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About HxC
Funded by the Medical Research Council, and co-delivered by the University of Edinburgh, Health Data Research UK, and the UK Dementia Research Institute.
Vision
The project aims to amplify the voices of interdisciplinary scientists from diverse backgrounds, with the goal of fostering positive and sustainable culture change by embedding good practices within research teams and organisations.
It aims to introduce a step-change to UK biomedical data science research culture.
Vision Statement:
- HxC will give voice to diverse perspectives, as these will help to bring appropriate resolution to any conflict.
- It will adapt its approach when appropriate, by taking advantage of diverse perspectives from patient, public and industry stakeholders.
- The project will always endeavour to foster an inclusive and diverse research environment that values different perspectives, backgrounds, and experiences.
- It will develop interdisciplinary research culture guidelines and explicitly test the draft guidelines against its own approach to delivery.
- It will work across the landscape to integrate good research culture practices into ongoing operations across research teams and organisations, ensuring sustainability beyond funding, and maximising impact.
Researchers at the UK DRI's inaugural Informatics Symposium in London.
Attendees at the UK DRI Informatics Symposium, discussing how to share data, expertise and code.
Core values
Value Statement:
- An inclusive and diverse research environment is one that values and celebrates different perspectives, skill sets, backgrounds, and experiences at each stage, from recruitment to next post.
- Good science is achieved when ideas, expertise and knowledge are exchanged without precondition, and when no question or idea is off limits.
- Respect and trust are gained when background intellectual property (scientific question, expertise, methods) is recognised and valued, from project inception onwards, as pivotal new ideas emerge and contributions evolve.
- Training and personal development drive a virtual cycle that improves scientists and their science. This requires dedicated time and planning focused on both individuals and teams.
Goals and Objectives
- Give voice to interdisciplinary scientists from all backgrounds who feel let down
- Draw from insights of researchers, industry, patient and public representatives to challenge longstanding issues in interdisciplinary research culture
- Develop evidence-based guidelines to improve this culture
- Test these draft guidelines in teams from partner institutions UK DRI and Health Data Research UK
- Integrate good research culture practices to maximise the future impact of UK biomedical data research
Oversight and Governance
HxC project governance is designed to deliver positive change. Its Oversight Group, Early Career Researcher Group, and Public and Patient Involvement and Industry Group draw from different stakeholders of academic interdisciplinary research. The diverse perspectives of these three groups will challenge HxC ‘to think well outside the box’ and challenge the academic status quo.
The Oversight Group
Drawn from domain experts and funders, and inclusive of ECRs and public and patient contributors, the group provides advice to project members.
The Early Career Researcher Group
Composed of interdisciplinary scientists, this group will challenge the HxC project delivery team to catalyse meaningful change. Its membership will be balanced with respect to gender and protected characteristics, and between degree training in ‘wet’ and/or ‘dry’ science. These ECRs will be journeying between disciplines in their present career stage and will be interested in different approaches to team science in academia and industry.
The Public and Patient Involvement and Industry Group
An advisory panel of patient, public and representatives of the biomedical/biotech industry.
A graphic detailing the governance of HxC.
Meet the Team
With representatives from University of Edinburgh, HDR UK, and UK DRI, the distributed, multidisciplinary team is representative of the full diversity of experience, expertise and career stage highlighted in the MRC’s Opportunity of Biomedical Data Science – Expert Review. Each contributes distinct expertise and experience.
Project Leads
Oversight Group
Early Career Researcher Group
Public and Patient Involvement and Industry Group
Contact
HxC is funded via the MRC Biomedical Leadership Award (Nov 2024-Nov 2026).
