Exploring engagement and networking for research success
“Collaborating with the local communities does not mean not having a global impact.” This was one of the quotes that stuck with me after attending the Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences Networking Day on 3rd March 2022, organised by Swansea University.
This simple message conveyed a significant idea that, in order to change the world, we must first start at home, and who better to address the importance of this message than the wonderful Owain Wyn Evans. A person of many talents, he has made a great impact in the music industry, the world of radio and LGBTQ+ community. He spoke about collaboration and its power to lead innovation and make an impact on the world.
Even though collaboration and networking sound amazing, the idea of interacting with strangers can be unnerving. To explore the process in a simple format, our first event activity was a flash networking round, conducted by Dr Jen Allanson. The rules were simple, we had two minutes to talk to one person and after that switch to another. After a couple of moments of nervousness and standing alone while others chatted, I found the courage to approach someone, and then another when the bell went off for the third time. I soon realised that the fear of striking up a conversation quickly fades away once the actual talking begins. To my surprise, I found the work of people in different departments extremely relevant to the research conducted in the Lab on technological developments. Though brief, my conversations were insightful, and the exchange of perspectives proved beneficial to both parties. To my surprise, this small interaction led to a spark of new ideas.
The event ended with a panel discussion on collaborating with Swansea University. Faculty members of the University and industry experts from Mudiad Meithrin, Include UK and CPR Global Tech talked about the benefits of their various collaborative projects. Industry and academia are often separated but the projects being showcased by these collaborative efforts proved that having academic partnerships helps in the development of products, giving industry a greater understanding of the needs of people, and ethical and regulatory challenges. Similarly, working with industry experts provides those in academia a chance to gain practical understanding and create real-world impact.
As an early career researcher, I never gave too much thought to communication and networking being skills of high importance, but I can certainly understand how these skills are key contributors in bringing about meaningful research outputs. Initially, I was apprehensive, going to an event where I didn’t know anyone, but I’m glad I decided to step out of my comfort zone and challenge myself - this event has taught me the importance of engagement and networking in achieving your goals!