Principal Investigators

Training and support for University of Edinburgh staff who act as Principal Investigators (PIs) and research leaders.

a group of people talking at a table

We provide training and support for all University of Edinburgh Principal Investigators (PIs) and research leaders. Our offer focuses on helping you develop key competencies as research leaders in areas such as managing yourself and your career, leading and managing people and teams, leading and managing research projects, and your role in building positive research environments.  

Who is a Principal Investigator?

To understand if this training and support is relevant to you, our working definition of who is a Principal Investigator (PI) is: 

A Principal Investigator is a staff member who is responsible for the intellectual leadership and overall management of a research project, who may lead or manage individuals or teams. 

This definition encompasses a wide range of people in research and focuses on the roles and responsibilities of the person rather than their career stage or formal titles. 

To read more about how we define a PI, read our blog on “Who is a PI?” 

We offer a variety of training and support from bitesize events to full training programmes. To find out more about the current offer, click on the tabs below. 

Short bite-size online events to get new ideas and discuss them with peers

Guidance and key resources to help navigate your role

Discuss challenges with peers and learn new skills

Programmes for new and experienced PIs.

Protected writing time to progress on projects

Find out about coaching and mentoring for researchers (staff only) at the University of Edinburgh.

Find further resources and useful links here.

For further support or to tell us what you need