As the year comes to a close, take time to review your achievements in 2025 and plan ahead for the next stage in your research career.
Ten ways to advance your research journey
By regularly taking stock of where you are at and ensuring you have captured and are reporting all of your research impact, you will start the year ahead with everything in place to respond to and pursue strategic research opportunities.
1. Track your impact
How robust are your systems for collecting useful metrics that track how and where your research is gaining attention? Tools like Altmetric, Researcher Insights, Dimensions and Group Researcher Insights can help chart the story of your research.
- Learn more about the tools, systems and databases that are used to conduct, report and manage research activities at UTS.
- Review UTS resources such as the Engaging with impact research leadership series and other self-paced training modules.
2. Update your Discovery Profile
Do you have new achievements to add to your Symplectic and Discovery profiles? Keep them up to date so relevant people can find you to connect for new opportunities.
3. Monitor your grant finances
Are you across your research budget and all of the upcoming financial reports that may be due?
- The Research Finance Toolkit helps you manage your budget including by using the Costing and Pricing Tool in ResearchMaster.
4. Find funding for your research projects
How familiar are you with the Australian and international funding landscape? Are you aware of any internal UTS grants or fellowship opportunities that you may be eligible for? Such opportunities are available through Pivot-RP, a searchable database of research funding opportunities now available to UTS researchers. The platform offers target searches that connect you to relevant research funding opportunities based on your research profile.
- Learn how to optimise your Pivot-RP profile
5. Plan your 2025 activities
Where are you at in the research lifecycle? Are there any applications you can improve and resubmit to a different scheme in 2025? Is it time to create or review your 5-year research plan?
- Catch up on self-paced training that presents research planning strategies and explains the benefits of investing time to plan ahead each year.
6. Participate in research training in 2025
UTS delivers regular research development events and activities to boost the calibre of its research and upskill staff.
- Follow ASPIRE on Humanitix
- Regularly visit the RES Hub What’s On page to keep informed about opportunities as they arise.
- Follow RES Hub in LinkedIn to stay in the loop.
7. Promote your research through storytelling
Research communication and crafting a compelling story about the difference your research will make in the world can be a game changer in securing support for your research and building impactful collaborations.
- Participate in the research communication self-paced training module
- Consider using podcasting as a way to amplify your audience engagement.
- Send us a story about how you are achieving impact for sharing in the RES Hub blog.
8. Optimise your social media profile
Many academics find social media an effective way to engage with stakeholders beyond the university, connect with peers and find new collaborators.
- Get started by participating in Social Media and Research, a self-paced training module that shows how to create an effective social media profile from which you can share and discuss research ideas and results.
9. Find collaborators
UTS offers a wealth of opportunities for collaboration, including regular networking through the fortnightly Research Café and support offered through an internal Collaboration Scheme designed to enhance opportunities for cross-disciplinary research.
- Meet UTS research colleagues using the Icebreaker App
- Learn about the UTS Collaboration Scheme
- Create a profile on the internal Collaborator Finder tool
- Sign up to present at or receive invitations to the Research Cafe
10. Consider applying for a research prize
Have you considered nominating for any of the prizes, awards and fellowships available to UTS researchers?
- Check your eligibility to nominate for national and international prizes and awards, including to be named as a Fellow of a Learned Academy.
- Consider whether you are eligible for any of the UTS Internal grants and fellowships.
Throughout 2025, we invite you to stay connected to these opportunities and more by participating in events and activities you can find through RES Hub, your pathway to the networks, tools, training, information and support you need to deliver impactful research.