Partner Meetings · Kick-off
ReLiP-ECT kicks off in Oslo: Connecting research and teaching practice
Oslo Metropolitan University · 27–28 August 2026
The Research Literacy in Practice: Tracking and Supporting Early Career Teachers (ReLiP-ECT) project began with a two-day kick-off meeting on 27–28 August 2026, hosted by Oslo Metropolitan University (OsloMet).
University-based partners representing teacher education programmes in Norway, Sweden, Denmark, Finland, Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania came together to share experiences and plan our work ahead. We also had the opportunity to meet school-based partners from Latvia and Lithuania, whose perspectives brought valuable connections to everyday school life into the discussions.
Day 1: Sharing perspectives and building connections
The first day opened with partner introductions and an exchange of national and institutional approaches to research-based teacher education. Building on the earlier TREL project, we explored the shift from preparing student teachers to supporting early career teachers as they bring research literacy into their professional practice.
A central question guided our conversations: What does research literacy look like in classrooms and schools? University and school partners discussed its relationship with professional identity and inquiry, alongside the conditions that can support or constrain it. Joint discussions and smaller group activities provided space to compare experiences of recruitment, induction and mentoring, and to explore how mentored communities of practice could support early career teachers.
Day 2: Turning ideas into plans
The second day focused on how we would carry this work forward. Discussions covered the research design, data collection, mentoring and collaborative inquiry cycles, alongside plans for the project handbook, comparative reports and policy recommendations.
We also explored how the Research Hub, digital resources and co-designed workshops could support learning and exchange across the partnership. Sessions on dissemination, evaluation and quality assurance helped connect these activities with the project’s wider aims.
Across both days, we had time to share, listen, ask questions, and get to know one another. The meeting laid the foundations for closer dialogue between university and school partners and for our shared work to understand and support early career teachers’ research literacy in practice.
What could this mean for your practice?
How can early career teachers draw on research when faced with everyday classroom questions? And how can mentors, school leaders and teacher educators support them? These questions extend beyond our partnership and sit at the heart of ReLiP-ECT.
Over the course of the project, we will share insights from participating teachers, experiences of mentoring and collaborative inquiry, and resources designed to support research literacy in practice. Whether you are beginning your teaching career, mentoring colleagues or working in teacher education, we invite you to follow our progress and consider how these ideas might connect with your own context.
Stay tuned for updates, teacher stories and opportunities to exchange ideas as we learn together across the Nordic–Baltic region.