Having both the Chair and Secretariat based at NTU offers several advantages, including enhanced communication, established relationships, and the opportunity to build on the excellent work already being carried out to support researcher development — which lies at the heart of the RDC’s mission.

The main contact at NTU is Dr Christopher Barenberg, Research Associate for the UK Researcher Development Concordat, who is looking forward to working in this role and to meeting colleagues in due course.

For enquiries, please contact the Secretariat via email at: rdc@ntu.ac.uk

We would also like to extend our sincere thanks to colleagues at the Scottish Funding Council, who kindly undertook the Secretariat role during the interim period.

Link to the templates can be found Resources

Richard is a trustee of the John Van Geest Cancer Research Charity and Chair of the Medical Technologies Innovation Facility Board. He is also a member of the East Midlands Combined County Authority Innovation Advisory Board; Chair of the UK Researcher Development Concordat Strategy Group and Chair of the UKRI-BBSRC Transformative Technologies Strategic Advisory Panel providing insight, horizon scanning and policy advice to UKRI.

Richard shares his thoughts on his new role as Chair of the RDCSG in a WonkHE blog published today Supporting the careers of researchers means innovation, not isolation | Wonkhe.

The report provides an overview of the work undertaken by the RDCSG to meet its commitments as governing body for the Concordat. The report also covers:

• Highlights from the Research Culture and Practice Forum
• Work on fairness of employment in research
• Case studies on supporting the development of researchers
• Priorities for the RDCSG in 2024.

You can download the

• Full 2023 annual report.

With sessions spread over two days, we heard from a range of fantastic speakers about the huge amount of activity being done to address research culture and practice issues in the sector. Speakers included researchers, institutional concordat leads, members of concordat steering groups, as well as representatives from government, funders, industry and policy organisations.

Day one provided insight into the role of a number of different concordats and initiatives responsible for driving positive research culture, how universities are implementing them, and the benefits they bring. We also heard about the changing landscape for technical professionals in higher education and research, before ending day one with a future facing discussion about how to keep the momentum going and ensure concordats and initiatives continue to be effective in a changing landscape.

Day two took a deep dive into key research culture and practice issues, progress, and achievements. Professor Melanie Welham, the UKRI Executive Champion for People, Culture and Talent, opened with an overview of the work that UKRI are doing to support people, culture and talent. We heard about how institutions are implementing research integrity principles and practice and how knowledge exchange contributes to a positive research culture.

There was also a session exploring examples of good practice in the sector to address the systemic issue of job precarity in academic research and technical roles, featuring a fantastic example of collaboration between stakeholders at the University of Bath in their progressive agreement to address casualisation. Another session explored the opportunities available to researchers to apply their knowledge and expertise beyond academia.

We are excited to keep the momentum from these discussions going. To arrange a discussion, or if you would like to submit a Researcher Story to raise awareness of good practice in supporting the career development of researchers, please contact CDRSecretariat@universitiesuk.ac.uk.

If you would like to watch the session recordings of the Research Culture and Practice Forum, please visit the Events UUK YouTube channel.

The report provides an overview of the work undertaken by the RDCSG to meet its commitments as governing body for the Concordat. In 2022, the RDCSG expanded its membership and established dedicated working groups to review the Concordat, measure success, and strengthen engagement with the research and innovation community. Key highlights include developing and launching a dedicated Concordat website to support signatories and share good practice, successfully delivering the annual research culture and practice forum, and publishing new reporting templates to support the monitoring and evaluation of sector progress.

The report also provides the first systemic analysis of signatories’ action plans and institutional annual reports, highlighting the vast and varied amount of activity being done to improve the research culture, employment conditions and professional development for research staff. There are excellent examples of case studies from both RDCSG member organisations and institutional signatories, covering a wide range of innovative initiatives, from lifelong skills and career development platforms to to new and inclusive funding application assessments.

Professor Julia Buckingham, Chair of the Researcher Development Concordat Strategy Group, said:

“With the pandemic waning, 2022 was a year of growing momentum and we have been hugely encouraged to see the green shoots of positive change. A systemic analysis of our signatories’ action plans and the first tranche of institutional annual reports showed a very high level of engagement and ambition, with a degree of commonality of focus and a range of examples of good practice and innovative approaches to dealing with the systemic challenges.”

The RDCSG are aware that there is still much to do, and the report concludes with our key priorities and commitments for 2023. The precarity of research careers remains a systemic issue, and we plan to launch an open discussion with the sector to explore ways to improve the terms of employment for researchers. We will also work to gain a better understanding of researcher career paths, both in academia and beyond, to improve the careers advice and professional development opportunities available to our highly talented and skilled researchers.

We will also be bringing the research community together again for our 2023 Research Culture and Practice Forum in June, which we are hosting in partnership with the Technician Commitment, as well as the Research Integrity and Knowledge Exchange Concordats. This will be a fantastic opportunity to learn from the diverse range of voices in the sector about the work being done to address key research culture and practice issues, and the role of the concordats and initiatives in driving positive change.

You can download the:

• full 2022 annual report
• further resources and publications for the Researcher Development Concordat

As part of their signatory responsibilities, institutions are expected to develop an action plan within one year of signing the Concordat, and to submit a short report each year thereafter summarising the progress they have made and noting any changes to their action plans. The purpose of these reports is two-fold:

• For institutions to reflect on their progress and consider their next steps
• For the Researcher Development Concordat Strategy Group (RDCSG) a) to have oversight of the progress being made and the barriers to be overcome and b) to fulfil its obligation to report annually to Research England and to the funding bodies in the devolved nations.

In September 2022, the RDCSG approved the development of the new reporting templates, seeking to streamline the reporting process and minimise the burden on institutions while at the same time standardise the information that is provided. This will make it easier to monitor and evaluate progress across the sector, as well as support institutions and share good practice widely. Another benefit, is that the template wording aligns with that in the UK process of the HR Excellence in Research Award (managed by Vitae), meaning Award holders are no longer required to submit a report for the Concordat in the year they submit their paperwork for the Award.

Guidance on using the new templates

The new reporting templates can be accessed on our resources page, as well as in the links above.

When completing the templates, institutions are asked to provide the following information in respect to each of the three pillars (environment and culture, employment, and professional development of researchers):

• Institutional context/approach in relation to the Concordat
• Strategic objectives and implementation plans
• Measures of success
• Actions taken, and evaluation of progress made
• Lessons learned, and any modifications to the action plan and measures of success
• A forward look to key objectives in the next reporting period
• A brief statement describing the report approval process

Universities and research institutes are also encouraged to consider the unique context for each of their key stakeholder groups (institutions, managers of researchers, and researchers).

For more information on the Concordat reporting process, as well as how to align reporting with the HR Excellence in Research Award, see here.

The RDCSG will continue to monitor the effectiveness of the new templates, and make changes where necessary. If you have any questions, or suggestions on how the reporting process could be improved, please contact CDRSecretariat@universitiesuk.ac.uk.

More than just a Network, a thriving research community

Starting in Autumn 2021 the British Academy partnered with the Wolfson Foundation to pilot a network for Early Career Researchers (ECRs) in the humanities and social sciences. The Network is for UK based researchers who identify as early career, broadly described for our purposes as within 10 years of their doctorate, who are working in humanities and social science disciplines, and who are affiliated with institutions in the Midlands, South West and Scotland.

A core aim of the Network is to foster a thriving and supportive community of Early Career Researchers, which is researcher-led and inclusive, making it accessible to all researchers regardless of their funding source or background. After the two-year Pilot, the expectation is for this to be a UK-wide network tailored to researchers at postdoctoral level in the humanities and social sciences.

Importantly, the Network will be responsive to the needs and interests of the researchers themselves, with the hope that this will enable a greater number of researchers to receive support in their career ambitions, through a range of skills development, networking opportunities, workshops, and events. This reflects well the principles for Researchers set out in the Researcher Development Concordat.

Since the Network launched in late September 2021, over 1,500 ECRs have joined. Members are keen to expand their networks and benefit from training, workshops and events that will positively enhance their personal, research and professional development skills.

Over the last 10 months a broad range of events have been organised for or by the ECRs, including but not limited to: media training, policy training; How to write a compelling grant proposal; interdisciplinary workshops; how to communicate research in the social sciences to a wider audience; planning impact; working outside of academia; international collaboration; and ‘From Thesis to Monographs: Getting your PhD published’.

Reflecting the hybrid world in which researchers now operate, as well as access and participation considerations, events to date have been a mixture of online and in person, allowing ECRs to come together, learn new skills and share knowledge and learning. Everyone is encouraged to suggest events and ideas for future engagement.

The Network intends to bridge an important gap between those ECRs who have security and funding and those who do not, enabling all researchers to develop their skills and explore opportunities; offering support for those ECRs who find themselves without access to some formal support structures.

The Academy works with partners across the sector to align efforts in the interest of the ECR community. As we are seeing, the Network has the potential to be transformative for not only ECRs but the broader sector, placing ECRs at the centre of change, and allowing the sector to benefit from the knowledge and drive of ECRs from all backgrounds.

To find out more about the ECR Network and to sign up and be part of the growing community click here. For organisations interested in collaborating on an event for the ECRs please email ecr_network@thebritishacademy.ac.uk

The British Academy is a signatory to the Concordat to Support the Career Development of Researchers.

Signatories of the ‘Researcher Development Concordat’ – including The Royal Society, The British Academy, and UK Research and Innovation – are working in tandem with UK universities and research organisations to deliver on the UK government’s People & Culture Strategy, by implementing action plans that promote equality, diversity and inclusion, skills development, career mobility and networking opportunities for early-career researchers and beyond.

The news comes amid renewed priorities for the concordat, which transferred its secretariat to UUK in 2021 and adopted a new governance structure to better support signatories and galvanise the UK research and innovation community. The new structure and strategy aim to ensure the voices of the community are heard at national level with engagement opportunities for researchers at all career stages, industry leaders and senior university management, to name a few. It also aims to regularly review and update the concordat to reflect policy developments and closely measure the impact of the group’s efforts on the sector. The ambitious new plans aim to demonstrate the value, impact and importance of strongly committing to researcher career development and culture.

Professor Julia Buckingham, Chair of the Researcher Development Concordat Strategy Group said:

“The government’s People & Culture Strategy has rightly identified areas where research culture in the UK could be improved to make best use of the nation’s talent. The Researcher Development Concordat is a powerful tool that can catalyse the delivery of this strategy, and evidence shows that institutional leaders are already making the kinds of changes we need to support the government’s ambitions.”

The report highlights some of the excellent activities that have been introduced by signatories to the concordat. It also provides a set of good practice case studies that outline improvements to research culture by the establishment of staff networks, forums, and communities of practice. There are excellent examples of leadership programmes and improved processes for the assessment and promotion of researchers. This concordat is a tool to continuously improve the conditions and culture for researchers in the UK and holds research organisations and universities accountable for supporting their people effectively.

You can download the:

• full highlight report [pdf]
• further resources and publications