About CLEaR

CLEaR is NTU's virtual College for Leadership Engagement and Research. It supports NTU's strategic ambitions for research and for our research and enterprise communities.
We offer researchers numerous programmes and workshops to support their research journey; from leading your first research project and setting up a research centre, to influencing policymakers and leading as a principal investigator or leading for supervision. We are here to support you every step of the way.
On this page, you will find all the information you need about CLEaR and the current offering we have for our researchers.
Vice-Chancellor's Future Research Leaders Programme
Other Programmes and Workshops
Leading as a Principal Investigator (PI)
A Principal Investigator (PI) has overall responsibility for leading and managing a research project. This requires procedural knowledge, leadership and management skills, and the ability to build a team and work with internal and external stakeholders. Through exploration of the challenges of becoming a PI, this programme of sessions and resources will equip those new to the role with the confidence, knowledge, and skills to be able to anticipate blockages and challenges and ensure the requirements of the project are met.
Leading my Research Centre
Our research Centres are central to our aspirations to build an enviable reputation for our excellent research culture, enabled by innovative and relevant research development. This leadership workshop for Centre Directors will be the beginning of this journey. It reflects our commitment to supporting Centre Directors to lead - recognising the challenge this poses in the absence in most cases of direct line management of staff.
Leading for Impact: Influencing Policymakers
This workshop is the first in a series of leading for impact programmes. It consists of a programme of workshops on working with government and intermediaries, communicating with policymakers in language they understand and formats they find useful, ensuring that your contribution is acknowledged and evidence of impact, writing a policy brief and engaging with Parliamentary Select Committees and local MPs.
Leading for Supervision
This NTU research supervision resource is an online resource for Doctoral Research Supervisors to update their knowledge and practice; it may also be useful for those new to supervision. It has been designed to be used flexibly and will provide updates on current practices in supervision and provide resources to help support you and your Postgraduate Researchers. It also signposts you to key policies and procedures for Research Degree Supervisors. It complements a wider programme of development and updates including regular webinars provided by the Doctoral School.
Leading my First Research Project
Open to late stage doctoral candidates to help them steer their research beyond the thesis and move towards independent researcher status. Your research supervisor will need to support your application to ensure that it does not detract from your studies and completion of your doctorate. The programme will focus on working with your supervisor to develop an agenda-setting approach that starts to map out ideas for a first research project; mapping potential partners and funders and considering outputs, as well as building effective networks.
Being a Researcher on Social Media
Social media has become an integral part of research over the past few years. Since research is all about producing new information, social media offers you unique opportunities to present these new ideas to a wide and varied audience. Learn more about what it's like to be a researcher on social media and how to best use it to your advantage. Please click this tile or send an email to research@ntu.ac.uk to gain access to the materials and workshops.
More Development Opportunities
Thrive Learning Experience Platform
NTU has invested in a sector leading AI enabled learning experience platform with a dedicated section for researcher development opportunities and resources.
Researcher Mentoring
Mentoring is a dynamic, supportive and developmental relationship where a more experienced colleague works with you to build your skills and knowledge. It provides the opportunity for you to gain expertise from the mentor's experiences and advice.
Women in Academia
Our institutional Athena SWAN action plan is committed to establishing a programme of work that supports women's career development. This is a dedicated space for women working within academia at NTU. It houses curated guidance and resources for women academics, including: development; wellbeing; and inspiring women case studies.
Contact us
For more information on CLEaR, or for any questions regarding the content on site, please contact Fiona McKerlie, Head of Researcher Development.