An initiative of the Visiting Researcher Success Framework
Practical, evidence-informed tools for researchers, visiting scholars, hosts and universities.
A research visit can open doors to new ideas, methods, people, facilities and collaborations. But simply spending time at another institution does not guarantee a successful visit. Good research visits are designed.
This site helps researchers and universities make better decisions before a visit, prepare effectively, make the most of the time away, and turn a temporary visit into lasting research value.
Three routes through the same evidence, written for the decision you are actually making.
For Researchers
Planning a visit, preparing to leave, currently visiting, or returning home.
For Hosts
Preparing to welcome a visiting researcher or scholar to my department or research group.
For Universities
Sending, funding, approving or supporting research visits.
A research visit may involve months of a researcher’s time and substantial personal and institutional resources. Before committing, take two minutes to check whether the visit is really designed to succeed.
Decision Check · 2 minutes
For researchers and visiting scholars weighing an invitation, an application or a funded placement.
Decision Check · 2 minutes
For sending universities approving, funding or supporting a research visit.
Decision Check · 2 minutes
For host departments and research groups deciding whether to say yes.
No registration. Free to read, use and download.
There is no single formula. A three-week archival visit, a six-month laboratory placement and a year-long visiting fellowship have very different needs.
But successful visits tend to require attention to some of the same fundamentals:
About VRSF
This resource is being developed through the Visiting Researcher Success Framework (VRSF), an initiative studying how research visits can be better designed, supported and evaluated.
Our tools are designed to be practical, low-burden and freely usable.
“A research visit should not be judged by the fact that it happened, but by what happened because of it.”
