What is Welsh Crucible?

Welsh Crucible is an award-winning programme of personal, professional and leadership development for the future research leaders of Wales.

Funded by a consortium of Welsh higher education institutions and the Higher Education Funding Council for Wales (HEFCW), Welsh Crucible brings together thirty researchers each year in order to explore how they can work together to tackle the current research challenges facing Wales.

It aims to help participants to discover:

– how other early- to mid-career researchers in other disciplines are tackling the same issues as them;
– how they can transfer their knowledge to the public sphere to make an impact;
– the skills and attitudes that are likely to make their research more innovative;
– how thinking creatively can make a difference to their work and career.

Welsh Crucible is based on NESTA’s highly esteemed ‘Crucible’ development programme, and has been informed by the successes of the Scottish Crucible.  The programme has collaborative links with The Learned Society of Wales, who support the promotion of the programme and recognition of its successes.

Welsh Crucible is for talented early- to mid- career researchers with a minimum of three years’ postdoctoral research experience (or equivalent) working in any discipline, including science, technology, engineering, medicine, arts, design, social and political science. Participants must work in Wales, either at one of the partner HE institutions or in research & development in business, industry or the public/third sector.

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Steering Group

Welsh Crucible is led by a steering group chaired by Professor Martin Willis at Cardiff University. It comprises the Pro Vice-Chancellors for research from Aberystwyth University, Bangor University, Cardiff Metropolitan University, Swansea University, and the University of South Wales.

Funding Information

Welsh Crucible is a collaborative initiative funded by a consortium of Welsh higher education institutions and the Higher Education Funding Council for Wales. This funding allows 30 of Wales’s most promising researchers to participate in the programme, including sponsorship for two fully-funded places for non-HEI participants.