Mapping the research lifecycle: what we heard and what we learned
10 Nov 2026
How the Research Lifecycle Mapping Project gave a clearer view of current processes, dependencies and opportunities for improvement – and a stronger evidence base for prioritising future activity around the needs of researchers and research-supporting colleagues.
How is research done at the University?
As part of the Research Lifecycle Mapping Project, we’ve collaborated with colleagues across the University, who have shared their experiences of the services, systems and processes that enable research.
We now want to share what we heard, what we learned and how that insight will help support Manchester 2035 and the Research Delivery Plan—making ambitious research simpler to deliver, better connected and easier to translate into impact.
Why did we map the research lifecycle?
Excellent research depends not only on ideas and expertise, but also on the people, services, systems and processes that support researchers throughout their work. By mapping the lifecycle and listening to academic and professional services colleagues, the project explored:
- how these different parts connect,
- where colleagues experience barriers or duplication,
- and where there may be opportunities to make support clearer, more consistent and easier to navigate.
This supports the Research Delivery Plan’s focus on enhancing the research culture and environment through a One University approach to the facilities, infrastructure, systems and services that enable research.
What has the project produced?
The project brought together insight from stakeholder engagement, process reviews and supporting analysis. Its outputs include the closure report and the Research Lifecycle Map. Together, they provide a clearer view of current processes, dependencies and opportunities for improvement—and a stronger evidence base for prioritising future activity around the needs of researchers and research-supporting colleagues.
How have colleagues shaped the work?
The expertise and feedback of our colleagues across academic and professional services communities have helped shaped our work. Their input has helped surface practical experiences of current processes and has strengthened the evidence base for understanding where future improvements could have the greatest impact.
Chloe Gray, Director of Enterprise and Business Architecture, said “This project has allowed us to take an important step forward in building a clearer, more joined-up understanding of the University’s services that support the research lifecycle. It has laid valuable foundations for business service design, giving us a much stronger starting point from which to consider how services can be improved.
We now have an opportunity to build on this work through further development of our business service catalogue and by taking a more user-centred approach to how we design and deliver services across research. This will help us progress our wider Service Excellence ambitions, ensuring we consider services not just in terms of how they operate, but how they are experienced by the people who use them.”
Gillian Magee, Director of Research Enablement, added “By bringing together the experiences of academic and Professional Services colleagues, the team has identified where complexity and barriers affect the delivery of research. This work will be an important foundation for prioritising improvements that make research support simpler, better connected and more responsive to researchers’ needs.”
What happens to the insight now?
Although the defined mapping and review activity has ended, the insight gathered will continue to inform future decisions. The findings will remain available to relevant teams and will support Research Enablement, PS Service Excellence and related service improvement activity.
This is an important foundation rather than an endpoint: a shared view of how research is supported today and where future improvements could make it simpler, more connected and more effective.
What’s next?
We’ll test what we’ve discovered through our latest work on improving our contracting process. It will help support our work with service definition and design, roles and responsibilities, dependences and improvement opportunities.
Where can I find out more?
You can find out more information on our website here, including resources such as the Research Lifecycle Map. If you have any questions about the project outputs or next steps, you can email us.
Thank you to everyone who contributed to the Research Lifecycle Mapping Project. Your insight has helped build a clearer shared understanding of the research lifecycle and will support future work to improve the services that enable research across the University.