Research democratization: Utopia and reality

On Wednesday I attended the first half of the People Who Do Research 2023 conference (the European-time-zone-friendly half!).

I heard some excellent talks and passionate discussions about the democratization of research (which was decidedly focused on "how" and "when" we democratize and not "if.") Fierce researchers gave their tips and tricks for preserving our profession and how to involve stakeholders so we can all succeed: researchers, our stakeholders, our products, and our companies.

It was inspiring. But, for me anyway, a number of concerns remain.

This was a conference for researchers, and for those who are research aware and research empathetic. As a community, we can come up with excellent rules and guidelines for how things will develop. That's an incredibly important step. A great example was a kick ass talk by Zoë Glas, who argued that democratization shouldn't take place until a research practice is robust and supported by the wider organization, and provided guidelines on how to determine this.

In other words, if democratization happened the way conference participants want it to happen, we'd be in great shape.

But: that’s not always the reality. What about companies that hire one researcher, and expect them to "democratize" - which means passing methods onto non-research stakeholders, without the time to advocate for the necessary mindset shift? What about companies who lack any research management, where researchers don't feel empowered to advocate for these often controversial positions? 

It's inspiring and encouraging to hear forceful points of view, but the reality - waiting the next morning at work - can be decidedly different. 

The truth is: many researchers out there are concerned about their security and advancement at a company. Worrying about the state of the field is important - but so is that monthly paycheck. 

Over the past year, I’ve spoken to researchers who have been told "do this or else." I've talked to researchers who've lost their team and are back to a "team of one" practice. 

Perhaps many of these situations are simply out of our control. We can hope that our mentorship reaches those who are most struggling, and our best practices will keep the ship upright. 

The democratization discussion will go on, and grow more nuanced and actionable. We can - and should - share templates and best practices. But at the end of the day, everyone’s workplace presents its own issues. 

Let’s all do our best to make this profession thrive, but remember, at the heart of it are individual researchers facing unique challenges.