Early career research conference in the School of Psychology and Clinical Language Sciences
We wanted to reinvigorate our early career research (ECR) community
after the detrimental impact of lockdown. We hosted a whole school conference
for ECRs which included short ‘blitz’ and longer research talks, giving ECRs
valuable experience and CV material. It also included a ‘Dragons Den’ style
grant application process, where pre-written grant applications were critiqued
by senior leadership (‘Dragons’) and then defended by the applicants in a panel
interview. The event was an enormous success and reached capacity for
attendance. Four novel projects were created and sustained to this day.
Beneficiaries: Research staff Postgraduate researchers Research and teaching staff Teaching-only staff
Stakeholders: Researchers Managers of researchers
Concordat principles: Environment and culture Professional and career development
Keywords: ECR Career development Professional development Research identity Research culture Career progression Equality, diversity and inclusion Wellbeing Researcher voice Working conditions Leadership development Research assessment Recognition Community building Multidisciplinary Grants Conference Dragon's Den
Researcher Forum and Faculty ECR Forums
The Researcher Forum at Plymouth enables the University to facilitate communications, consultation, practice sharing, development and support with our Researchers. The Researcher Forum facilitates discussion and networking between our researchers, managers, academics and staff supporting researchers and is key to supporting our researchers. Meetings are themed according to Concordat-related activities, University initiatives and priorities for researchers, for example: Concordat consultation, REF, career development, funding support, Open Access and, Impact. The Concordat Working Group works closely with the Researcher Forum and Research Staff representatives on Concordat-related activities, providing a pivotal link with our community of researchers. Faculty ECR Forums have been established for the Faculties of Health; Science and Engineering; and Arts, Humanities and Business. Faculty ECR Forums are conduits for information, consultation, representation, career development and support for researchers aligned with each group. Establishing Faculty ECR Forums has led to further opportunities for research staff through 'Faculty crossover representatives', which provides an excellent opportunity for researchers who are interested in developing their experience/research beyond their Faculty network.
Beneficiaries: Research staff Postgraduate researchers Research and teaching staff Teaching-only staff Managers of researchers Professional support staff
Stakeholders: Researchers Managers of researchers Professional staff Senior/executive team
Concordat principles: Environment and culture Employment Professional and career development
Keywords: Researcher ECR Forum Representation Career development Networking Collaboration Support Concordat Training Signposting Policy Equality, diversity and inclusion Research culture Research integrity Wellbeing Researcher voice Bullying and harassment Flexible working Open Transparent and Merit-based (OTM) recruitment and progression Induction Job security Working conditions Career progression Performance management Professional development Career management Diverse careers Leadership development Research identity Research assessment Recognition