), and we swapped spreadsheets for burgers and sunshine. It's a small thing, but a bit of time together outside the day job goes a long way. 🌞

@rschrobuk.bsky.social will be attending the @r4lpartnership.bsky.social General Partners’ Meeting on 21–22 July in Geneva. We look forward to contributing to discussions on collaboration, access to research findings, and the future of global scholarly communication!

💥New | New rules for federal research grants will limit their reach and leave US research isolated ✍️ @rschrobuk.bsky.social #ResearchFunding #AcademicSky #SciComms

New rules for federal research grants will limit their reach and leave US research isolated - LSE Impact

A proposed overhaul of US federal grant rules could significantly curtail how research is communicated and damage US global science.

blogs.lse.ac.uk

Hurrah - all attendees for #UKSG2026 can now access the presentations from the conference! Please check your email inbox for details on how. For non-delegates there is a small fee - details here: dub.sh/B0IfXuv Our thanks to our friends at Underline for their support

We’re getting ready for the @armauk.bsky.social Conference next week - @rschrobuk.bsky.social, @dankingdk.bsky.social and @angharadroberts.bsky.social, will be heading to Harrogate from 16 to 18 June. If you’re attending, do stop by our stand. We’d love to connect!

In our latest post, we talk through how institutions could leverage today’s wealth of data to answer pressing questions, from detecting emerging research strengths to mapping how their work connects to strategic priorities. Come find us at the ARMA Annual Conference to hear more! buff.ly/H6Et4Dv

Answering the questions that don't fit the database - Research Consulting

Universities and research policymakers are sitting on more data than ever. Bibliometric platforms, research information systems, dashboard after dashboard of

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After a fab day in London with @uksg.bsky.social, it's about time I share the call for topics for the 2027 (!) conference. 2027 is our 50th anniversary and we've got cracking plans to make the conference better than ever, so get your skates on and submit a proposal! www.uksg.org/annualconfer...

University of Nottingham drops five publishing deals. www.researchprofessionalnews.com/rr-news-uk-u...

University of Nottingham drops five publishing deals - Research Professional News

Latest cost-saving move by cash-strapped institution comes amid wider retreat from major publishing agreements

researchprofessionalnews.com

In a new piece for @resprofnews.bsky.social, our founder & MD @rschrobuk.bsky.social argues that @ukri.org ending hybrid funding without backing Open Research Europe (ORE) risks the worst of both worlds: one route shut, no credible replacement in sight. Read the full piece below!

@rschrobuk.bsky.social will be delivering the keynote at Publisherspeak UK 2026! He'll be exploring AI Governance in Publishing, and how the sector is moving from policy to practice. Free for publishers → buff.ly/AIjTKyu

I look forward to running this webinar with the Forum for Open Research in MENA on 12 May! Find the event’s description and registration link below. 👇🏼

FORM@forumforopen.bsky.social · 4mo ago

How do you make #OpenScience work at your institution? Join us May 12 to explore strategies from Europe & the UK, practical tools, & lessons you can apply no matter your resources. Speaker: @drachiarelli.bsky.social, Associate Director, @researchconsulting.bsky.social 🔗Register: shorturl.at/zI3GK

We're delighted to be working with @irelibrary.bsky.social to support the development of their five-year strategic plan. Over the next few months, we'll be engaging with stakeholders across Ireland's research and higher education sector to discuss IReL's direction and opportunities from 2027 onwards

IReL to Commence Strategic Planning Process  – IReL

IReL is a consortium of Irish research libraries, providing access to licensed e-resources, OA publishing agreements, and open science infrastructure.

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Good morning from Glasgow! The @uksg.bsky.social 2026 conference is officially underway. @rschrobuk.bsky.social is attending, and looking forward to hearing fresh perspectives from across the research community. If fancy a quick conversation between sessions, feel free to connect.

Next week, @rschrobuk.bsky.social will be attending the @uksg.bsky.social Annual Conference in Glasgow. Feel free to message him if you would like to connect during the event!

How can alternative publishing practices become established as the new standard?@knowledgeexchange.bsky.social & @researchconsulting.bsky.social have explored this & similar questions in our new report Charting New Paths: The Promise of Alternative Publishing Practices.  doi.org/10.5281/zeno...

This is an excellent read/listen - @isaliba.bsky.social, part of Scholars At Risk, is an Academic Freedom Consultant as well as his other affiliations and projects. This forms the foundation for another to follow with lessons learned on how we can better protect researchers. PLEASE READ/LISTEN/SHARE

Dr. Ilyas Saliba@isaliba.bsky.social · 5mo ago

🚨Just out: new piece for the scholarly kitchen on the responsibility & possibilities of academic publishers to protect & defend #AcademicFreedom based on my keynote at the APE conference in Berlin this January.

Our "Networking for Imposters" #UKSG2026 session with @becky-hill.bsky.social & @hannahcrago.bsky.social is for anyone who's ever walked into a conference and immediately looked for the exit. 🗓 Mon 30 March, 4pm & Wed 1 April, 10am uksg.org/events/conference26/ #Networking #ImposterSyndrome

We have a splendid list of candidates standing for election as a Trustee this year - thank you to all of them! If you are a voter, please look out for the email! Candidate details here: dub.sh/sjRhVcz

We’ve published the latest edition of Research Consulting Insights, our quarterly roundup of developments across the research ecosystem. This issue explores the changing landscape of knowledge exchange and the latest instalment of our Meet the Team series. Read the full issue here: buff.ly/5NOUiYK

MISDIRECTION - a story about India's choice to spend the equivalent of its research budget on subscription costs to commercial publishers. Some public institutions don't have reliable internet - meaning many academics can't access the articles researchonresearchinstitute.substack.com/p/why-metasc...

Why metascience matters

A story of India’s misplaced investment priorities in R&D

researchonresearchinstitute.substack.com

We’re at Olympia for the London Book Fair 2026 today. Find @rschrobuk.bsky.social and @dylanstoran.bsky.social for a chat about publishing and scholarly communication - send them a message to arrange a meet up!

Countdown is on - just 9 days left to register for #UKSG2026. Everyone can learn something from the programme and everyone can benefit from the unique opportunity to build relationships with people across the information community. Register now! www.uksg.org/events/confe... @uksg.bsky.social

Research systems are under pressure from multiple directions at once. Knowledge exchange, research infrastructure, open access, global participation - these aren't separate trends. To find out more sign up for our next newsletter, incoming next week: www.research-consulting.com/newsletter/

The Research to Reader Conference kicks off today! @rschrobuk.bsky.social is attending today and tomorrow, joining discussions on research, publishing and scholarly communication. We are looking forward to great conversations - do get in touch with Rob if you would like to connect during the event.

Are OA agreements just procurement with better optics or instruments of cultural change? Rich discussion in Research Information featuring our MD @rschrobuk.bsky.social with @jisc.bsky.social, @zbmed.bsky.social & Karger on participation, integrity & what "value" really means now.

From price to principles - Research Information

Francesca Brazzorotto of Karger Publishers explains why open access agreements are no longer just about access

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Heading to @r2rconf.bsky.social on 24–25 February? So is our colleague @rschrobuk.bsky.social! Come find us for a chat about scholarly communication and research publishing, or get in touch with Rob to schedule a catch-up during the event.

👀ICYMI: "We’re losing one of the few sources of comparable cross-funder data just as we’re building up the capability to analyse and interpret it." @rschrobuk.bsky.social #Metascience #ResearchFunding #ResearchFish

So long, and thanks for all the Researchfish - LSE Impact

Rob Johnson reflects on the demise of a platform that united the UK research community in one thing: complaining about it.

blogs.lse.ac.uk

💥New | @rschrobuk.bsky.social reflects on the demise of a platform that united the UK research community in one thing: complaining about it. #ResearchFish #AcademicSky #ResearchFunding

So long, and thanks for all the Researchfish - LSE Impact

Rob Johnson reflects on the demise of a platform that united the UK research community in one thing: complaining about it.

blogs.lse.ac.uk

Three Pillars, One Mission: What Medical Research Charities Need to Thrive. Here are my reflections from Tuesday's @amrc-uk.bsky.social Charity Showcase at the House of Commons. www.linkedin.com/pulse/three-...

Three Pillars, One Mission: What Medical Research Charities Need to Thrive

Reflections from the Medical Research Charity Showcase The House of Commons Terrace Pavilion provided a striking backdrop for Tuesday's AMRC Parliamentary Showcase - a gathering that brought together ...

linkedin.com

It’s great to be in the room as Caroline Sutton announces the release of STM’s latest report on research integrity. It was a pleasure to support the STM Research Integrity Committee in painting a picture of publisher efforts in this fast-evolving area. s3.eu-west-2.amazonaws.com/stm.offloadm...