Research Methods Rendezvous: an NCRM capacity building action

Call for contributions

Calling researchers! The Research Methods Rendezvous (RMR) is a unique opportunity to explore puzzles and concerns, and begin to transform them into research that is important, feasible and impactful.

The rendezvous is designed to be a source of inspiration, a research incubator and a networking opportunity for all career stages in equal measure. The event will run as two half-day sessions in the autumn of 2025, with each session focusing on a different phase of the research development process – "I wonder..." and "how can we...?" – expressing the joys of curiosity!

We invite applications for lightning talks for the first session, with the opportunity to further develop these ideas for the second session. Please see below for further details. The information on this page is also available as a PDF. Read the PDF version.

The structure of the rendezvous

The rendezvous will be held online, and we ask that contributors attend both sessions. There will be a seven-week interregnum between the sessions to allow contributors to reflect on and develop their ideas in collaboration with other participants. Opportunities to share your thinking, listen and connect with other participants will be provided.

Rendezvous One: I wonder...

10 September 2025

Rendezvous One concerns ideation: the ideas we have as we start to generate our research projects. These wonderings may be unfinished questions from previous research, empirical observations, theoretical intrigues, or methodological curiosities. This session offers a unique opportunity to share these ideas, gain insight from others, connect with potential collaborators, and learn from the ways others shape their research.

We invite calls for lightning talks where you outline your idea. Whether in the social sciences, government, industry, voluntary sector, or an interdisciplinary space that includes a social science angle, we want to hear what sparks your curiosity.

For examples of "I wonder..." questions, please refer to Appendix 1 at the end of the PDF version of this call.

The interregnum

11 September to 28 October 2025

During the period between events, we will ask presenters to develop their ideas and design a session for Rendezvous Two. They may do this alone or through collaborations that have emerged from Rendezvous One.

Rendezvous Two: how can we...

29 October 2025

Rendezvous Two concerns how we turn our wonderings into researchable questions, what methods can help us do this or whether we need a new methodological approach. The day will feature several parallel sessions, each providing an opportunity to develop ideas presented in Rendezvous One and to explore ways to advance them beyond the RMR.

Format for Rendezvous Two

We are open to format suggestions and suggest organising sessions in the following ways:

Speakers' corner: Where an individual presenter may want to outline the possibilities of how they can develop their research curiosity into something workable.
On the sofa with: Where your session has more than one presenter and you want to generate possibilities through discussion. Space for audience participation/Q and A at the end.
Kitchen table: Open to variation in format but a standard approach would be a talk by one or more people and then the chair opens a discussion.
In the studio: This can be more creative in design, but may involve several participants who co-design an event (perhaps using creative methods) to get attendees to join in.

All sessions in Rendezvous Two will be 80 minutes.

Logistics

We will be using Whova to host the rendezvous. This is a dedicated online event platform that allows for networking, easy document sharing, polls, gamification, poster competitions and one-to-one meetings. The platform will be fully available to participants for the duration of the event (including the interregnum).

Expectations

If you apply, you are committing to attending both session of the rendezvous.

How to apply to contribute

We invite applications for Rendezvous One from those in academia, the private, third and government sectors both from the UK and worldwide.

To apply, complete our online application form.

The deadline for application is 4 March 2025.

Further information

For further information, please contact Sandra Gogacz: sandra.gogacz@manchester.ac.uk