Advancing in Academia - Career Planning and Thinking for PGRs and Research Staff
'Advancing in Academia' at King’s College London (KCL) is a four-week blended learning course for PGRs (doctoral researchers) and Research Staff who are considering or planning a career in academia. The course is designed and run in partnership with the researcher careers team at KCL and the College Centre for Doctoral Studies. The most recent version, in 2022, was run for people with dual academic and clinical careers. The course has run since 2017 focussing on different academic disciplines each time, and in 2022 it focussed specifically on clinical academics. Although the general principles described below apply to all iterations, the course run in 2022 represented the most challenging and also the most rewarding.
Beneficiaries: Research staff Postgraduate researchers Research and teaching staff Clinicians Managers of researchers
Stakeholders: Researchers Managers of researchers Professional staff
Concordat principles: Employment Professional and career development
Keywords: Training Professional development Research identity Research culture Career progression Equality, diversity and inclusion Career management Diverse careers Clinical
Research Culture Awards
We are not always good at saying thank you, especially for things that are difficult to measure. The Research Culture Awards aim to recognise and celebrate those who demonstrate good role modelling and make the environment better for others; staff can thank those around them who are good leaders, mentors or organise valued activities. The longer-term aim is to include these aspects in promotion criteria and to value them more formally, but this informal method has helped develop a community of people who actively think about good research culture and how to replicate it elsewhere.
Beneficiaries: Research staff Research and teaching staff Technicians Managers of researchers Professional support staff
Stakeholders: Managers of researchers Professional staff Senior/executive team
Concordat principles: Environment and culture
Keywords: Research culture Researcher voice Working conditions Leadership development Recognition
A training ‘bundle’ to support managers of researchers to fulfil their Concordat obligations
Managers of researchers usually step into the role as a result of them winning grant funding to employ someone to work on their project. They often receive no specific training as a manager, or to fulfil the many, diverse obligations that the Concordat places on them. Following wide consultation with stakeholders, we have developed a training ‘bundle’ to support managers of researchers to meet their Concordat obligations that includes advice, resources, signposting to policies and support, and bespoke training. All content is available on demand and delivered in ‘bite-sized' chunks.
Beneficiaries: Managers of researchers
Stakeholders: Professional staff
Concordat principles: Environment and culture Employment Professional and career development
Keywords: Training Professional development Research identity Research culture Career progression Wellbeing Working conditions Performance management Career management Diverse careers Leadership development
Network of Women+ Professors’ Mentoring Scheme
The Network of Women+ Professors at the University of Hertfordshire promotes career progression and progress towards gender equality in the professoriate in line with the institutional Athena Swan action plan and supports HR to close the gender pay gap and gender ratio in the professoriate. The network has established a mentoring scheme to support women aspiring for Reader, Associate Professor and Professor levels with individual mentoring support offered to people who identify as women+ at the University by nationally and internationally recognised colleagues.
Beneficiaries: Research staff Research and teaching staff Managers of researchers
Stakeholders: Researchers Managers of researchers Professional staff
Concordat principles: Environment and culture Professional and career development
Keywords: Training Professional development Research identity Research culture Career progression Equality, diversity and inclusion Career management Leadership development Research assessment Recognition Mentorship
Network of Women+ Professors’ Mentoring Scheme
The Network of Women+ Professors at the University of Hertfordshire promotes career progression and progress towards gender equality in the professoriate in line with the institutional Athena Swan action plan and supports HR to close the gender pay gap and gender ratio in the professoriate. The network has established a mentoring scheme to support women aspiring for Reader, Associate Professor and Professor levels with individual mentoring support offered to people who identify as women+ at the University by nationally and internationally recognised colleagues.
Beneficiaries: Research staff Research and teaching staff Managers of researchers
Stakeholders: Researchers Managers of researchers Professional staff
Concordat principles: Environment and culture Professional and career development
Keywords: Training Professional development Research identity Research culture Career progression Equality, diversity and inclusion Career management Leadership development Research assessment Recognition Mentorship
Designing a Concordat Action Plan through Deliberative Democracy
This case study describes the social science approach (termed Merging Knowledge) utilised to develop the University of Oxford's Concordat action plan. The case details the action plan design and drafting process, which involved participants from across the University, selected to represent the Concordat stakeholder groups and to reflect diversity across disciplines, career stage, ethnicity, and gender.
Beneficiaries: Research staff Managers of researchers Professional support staff
Stakeholders: Researchers Managers of researchers Professional staff Senior/executive team
Concordat principles: Environment and culture
Keywords: Forum Representation Concordat Research culture Policy Researcher voice
Vertically Integrated Governance Group and Active Career Stage Fora
The University of Portsmouth is a modern University employing 120-140 Research Staff, depending largely on the number and type of externally funded research grants and contracts. Recognising that our existing structures were not delivering the levels of engagement necessary to deliver on the aspirations in our Concordat Action Plan, we redesigned the group that has oversight and governance of researcher development to bring in representation from PhD through to Professor, reinvigorating career stage fora.
Beneficiaries: Research staff Research and teaching staff Managers of researchers
Stakeholders: Researchers Managers of researchers Professional staff
Concordat principles: Environment and culture
Keywords: Professional development Research culture Policy Researcher voice Career management Diverse careers Recognition
Research and Knowledge Exchange Development Framework
The Research and Knowledge Exchange Development Framework (RKEDF) aims to ensure Bournemouth University researchers have access to the support required to make a step change in their research activity and performance, strengthening the opportunities for career progression, retention of high-performing staff, and acceleration of research income. The RKEDF offers a range of standalone workshops, structured courses, and online resources. These are delivered by BU staff with topic expertise or external facilitators. In addition to many individual events, the RKEDF includes several targeted and cohort-based courses each year.
Beneficiaries: Research staff Postgraduate researchers Research and teaching staff Managers of researchers
Stakeholders: Researchers Managers of researchers Professional staff Senior/executive team
Concordat principles: Professional and career development
Keywords: Training Professional development Research culture Career progression Leadership development Recognition
Succeeding in Industry Programme
Many postdocs move into scientific leadership roles beyond academia. ICR wanted its training offer to reflect that, giving agency to those not aiming for an independent academic career. ICR tagged training and career development opportunities as ‘succeeding in industry’ and/or ‘succeeding in academia’, and offered specific support and events on applications and recruitment in industry. ICR wanted to acknowledge that researchers might also be undecided, or plan to move between academia and industry, and the institute connected with alumni and Faculty who have done this successfully to deliver these sessions.
Beneficiaries: Research staff Postgraduate researchers Technicians Managers of researchers
Stakeholders: Researchers Managers of researchers Professional staff
Concordat principles: Professional and career development
Keywords: Research culture Training Professional development Career management Diverse careers Postdocs Industry Alumni
Research Staff Awards: Celebrating and Recognising the Achievements of Research Staff
To celebrate and recognise the achievement of the University’s research staff, the Research Staff Strategy Group (RSSG) introduced a new University awards scheme exclusively for research staff (defined as research assistants, associates/postdocs and fellows). The four categories of award (Research Staff of the Year, Best Outstanding Output, Best Outstanding Contribution to Research Impact, and Best Outstanding Contribution to the Research Environment) showcase the excellent work of research staff and raise their profile and visibility across the University.
Beneficiaries: Research staff Managers of researchers Professional support staff
Stakeholders: Researchers Managers of researchers Professional staff Senior/executive team
Concordat principles: Environment and culture
Keywords: Research identity Research culture Policy Recognition