About Researcher Connect Online

 

Researcher Connect Online is a two-week intensive training that provides participants with the insights, understanding, and tools to communicate more effectively, whatever the situation or context.

Researcher Connect online is a series of modules delivered through an online workshop format by experienced and quality-assured trainers. It is designed specifically for early career researchers, although certain aspects would also benefit more experienced members of the research community.

This course has been delivered worldwide, and participant feedback has consistently shown that it enhances researchers’ communication skills, knowledge, and abilities.

This year, we will train two groups of 30 young researchers. See the specific dates below.

Why do researchers’ communication skills matter?

In an increasingly competitive and globalised market, researchers, and the institutions they represent need to communicate their work effectively to an international audience.

Researchers with strong communication skills are more likely to:

  • publish in international journals
  • successfully promote their research and represent their institutions at conferences
  • gain funding from international bodies
  • effectively communicate with the wider public and policymakers
  • build international collaborations to further their research.

In recognition of this need, and building on our vision for prosperity through internationalised education, the British Council has developed the Researcher Connect Online professional development course.

This programme aims:

  1. To enhance the productivity of individual researchers and, in turn, provide their universities and research institutions with a competitive advantage in the fast-moving international research environment. 
  2. To build capacity for early career researchers (up to 10 years) and recent PhD graduates with inclusive participation based on gender, ethnicity, and geographical difference.
  3. To improve your communication and research skills and research quality as a whole,
  4. To increase the number of (joint) international journals and to strengthen research collaboration through this series of online training workshops.

To be eligible, applicants must:

  • Be a Mexican national or be affiliated with a Mexican HEI or Research Centre.
  • Be an early career researcher (ERC) and a practicing researcher at the beginning of your research career (ECRs are typically up to six years after finishing their PhD). All disciplines are welcome.
  • Be able to effectively communicate in English (B2 level or above).
  • One letter of recommendation from people who can attest to your ability to do well in the programme.
  • Can commit to the training schedule (this is a two-week training programme, three hours Tuesday-Friday 9:00 am to 12:00 pm, each day). See specific dates below.
  • Can confirm that your research organisation/university is permitting your full (100%) attendance (of which an attendance certificate will be awarded to you at the end of the training, and as evidence).   
  • Can commit to one or two deliverables with concrete outcomes as a result of this training, e.g. to aid the publication of research, sharing sessions to wider researchers, increasing research connections and collaborations.

Complete the application form or click on the button below to access it.

Application form 

  • Attach your updated resume or CV and letter of recommendation to the online application form. Please note that both documents should be uploaded to a Google Drive link and shared within the application form. 

1. Foundation Module (1 session)

It introduces the approach, skills, tools, and techniques that underpin all the other communication skills of the Researcher Connect series of modules.

2. Digital Researcher Module (1 session)

Empowers researchers to strategise and use social media to make their research more accessible, more highly cited and to connect with other researchers and the public, for greater impact.

3. Academic Collaboration Module (1 session)

Assists researchers with how to plan collaboration and approach potential collaborators and builds their understanding of when and where collaboration may be most beneficial and how to handle the challenges of collaboration.

4. Academic Writing Module (2 sessions)

Over 2 sessions, participants examine the essentials and types of academic writing, developing their own writing style through the acquisition of tactics, tools and relevant language use techniques.

5. Presenting with Impact (1 module)

Learners build critical awareness, reflective and preparation skills, and practice techniques for the use of voice, body language, visuals, devices and presentation structure through creating and delivering their own oral presentations.

6. Effective Proposals Module (1 session)

Participants explore the principles of writing a competitive proposal, considering the use of audience-focused language and style and the creation of logically connected proposal elements, including rationale, goals, personnel, resources, budgets, outputs/outcomes, and potential impact.

7. Trainer Clinic (1 session)

A final session building on everything covered during the previous modules. Participants will discuss the research landscape in their country and internationally, explore issues of equality, diversity and inclusion (EDI), share information on resources and opportunities for research and career development, ask the trainers any follow up questions they have on the course content, identify some personal action plans, and provide feedback on the workshop.

8. Artificial Intelligence in Research

Matt Lane

Director and co-founder of The Researcher Development Partnership, Cambridge, which collaborates with world-leading institutions to develop world-class researchers. 

Matt’s passionate about helping these researchers contribute better to society by doing better research, so specialises in four areas: communication and the foundations of academic English for international publication; researcher wellbeing; researcher leadership using key mindsets to master essential skillsets; and organisational development to affect positive structural change. 

These specialisms stem from over fourteen-years’ experience working with the ‘brightest and the stressed’ across the UK and Europe, South East Asia, and for 9 years at the University of Cambridge, where he was formally recognised for his ‘outstanding contribution’ to the development of early career researchers. 

Alongside this work with The RDP, Matt is an Associate of the Centre for Facilitation, specialising in helping researchers contribute better to society through the creative Sandpit methodology.

Paula Rebolledo

Paula holds an MA in TESOL for Young Learners and a PhD in Education from the University of Leeds. She has taught at school level and in INSETT programmes. Currently, Paula is the national academic coordinator of the English Opens Doors Programme at the Ministry of Education in Chile. Her research interests include young learners, teacher education, professional development and teacher-research. She is the co-founder of RICELT, the first Chilean network of researchers in ELT. She has been mentoring teacher-research on the Champion Teachers project and the APTIS Action Research Award Scheme funded by the British Council.

Activity Date
Call for applications opens 23 December 2025
Application deadline 25 January 2026 (before 23:00 CST)
Notification of application outcome 02 February 2026
Group 1

10-13 February 2026 (9am to 12pm)

17-20 February 2026 (9am to 12pm)
Group 2

03-06 March 2026 (9am to 12pm)

10-13 March 2026 (9am to 12pm)

GROUP 1

Week 1:

  • Tuesday, 10 February from 9 am to 12 pm
  • Wednesday, 11 February from 9 am to 12 pm
  • Thursday, 12 February from 9 am to 12 pm
  • Friday, 13 February from 9 am to 12 pm

Week 2:

  • Tuesday, 17 February from 9 am to 12 pm
  • Wednesday, 18 February from 9 am to 12 pm
  • Thursday, 19 February from 9 am to 12 pm
  • Friday, 20 February from 9 am to 12 pm

GROUP 2

Week 1:

  • Tuesday, 03 March from 9 am to 12 pm
  • Wednesday, 04 March from 9 am to 12 pm
  • Thursday, 05 March from 9 am to 12 pm
  • Friday, 06 March from 9 am to 12 pm

Week 2:

  • Tuesday, 10 March from 9 am to 12 pm
  • Wednesday, 11 March from 9 am to 12 pm
  • Thursday, 12 March from 9 am to 12 pm
  • Friday, 13 March from 9 am to 12 pm

*Mexico City time 

Total hours: 24 hours

Queries

For any queries, please reach out to: Monica.Angulo@britishcouncil.org.
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