The AIRON Academy is AIRON’s learning and capability-building offer for professionals and organisations working across the research ecosystem.

We help research-supporting professionals build the AI knowledge, confidence, and practical skills needed to work effectively and responsibly in a rapidly changing environment.

Built around real challenges in research operations, every AIRON Academy offer is designed to turn emerging AI insight into practical, useful capability that can be applied with confidence.

Why AIRON Academy

Research organisations are entering a new era.

AI is reshaping how research is supported, managed, reviewed, communicated, and governed — yet workforce development has not kept pace.

We help professionals and organisations build the capability they need to:

• understand how AI is changing research operations
• identify practical and responsible use cases
• strengthen confidence in applying AI in day-to-day work
• build better workflows, governance, and decision-making
• prepare teams for an AI-enabled research environment.

AIRON Academy is designed for people who want more than general AI awareness. It is for people who want practical, role-relevant learning grounded in the realities of research support.

What We Offer

AIRON Academy includes practical learning opportunities for both individuals and institutions.

AIRO Leads Program

Our flagship cohort-based programme for professionals who want to build practical capability in applying AI in research operations.

AI Clinic

Focused sessions designed to help participants explore use cases, troubleshoot challenges, and strengthen confidence in applying AI in day-to-day practice.

AI Lab

Hands-on sessions that help teams and professionals test ideas, explore workflows, and build practical approaches to AI-enabled work.

Short Courses

Targeted learning offers focused on specific topics, roles, and research-support functions.

Executive AI Briefings

Short, high-level sessions for leaders who want a practical understanding of AI’s implications for research operations, governance, and institutional readiness.

Why People Engage with AIRON Academy

AIRON Academy is designed to be:

• practical and grounded in real research-support contexts
• shaped around real institutional challenges and opportunities
• informed by AIRON’s cross-sector community insight
• focused on responsible, human-centred, and context-aware AI adoption

Whether you are exploring AI for the first time or trying to build more structured capability across a team, AIRON Academy is designed to help you move forward with more clarity and confidence.

For Individuals

AIRON Academy supports professionals working across research operations, research strategy, libraries, funding, innovation, IT, and related roles.

You can engage with AIRON Academy in different ways:

• AIRON Member — for those who want to stay connected to AIRON, access events and general community insight, and follow developments in AI-enabled research practice
• AIRON Pro Member — for those who want deeper engagement, richer event insight, and discounted access to AIRON Academy offers
• Open enrolment offers — for those who want to join selected AIRON Academy programmes directly.

For Institutions

AIRON Academy also supports universities, research organisations, funders and consortia through AIRON Institutional Membership.

Institutional options may include:

• AI Clinics and AI Labs for teams
• short courses and capability-building offers
• executive briefings for senior leaders
• structured institutional support through AIRON Institutional packages.

These offers are designed to help institutions build capability across teams and strengthen responsible AI adoption in research operations.

Tailored Support

Do you need something more specific for your institution, team, or strategic priorities?

AIRON also works with organisations that want tailored learning and capability-building support linked to their context, priorities, and stage of AI adoption.

This may include:

• team-focused workshops
• customised short courses
• executive briefings
• practical sessions linked to specific workflows or priorities
• institution-specific capability pathways.

If you would like to explore tailored support, please contact us.

Stay Connected

New AIRON Academy offers will continue to develop over time.

To hear about upcoming sessions, new learning offers, and AIRON Academy updates, please subscribe to AIRON Newsletter.