Leading The Glasgow Crucible: progress through evolution

By Karen Gordon, Talent Lab Project Officer and final year doctoral researcher in Education

The Glasgow Crucible is the longest-running development opportunity within the University of Glasgow’s suite of leadership programmes, Talent Lab.  Crucibles as a concept exist in many forms across the UK and abroad, and ours runs as six days over four months with a cohort of 30 of our ambitious emerging research leaders. Stepping into the leadership and stewardship of a programme of this size (and reputation), didn’t come without reflection, and at times, a little intimidation. Below, I reflect on thechanges I made this year, how I implemented them, and discuss their impact in practice.

What even is a ‘Crucible’?

A ‘Crucible’ aims to provide a space to bring researchers together and offer concentrated opportunities to build interdisciplinary connections and collaborations. The programme is designed to develop skills for interdisciplinary working, whilst also supporting reflection on research culture and their agency within it. Often (including at UofG), participants have the opportunity to apply for ring-fenced ‘seed funding’ to develop and lead collaborative interdisciplinary projects. Read about the small projects we funded in 2024 here.

Within the Research Culture and Researcher Development Team, we are committed to the continuous enhancement of our programmes and initiatives. Each year we use engagement data and participant feedback to evaluate impact, celebrate success, and identify areas for development. Evaluating Crucible with each cycle of the programme allows us to make enhancements to more appropriately serve the needs of new and emerging research leaders. This reflective practice is central to ensuring our initiatives remain relevant, responsive and accessible and focused on the needs of our researchers.

Points for evolution

In any long-standing initiative, tradition sits alongside continued innovation. Stepping into my new position as Talent Lab Project Officer and Crucible Lead at the end of 2024, I approached with curiosity, asking:

• How are different parts of the programme working together?
• How do we best enable authentic collaborations to develop?
• How can I design the time we spend together to meet the hopes and ambitions of the participants?

These questions guided me as and supported me to shape my intentional, values-led approach to Crucible 2025.

Design with intention

Leading the evaluation and reporting of the previous Crucible and the inaugural Seed Fund Awards provided me with a strong foundation for review.

It was from here that I set out to reimagine how Crucible could better meet the needs of our researchers and still stay true to the essence that has made this programme successful for over a decade at UofG. I carefully evaluated each day-long module with reflection and refinement in mind. I started by revisiting what I wanted participants to be leaving with, each day and overall, aiming to make these outcomes concise and clear. I mapped the path of 2025 Crucible participants logically, meaningfully and by how key components (such as success in applying for the Seed Fund), could best be embedded into the overall programme. This was incredibly useful and necessary and at times, felt intense, with the weight of perceived expectations and real responsibilities.  

Key enhancements for 2025:

1. Shifting how and when we introduced the Seed Fund allowed us to support participants to apply, avoiding isolation of those for whom application to the Seed Fund was not the right opportunity to develop their interdisciplinary career.
2. Incorporating a stronger voice and perspective on Research Culture at both UofG and sector wide, be adding a Research Culture Retreat. This supported participants to reflect on their own understanding, experiences and the agency that they hold in contributing positively to the research culture.
3. Designing and delivering a tailored session focused on collaborative working and leadership. Using personalised Belbin Reports, participants were encouraged to explore their individual working preferences, deepening their understanding of how they contribute collaboratively. This session also supported the development of broader leaderships skills.
4. To close we focused on celebrating interdisciplinarity and interdisciplinary research at UofG, offering participants a platform to pitch their ideas and network with researchers working across disciplines. This UofG lens on interdisciplinarity helped researcher to contextualise their work and opened pathways for future collaboration.
5. Across the programme with drew on the rich community of Crucible Alumni to join as guests, speakers and to share their Crucible Seed Fund 2024 projects. This strengthened community across cohorts and added value to the wider programme for current participants.

Impact: feedback as a driver for enhancement.

A defining strength of Crucible (and of our wider approach in the Research Culture and Researcher Development Team), is the central role that participant feedback plays in shaping programme delivery and development. This year’s evolution was grounded not in assumptions about what enhancements to make, but in a detailed analysis of feedback gathered over previous cycles.

By treating feedback as a critical developmental tool, we were able to make targeted changes which directly responded to the participant experience. Repositioning of the Seed Fund, Belbin, and the refinement of our Research Culture Retreat were all informed by what participants told us they valued, what they found challenging, and what they wanted more of.

Because this reflective cycle is embedded structurally, it allows us to adapt at pace while maintaining programme integrity. It also models to researchers what effective, feedback-led practice looks like: iterative, responsive, and open to critique. The result is a development environment where change is continuous, grounded in real needs, and shaped in partnership with our research leaders.

While full evaluation of Crucible 2025 is still underway, early indicators suggest enhanced participant engagement with Crucible’s impact being reinforced. This feedback-informed approach not only improves programme iterations but also supports a culture of learning and trust across our wider community.

Future Crucibles?

This year’s evolution of Crucible reflects the broader commitment within the Research Culture and Researcher Development team to deliver development opportunities that are responsive, relevant, and grounded within the needs of our research community.

Further Crucibles will build on this year’s insights, ensuring that the programme continues to adapt, challenge and support researchers in ways which are rooted in their professional and personal growth.