Connecting Research and Care: Glasgow’s Tech Talks
Published: 1 October 2025
In 2025, the University of Glasgow’s Culture of Care committee launched a successful series of "Tech Talks" to bridge the gap between researchers and animal care staff. Featuring 13 presentations on topics ranging from malaria to dopamine signalling, these sessions fostered mutual respect and shared expertise. Following overwhelmingly positive feedback, the series continues into 2026, serving as a cornerstone for institutional collaboration.
Strong communication and shared understanding between researchers and animal care staff are essential for good welfare, effective support and high-quality science. At Glasgow, Tech Talks provide a simple but powerful way to share knowledge, recognise expertise across roles and foster mutual respect, helping to embed a positive and collaborative culture of care.
In 2025, we organised a successful series of online Tech Talks, featuring 13 presentations from researchers, technicians and members of the Culture of Care committee. The sessions were designed to support knowledge-sharing and help animal facility staff and technicians better understand the research taking place within the facilities they support.
Some example talk titles:
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Malaria and autoimmune responses
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Adhesion G protein-coupled receptors and dopamine signalling
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Hypertensive disorders of pregnancy
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Three-dimensional navigation
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Motoring myelin’s highway to the nerve cell
Each talk provided a concise overview of ongoing research, methodologies or technical considerations, followed by open discussion and questions. This format encouraged two-way dialogue, helping to build shared understanding, break down barriers between roles and highlight the expertise of both researchers and animal care staff.
Feedback from attendees was positive and the success of the 2025 series has led to the continuation of Tech Talks into 2026, reinforcing their role as a practical and sustainable way to promote learning, collaboration and a strong culture of care across the establishment.
First published: 1 October 2025