Developing an institution's research culture is a challenge that is especially pressing given its prioritisation in the context of contemporary university performance. This paper discusses how academic development teams working with researchers can build meaningful institutional research culture through conceiving of researcher cohorts as members of an organisation-wide community of practice. It focuses on supported development of social media knowledge and skills through a programme that synthesises digital practices, institutional and digital literacies, and identity formations. I argue that this informed, generative approach to building an academic community's digital literacy acts as a catalyst to develop stronger institutional research culture.