Background  

The White Rose University Consortium works collaboratively across the universities of Leeds, Sheffield, and York, to enable individuals from all backgrounds to thrive within our institutions.  As a strategic partnership, we actively engage with institutional, regional, and national partners to propel positive change and create sustained impact.  

The Consortium’s core principles are to add value, deliver practical solutions, and complement existing efforts across our institutions through: Empowering careers; strengthening communities; facilitating cultural shifts; amplifying our collective voice; and leading impactful change.   

 We support professional services colleagues and researchers from our partner universities, from postgraduate researchers and postdocs to fellows and academics.  

Researchers across our partners are engaged in emotionally demanding research. At the University of Sheffield, a well-established peer-led network provides a supportive space for those involved in emotional, sensitive, or traumatic research to connect, support, and learn from each other. Building on this foundation, we aim to enhance support for these researchers at a regional level. This project seeks to identify best practices within our institutions and across the sector, gauge interest in developing a regional support community, and identify initiatives that could be trialled to support researchers who conduct emotionally demanding research.  

Project objectives  

The Consortium is commissioning a project to determine the best approach for establishing a regional support community for researchers engaged in emotionally demanding work. The objectives of this project are to: 

1. Collate best practices: Gather examples of best practices from across partner institutions and the sector. 
2. Identify gaps: Identify perceived gaps in existing support at each institution. Determine relevant and appropriate support measures to address common gaps in support for researchers across partner institutions. 
3. Recommendations: Provide evidence-based recommendations for developing support measures, highlighting key gaps and offering a strong rationale for each proposed intervention. 
4. Community engagement: Work with existing groups to identify potential interest in forming a regional community. 

Project remit  

We are seeking to appoint a consultant(s) to undertake this project. Their remit will include: 

1. Designing the study; choosing an appropriate methodology and research tools. 
2. Undertaking all research (interviews, focus groups, surveys etc.) and all admin associated with the research process. 
3. Analysing and evaluating data to provide evidence-based recommendations to support this group of researchers.  
4. Presenting project findings in a written report of no more than 8 A4 pages, and present this to the White Rose Partners.  

Approach  

This project is anticipated to be nominally qualitative and can be conducted on a full or part-time basis between November 2025 and March 2026. A budget of up to £10,000 is available for this project (including expenses and VAT).  

It is envisaged that the project will look for best practice examples from external sources and it will involve consultations across Leeds, Sheffield, and York with: 

• Researchers who conduct emotionally demanding research 

• Supervisors/PIs who support their researchers in these areas  

• Colleagues from resource/training providers 

• Colleagues in wellbeing support  

• Student support officers  

• Heads of Departments/Schools 

Reporting  

The research consultant(s) will report directly to the Head of the White Rose University Consortium. The successful bidder will be fully briefed at the initial project meeting but will be expected to provide their own administrative support and work autonomously to complete the project.  

The research consultant(s) will meet regularly with the Head of the White Rose University Consortium to report progress. 

Timescale  

Format and submission of proposals   

The White Rose University Consortium is commissioning this project and invites interested parties to submit a quote. To do so, please complete the online Microsoft Form, which asks you to address the following criteria (each with a 1500-character limit): 

Proposed methodology
Outline the methodology you propose to use to achieve the project objectives. Please explain why this approach is appropriate and how it will deliver meaningful results. 

Evidence-based recommendations
Provide evidence and/or examples of your experience in developing practical, evidence-based recommendations derived from research or evaluation findings. 

Work plan and timeline
Describe your proposed work plan, including key milestones and a realistic timeline for delivering the project. 

Budget and value for money
Indicate the anticipated cost of the project. Please specify how many project delivery days this represents, and include a brief justification of the resources required, demonstrating cost-effectiveness and value for money. 

Project delivery
Explain why you or your team are well-suited to deliver this project. Highlight relevant experience, expertise, and previous work that demonstrates your capability to meet the project’s requirements effectively. 

Applications close at 23.59 pm on Sunday 16 November 2025.  

Evaluation of proposals  

The consortium will evaluate proposals based on the following equally-weighted criteria: 

1. Exhibits a clear understanding of the project requirements 
2. Provides evidence of delivering high-quality research and evaluation 
3. Demonstrates ability to generate evidence-based recommendations 
4. Offers value for money. 

Terms and conditions  

The White Rose University Consortium will appoint an external consultant subject to the University of York’s Terms and Conditions of contract.  

This request for proposals has been issued in good faith however, the White Rose University Consortium, a part of the University of York, does not commit itself to award a contract as a result of any particular Proposal received. 

Enquiries  

The point of contact regarding this project is: 

Dr Karen Hinxman
Head, White Rose University Consortium
Email: k.hinxman@whiterose.ac.uk  

Any requests for clarification or information should be sent to the email above.