Horizons Academy

Horizons Academy provides opportunities for research colleagues to develop interdisciplinary skills and make connections with colleagues from different disciplines, institutions and backgrounds.  

Through our well-established programmes and interventions, we provide bespoke training, support and curated environments to help researchers build their portfolio of skills, expand their networks, and spark new ideas.  

Horizons Academy may help you:  

  • develop, or further develop, skills for interdisciplinary research
  • connect with researchers from other disciplines
  • explore different methods to address complex challenges
  • build networks across sectors
  • develop your interdisciplinary learning and teaching materials 

Take a look at the following programmes for more information, including how to apply 

Global Crucible

Our Global Crucible is a platform for researchers around the world to come together to develop skills, ideas and connect. 

We provide the time and space for you to think, develop your skills, and build relationships with other researchers across disciplines and international borders.   

We will support you to implement bold new approaches to global challenges and become a leader in interdisciplinary research. 

Find out more about our Global Crucible 

Horizons Platform 

Horizons Platform is designed to promote challenge-led interdisciplinary research and foster collaboration between the University of Leeds and the University of the Witwatersrand (Wits).   

Focusing on the broad areas of global inequalities, climate and sustainability, this programme will create opportunities for an exchange of ideas. 

Find out more about Horizons Platform

Mentorship 

We recognise that developing skills and a career path in interdisciplinary research can be challenging, and often takes researchers out of their comfort zone.

This is why we also offer mentorship, providing additional one-to-one support to early- and mid-career researchers on our Global Crucible and Horizons Platform programmes.  

Our mentorship offer is specifically designed to broaden participants’ horizons, pairing mentors and mentees up with people from completely different academic backgrounds and, where possible, different countries.  

Find out more about our mentorship programme on our blog

Other researcher development initiatives 

If you’re looking for support to develop interdisciplinary research skills in your centre, institute or institution, please email the Horizons team via horizons@leeds.ac.uk for more information on how we can help.