How do you reward research innovation?

2 Align rewards with goals and values

You also need to align your rewards with your goals and values as a research organization, team, or project. Rewards can be intrinsic or extrinsic, individual or collective, financial or non-financial, formal or informal. You need to consider what kind of behavior and culture you want to foster and what kind of incentives and recognition you want to offer. For example, if you want to encourage collaboration and knowledge sharing, you might reward co-authorship, mentoring, or participation in networks. If you want to promote impact and relevance, you might reward engagement with stakeholders, media, or policy makers.

3 Balance risk and reward

Another aspect to consider is how to balance risk and reward in research innovation. Research innovation involves uncertainty and experimentation, which can lead to failure or unexpected results. You need to create a safe and supportive environment where researchers can take risks and learn from mistakes. You also need to acknowledge and celebrate the efforts and processes of research innovation, not just the outcomes and products. You can use feedback, coaching, mentoring, or peer support to help researchers cope with challenges and improve their skills and confidence.

4 Diversify and customize rewards

You also need to diversify and customize your rewards to suit the needs and preferences of different researchers and research contexts. Research innovation is not a one-size-fits-all concept, and neither are rewards. You need to consider the diversity of disciplines, fields, stages, roles, and backgrounds of your researchers and what motivates them. You also need to consider the specific characteristics and requirements of your research projects and domains and what constitutes success. You can use surveys, interviews, focus groups, or other methods to understand and address the expectations and aspirations of your researchers.

5 Communicate and evaluate rewards

Finally, you need to communicate and evaluate your rewards to ensure that they are effective and fair. You need to inform your researchers about the criteria, processes, and benefits of your rewards and how they can apply or nominate themselves or others. You also need to involve your researchers in the design and implementation of your rewards and solicit their feedback and suggestions. You need to monitor and review your rewards regularly and make adjustments as needed. You can use data, metrics, or stories to measure and demonstrate the impact and value of your rewards.

6 Here’s what else to consider

This is a space to share examples, stories, or insights that don’t fit into any of the previous sections. What else would you like to add?