As universities navigate an increasingly complex media landscape and face growing public scrutiny, it’s clear that conducting excellent research isn’t enough anymore. Nor is just sending out a press release or posting to social media. Research communication culture in higher education needs to fundamentally change. It’s time to create an environment that truly supports research communication.
But first, let me address the elephant in the room. There’s an inherent tension between public engagement as something academics freely choose to do versus an institutional expectation they must fulfill (Watermeyer & Lewis, 2017). Academic autonomy aside, universities are being called on to be more transparent in their research and connect more with their communities. Researchers are doing the work, but maybe there is no infrastructure set up to help them with their research communication. And when there’s insufficient institutional support and recognition in tenure decisions, faculty understandably feel discouraged from engaging (Calice et al., 2022). We are facing an uphill battle. But it is not impossible.
Creating a culture for research communication is about creating an environment where sharing research becomes as natural as conducting it, where faculty, administration, and professional communicators feel empowered and motivated to engage with broader audiences.
This post walks through practical steps to cultivate this culture, whether you’re working at the university level (centralized) or within a college or unit (decentralized).
Step 1: Recognize the Need for an Organizational Shift
Let’s start with a fundamental shift in how we think about research communication culture in higher education. This is more than individual rockstar scientists giving TED talks or going viral on Twitter. Effective communication requires rethinking the entire organizational approach (Schäfer & Fähnrich, 2020; Schwetje et al., 2020).
Some universities treat research communication as an afterthought, another service task, something individual researchers might do if interested, or a small central office handles alongside university marketing and PR (Koivumaki & Wilkinson, 2020). This approach no longer serves our institutions or our communities.
To build a research communication culture in higher education, universities must move beyond this fragmented model. Research communication should be woven into the fabric of how universities operate. This is not just because funding bodies increasingly require it, but because it’s essential to the mission as research institutions.
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This means shifting from reactive to proactive strategic communication that aligns with institutional goals (Koivumaki & Wilkinson, 2020; National Academies, 2025). Start by examining your current landscape. Invest time and resources to understand the specific communication needs and challenges within your institution (National Academies, 2025) by assessing:
- How are communication activities distributed across different organizational levels?
- How do different communication functions (PR, marketing, public affairs, and research communication) overlap and interact within the university?
- What are the primary goals and motivations for research communication at the university?
- How can different parts of the university work together more effectively?
- How does the university support researchers in developing their communication skills?
Only by understanding your starting point through faculty input and evaluation of current practices can you begin building something better (Entradas et al., 2023).
Step 2: Hire Dedicated Communication Professionals
A research communication culture in higher education requires investment in professional staff at both university and unit levels. This shift demands specialized skills to bridge the gap between university research and broader audiences (Entradas 2022; Koivumaki & Wilkinson, 2020). These professionals should serve as strategic partners, helping connect research with impact and everything in between (Knobel & Reisberg, 2022).
Communication professionals should be on top of the ever-shifting digital landscape and adapt to new platforms and trends (Koivumaki & Wilkinson, 2020). They should be leaders, collaborators, and coaches who help researchers find their voice (Entradas, 2022; National Academies, 2025). Through coaching and support, they empower faculty to lead their own communication efforts confidently and effectively. The more faculty are empowered to participate in research communication, the more the culture can thrive. They can guide both your internal and external communications.
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Faculty Relations
It is no secret that faculty members are skeptical about university initiatives around research communication. Between teaching loads, pressure to publish, grant applications, and committee work, research communication can feel like yet another burden. Without training and support, faculty can feel discouraged or even disdain towards it. Additionally, university-sponsored research communication initiatives might even feel like a slight encroachment on academic autonomy (Elken et al., 2018). To add insult to injury, some institutional systems aren’t putting their money where their mouths are: whether that’s not updating tenure requirements or offering limited funding (Calice et al., 2022). This is the uphill battle I was talking about. Because without faculty, there are no research communication efforts.
Building genuine relationships is crucial. Research communication professionals have to earn faculty trust, which takes time and authentic effort (Watermeyer & Lewis, 2017). This means getting out of their offices and into labs, classrooms, and unit meetings. It means truly listening to faculty concerns and experiences (Elken et al., 2018). Some questions that can help guide this inquiry include:
- What are your fears about research communication?
- Have you had any positive or negative experiences with research communication?
- What support do you need?
- What barriers are you facing?
- How can the university incentivize faculty for research communication?
- Do you believe that the tenure and promotion process adequately values research communication?
- How could the university better support faculty interested in research communication?
Faculty ARE the culture we’re trying to build. Without their buy-in and active participation, even the most well-funded communication initiative will fall flat. By starting with listening and understanding, universities can begin to shift to a culture of collaboration and support, where research communication becomes a natural and supported part of academic life (Elken et al., 2018).
Step 3: Create Systems to Promote Research Communication Culture in Higher Education
To foster a research communication culture in higher education, you need systems that make it easy for researchers to participate (Koivumaki & Wilkinson, 2020; National Academies, 2025). This is more than setting up a portal for them to share their new research paper. It’s about building infrastructure that supports and encourages meaningful engagement.
Understanding Motivations and Barriers
First, understand what drives or discourages faculty participation. While many researchers are intrinsically motivated to share their work, they face significant barriers such as lack of recognition in tenure decisions, limited time and resources, and concerns about reputation (Calice et al., 2022). Meanwhile, motivations range from obtaining grant funding to career advancement to developing a public identity as a researcher (Calice et al., 2022; Koivumaki & Wilkinson, 2020). Understanding your specific faculty’s context is crucial before building infrastructure.
Building Supportive Infrastructure
The key is creating systems that reduce barriers while amplifying motivations. This means:
- Developing clear, but flexible, guidelines and policies that respect academic freedom while providing practical support (Koivumaki & Wilkinson, 2020; Entradas et al., 2023)
- Creating accessible and easy-to-use platforms and processes for sharing newly published research such as online portals, websites, and project management systems (Entradas, 2022)
- Offering coaching, training, and resources that help faculty feel confident and empowered in communication (Calice et al, 2022)
- Develop a metric system for annual review and tenure and promotion through collaborative efforts across faculty, administration, and professional research staff that promotes flexibility, quantitative and qualitative measurement tools, and an incentive structure for those who choose to participate and excludes punishment for those who choose not to (King & Rivett, 2015)
- Establishing streamlined approval processes that don’t create bureaucratic bottlenecks (National Academies; 2025)
- Providing funding support for communication activities (Entradas, 2022)
- Creating faculty communities and networks for sharing, collaborating, support, and peer-to-peer learning (Entradas et al., 2023)
- Maintaining a robust internal communication program that highlights faculty research, shares resources, and connects faculty across disciplines (Schwetje et al., 2020)
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Building a research communication culture in higher education is an ongoing process that requires continuous improvement and refinement (Koivumaki & Wilkinson, 2020; National Academies, 2025). Start small and few, test what works, and build from there (National Academies, 2025). Experiment! Establish feedback loops. Be transparent. Most importantly, be collaborative.
Step 4: Establish Quality Control Standards
In an age of misinformation, there’s a lot at stake when it comes to research communication. Universities have a responsibility not just to share research, but to maintain high standards while doing so. This is critical for maintaining both scientific integrity and public trust.
What does this look like in practice? Start by developing clear standards and processes for elevating research – collaboratively – with input from both your communication professionals and researchers (Calice et al., 2022). You’ll want to emphasize accuracy above all else, making sure communication materials stick to evidence-based information and avoid hype (Entradas et al., 2023; Koivumaki & Wilkinson, 2020). When it comes to new research findings, encourage sharing through peer-reviewed channels first, as rushing to announce preliminary results can backfire (Koivumaki & Wilkinson, 2020).
Research communication offices need to balance promoting research with maintaining integrity which is no easy task in a world that often values clicks over accuracy. Communications professionals should have both the resources and authority to uphold these standards, even when facing tight deadlines or competing priorities (Entradas et al., 2023).
In research communication, credibility is everything. Once lost, it’s incredibly difficult to regain. Build trust through transparency and commitment to your institution’s core values (Knobel & Reisberg, 2022).
Step 5: Encourage Decentralized Communication
While a strong central communications office is valuable, some of the most effective research communication happens at the department, institute, or unit level. Research institutes and academic departments are often better positioned to engage with specific audiences and build meaningful relationships as they are the ones doing the work at the ground level (Entradas, 2022).
If you’re at the university level, this means supporting rather than controlling these efforts. Help research institutes and departments develop their own communication strategies that align with their specific expertise (Entradas, 2022). Provide resources for dedicated communication staff, offer training and project management support, and share best practices (Entradas, 2022; Entradas et al., 2023). The goal is to empower units to communicate in ways that work for their field and audiences.
Think about grant writing too. Research institutes with their own communication support are often better equipped to write strong impact statements and engagement plans (Koivumaki & Wilkinson, 2020). They can build relationships with community partners and maintain ongoing dialogue with stakeholders. Plus, they’re closer to the actual research, making it easier to identify and share compelling stories.
The key in developing a research communication culture in higher education is finding the right balance between centralized support and decentralized autonomy. A central office can provide guidelines, resources, and coordination while allowing units the flexibility to engage in ways that make sense for their research communities (Entradas et al., 2023).
Step 6: Measure Impact and Adapt
Research communication culture in higher education requires continuous assessment and refinement. Set up systems to track what’s working and what needs adjustment across your university’s communication efforts, internally and externally (National Academies, 2025).
It is also important to recognize (and appreciate) that research communication is unique to every researcher, project, and audience. Support faculty in developing research communication and impact measurement approaches with the resources and knowledge needed. This may make developing standards for measuring and assessing more challenging. But building a research communication culture in higher education requires flexibility and broader views. Clear eyes, open heart, can’t lose!
To help with an internal assessment of culture shift:
- Establish clear benchmarks at the onset (e.g., number of research communication activities)
- Conduct regular faculty surveys and interviews (for those who participate and those who do not)
- Track participation in professional development programming
- Monitor rate of change in grant funding success
For external assessment:
- Track engagement metrics (e.g., website, social media, event attendance)
- Gather community and partner feedback
- Monitor media coverage
- Assess relationship quality with stakeholders
Qualitative measures are just as important as quantitative. Focus on building trust and meaningful dialogue rather than just quantitative metrics. The quality of relationships built, the depth and expansion of research communication, and the lasting impact on your community can provide critical insight into the research communication culture shift (King & Rivett, 2015; National Academies, 2025; Weingart & Joubert, 2019).
It is really important to stay flexible when developing a research communication culture in higher education. What works for one department might not work for another. Be willing to pilot new approaches and learn from mistakes (National Academies, 2025; Weingart & Joubert, 2019).
Conclusion
Building a research communication culture in higher education requires long-term commitment, flexibility, and systematic change. Success comes not from one-off initiatives or individual efforts, but from creating environments where research communication is valued, supported, and woven into institutional practice. While the path may be challenging, the rewards – enhanced research impact, stronger community relationships, and increased public trust in academic research – make it worth the investment.
Next Steps
Let’s work together to develop a strategic approach tailored to your institution or department’s needs. Whether you’re starting from scratch or looking to enhance existing initiatives, I can help you:
- Build effective research communication systems
- Develop faculty support programs
- Create measurement frameworks that work
- Design sustainable communication strategies
Schedule a free strategy session today to discuss how we can strengthen your research communication culture.
