Description
PeerLadder is a new peer-mentoring initiative – a national programme to support leadership development and empower underrepresented digital Research Technical Professionals (dRTPs) to climb the leadership ladder together – building confidence, community, and inclusive leadership across UK research-performing organisations.
dRTPs play a critical role in enabling innovative data-driven research, yet many face limited progression routes and barriers to leadership, particularly women, disabled people, LGBTQIA+ professionals and those from minority ethnic backgrounds. The project addresses this gap through a structured peer-mentoring model that builds confidence, leadership capabilities, and sustained professional networks.
PeerLadder has been funded through the DisCouRSE Flexible Fund and is part of the first cohort of community-led projects funded by DisCouRSE (a UKRI-funded Network+) to strengthen leadership, career pathways, and recognition among the digital research workforce.
Inspired by the success of the ELIXIR ELEAD leadership and mentoring programme for women, PeerLadder focuses on the most impactful element: peer mentoring. Coordinated by the University of Manchester, Earlham Institute, OLS (Open Life Science Limited), this UK pilot combines expertise in research infrastructure, community leadership, mentoring programme delivery, and equality, diversity, and inclusion to broaden the ELEAD approach to include all underrepresented groups at a national level.
The pilot cohort comprises 15 dRTPs following our programme of training and peer mentoring from March 2026 - March 2027. The group is 60% female, 47% from minority ethnic backgrounds, 33% from lower socioeconomic backgrounds, 27% neurodivergent, 20% carers, and 13% LGBTQIA+. The cohort receives training from OLS (a non-profit focused on diversifying research leadership), which provides onboarding and facilitation to create a safe, inclusive learning environment to build allyship and leadership skills. They are then supported for monthly virtual peer-mentoring sessions with materials and guidance designed to empower and enable the groups to continue beyond the funded period.
Throughout the programme, the PeerLadder leadership team will check-in with the cohort at individual and group levels. This will allow us to gather valuable feedback and track outcomes and impact, but, more importantly, give participants an opportunity to flag any issues as they arise so we can support and guide them, and reshape the programme to the cohort’s individual and group needs.
As a test-pilot, PeerLadder will demonstrate the value of this model nationally. Insights and outcomes from PeerLadder will feed back into other national initiatives, such as DisCouRSE, ELIXIR-UK, and the Software Sustainability Institute, informing future approaches to inclusive leadership, mentoring, and career development across the UK digital research community.