Leadership to Strengthen Research Culture and Foster Responsible Conduct of Research: A Case Study

Objective: Institutional supports are central to advancing research capacity and culture across research performing organisations. To understand and guide the development of supports, surveys were conducted within a research performing organisation. Method: Perceptions of research culture and responsible conduct of research (RCR) were examined with surveys in 2022 and 2024. In between surveys, accessible training and supports on good research practices were developed and deployed.Results: Awareness of research impact, authorship, and collegial support remained consistently high (p > 0.05), with significant improvements in access to resources and reporting pathways for inappropriate research behaviours (p < 0.05). In contrast, time for professional development remained persistently low. Knowledge of where to access research supports improved significantly for open access, data management, and authorship (p < 0.05). Participation in targeted training was associated with improved domain-specific knowledge of research integrity, authorship, reporting mechanisms, and awareness to resources (p < 0.05). Open-ended responses reflected a parallel shift: in 2022, participants emphasised obstacles, but by 2024, the focus had moved toward training, resources, and constructive practices, suggesting an evolving culture shaped by emerging institutional supports.Conclusion: Leadership in developing and deploying accessible training and supports has strengthened awareness and practice across the research community. Originality: This study offers one of the few longitudinally examinations of how strategic and operational leadership, together with evolving institutional supports, influence research culture and RCR within an RPO.