LSW Colloquium 2025: Prioritising the needs of ECRs
Next month’s third LSW annual Colloquium for early career researchers will run over two days for the first time in a sign of its growing importance in Wales’ research environment.
The pan-Wales, interdisciplinary event will be held at Cardiff Metropolitan University 3-4th . It is aimed not just at researchers within academia but those working in the private, public and third sectors too.
As in the previous two years, it will bring together ECRs from across Wales to present their research to a supportive, engaged, and cross-disciplinary audience. This is a unique network of researchers, stakeholders and the Fellowship of the LSW.
“Providing ECRs the chance to network with peers, Fellows of the LSW, policymakers, and practitioners is part of our strategic priority to support research talent in Wales and build a supportive environment for researchers,” said Dr Barbara Ibinarriaga-Soltero, the Society’s Programme Manager for Researcher Development.
The Colloquium will kick-off with a keynote speech from LSW Fellow, Dr Emma Yhnell. Her talk, ‘Influence, authenticity, and doing things differently’, will explore ways of challenging your own thinking and breaking your own boundaries within academia and beyond. Other highlights of the event include a series of three-minute research flash-talks, a poster competition, and a networking lunch with LSW Fellows .
Prioritising the needs of ECRs
The Colloquium programme was brought together by an organising committee, made up largely of ECRs, supported by two LSW Fellows who work with our researcher development team. The ECRs’ involvement in the planning process included sitting on the organising committee and the abstracts review panel.
Their active role in the Colloquium ensures the event will reflect the experience, concerns and needs of the people who attend.
“The aim of all our researcher development work is to be inclusive, ECR-led, and interdisciplinary and cross-sectorial,” said Barbara.
“The Colloquium is the perfect demonstration of these aims.”
To ensure the event is as inclusive as possible, we are providing travel and accommodation bursaries to support researchers to attend, especially those from under-represented groups or without access to financial support.
Delivering training that meets ECR’s needs
ECRs will also chair the flash talk sessions and, along with middle career researchers and LSW Fellows, lead workshop sessions. These will cover a range of topics, such as:
- opportunities for researchers to engage with the Wales Arts and Humanities Alliance;
- building confidence and leadership through interdisciplinary and UK-wide initiatives such as the UK Young Academy;
- contributing to a collaborative proposal aimed at fostering equity and inclusion in the research environment.
Attendees will also have the chance to engage with key stakeholders including the Senedd Knowledge Exchange Team, the Future Generations Office and the University of Wales Press. These will deliver sessions that provide researchers with the skills needed to engage with policymakers, disseminate the impact of their work, and raise their research profile to progress in their careers.
Tickets have now almost all sold out. Final registration ends of 20 June. If you want to attend, we urge you to book immediately.