researchers forum policy background

7/21/2019 Researchers Forum Policy Background

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UWE Bristol

Researchers’ ForumWhat has UWE committed to doing to

support its researchers?

Dr Paul Spencer

Researcher Development Manager

[email protected]

0117 32 83974

mailto:[email protected]

mailto:[email protected]



A bit of history

1996

A CONCORDAT TO PROVIDE A FRAMEWORK FOR THE

CAREER MANAGEMENT OF CONTRACT RESEARCHSTAFF IN UNIVERSITIES AND COLLEGES

A statement by the funders of research and the Committee of Vice Chancellors and

Principals (CVCP) highlighting the importance of “Contract research staff” to the research

enterprise but recognising the tensions of career management for those on short termcontracts



A bit of history

2000

The creation of a European Research Area

The Union shall have the objective of strengthening its scientific and technological bases

by achieving a European research area in which researchers, scientific knowledge and

technology circulate freely, and encouraging it to become more competitive, including in

its industry, while promoting all the research activities deemed necessary by virtue of

other Chapters of the Treaties.



A bit of history

2002

Contract Research Online Survey (CROS) launched

A HEFCE funded project to anonymously gather data about working conditions, career

aspirations and career development opportunities for research staff in UK universities.

In 2009 this is renamed Careers in Research Online Survey (CROS) with the questionnaire

significantly amended to reflect the principles of the 2008 Concordat to Support the

Career Development of Researchers



A bit of history

2002I graduated from UWE with

a PhD…



A bit of history

2005

European Charter and Code ofConduct for the Recrui tment ofResearchers launched

The European Charter for Researchers is a set of general principles and

requirements which specifies the roles, responsibilities and entitlements

of researchers as well as of employers and/or funders of researchers



A bit of history

2005

The 1st UWE Researchers’ Forum took place!



A bit of history

2008

Concordat to Support theCareer Development of Researchers

The UK Concordat to Support the Career Development of Researchers is an agreement

between funders and employers of research staff to improve the employment and

support for researchers and research careers in UK higher education.It sets out clear standards that research staff can expect from the institution that employs

them, as well as their responsibilities as researchers



A bit of history

2010HR Excellence in Research Award

First tranche of universities across Europe achieve the award in recognition of progress

against the implementation of the European Charter & Code for Researchers. In the UK

this is specifically under the auspices of the Concordat to Support the Career

Development of Researchers



A bit of history

2012HR Excellence in Research Award

UWE achieves the HR Excellence in Research Award base on conducting a gap analysis

and publishing an implementation plan to embed the principles of the Concordat to

Support the Career Development of Researchers



A bit of history

2013UWE achieves the Athena Swan Bronze Award

Athena SWAN is a Charter which addresses gender inequalities and recognises

commitment to advancing women's careers in science, technology, engineering, maths

and medicine (STEMM) employment in higher education. In 2015 this is extended across

all disciplines and incorporates the Gender Equality Mark



Summary

• There are several policy initiatives that overlap

• A lot stems from the desire to create a globally

competitive European Research Area

• The UK are seen as exemplars in many of the

areas relating to researcher support



Role of funders of research

•UK and European funders of research havesteadily increased the pressure to implement

many of the policies by making them

conditional to receiving grants

• There is sometimes a tension between what

the funders would like to see and the benefit

to individuals e.g. mobility of researchers

across the ERA



It all comes back to…



Looking at the Concordat more

closely

Principles

1. Recognition of the importance of recruiting, selecting and

retaining researchers with the highest potential to achieve

excellence in research.

2. Researchers are recognised and valued by their employing

organisations as an essential part of their organisation’s human

resources and a key component of their overall strategy to

develop and deliver world-class research




closely

Principles

3. Researchers are equipped and supported to be

adaptable and flexible in an increasingly diverse,

mobile, global research environment

4. The importance of researchers’ personal and career

development, and lifelong learning, is clearly

recognised and promoted at all stages of their career




closely

Principles

5. Individual researchers share the responsibility for and need

to pro-actively engage in their own personal and career

development, and lifelong learning

6. Diversity and equality must be promoted in all aspects of the

recruitment and career management of researchers

7. The sector and all stakeholders will undertake regular and

collective review of their progress in strengthening their

attractiveness and sustainability of research careers in the

UK



UWE and the Concordat:

Recruitment & Selection

• Strategy 2020 makes reference to “Research

with Impact” – this is about people and

resources for this activity.

• HR have overhauled support for managers

who recruit with training and e-recruitment

• Use of fixed term contracts is defined in policy

document (revised July 2014)




Recognition and value

• Ensure that staff on fixed term contracts are

not treated any differently to anyone else

• Commitment to ensure all staff have access to

a Performance & Development Review (PDR)

to recognise their achievements & ambitions

• Performance 2020 includes a package of work

to enhance career development support




Support and career development

• Previously published Academic Career

Pathways on HR website

• Research Review and Progression Panel is a

dedicated process for the consideration of

progression through research grades

• Researcher development opportunities

through the Researchers’ Forum & RBI

workshops www.uwe.ac.uk/researchevents

http://www.uwe.ac.uk/researchevents

http://www.uwe.ac.uk/researchevents




Researchers’ responsibilities

• Adoption and roll out of the Code of Good

Research Conduct

• Many of the topics covered by Researchers’

Forum have been specifically about navigating

a career in academia

• All UWE researchers have access to all of the

Vitae Researcher Development resources as

UWE is a subscriber www.vitae.ac.uk

http://www.vitae.ac.uk/

http://www.vitae.ac.uk/



Researchers’ Forum topics

December ’14 - Work-life balance (workshop) [Janet Wilkinson]May ‘14 - Taking charge of your research career (panel session)

December ’13 - Writing an ‘internationally excellent’ paper and

how to extend your reach as a researcher (UWE experts & social

media tools)May ‘13 - Making sense of UWE Bristol Strategy 2020: What

does it mean for researchers?

November ’12 - Toward a research active lecturing post (Balance

between teaching & research) [Janet Wilkinson]May ’12 – Managing a research career (institutional career

development, REF etc)

September ’11 – Get your research noticed (focus on proactivity,

publication strategy and panel session) [Kate Tapper]



Researchers’ Forum topics

May ’11 – Research funding investment – where does the moneygo? REF and research staff. Analysis of RS needs from CROS

September ’10 – Balancing individual career progression with

research group success (Kate Tapper – metaphors mixing PIs and

RS together)

May ’10 – Research review and Grading panel, Workload Model

November ’09 – Outcomes of CROS, institutional priorities and

“Career Development Matters” [Vox Coaching]

January ’09 – Q&A with the Vice-ChancellorNovember ’08 – The new Concordat to Support the Career

Development of Researchers

June ’08 – National researcher policy and “Create your career”

[Dr Sara Williams and Vox coaching]




Diversity and equality

• UWE signed up to the Athena Swan Charter in

2012 and has made progress on gender

equality

• The 2015 Stonewall index places UWE, Bristol

11th in the top 100 employers

• There has been a Women Researchers

Mentoring Scheme for the past 4 years




Known areas for development

• Awareness of policy initiatives not strong

among UWE researchers

• Connecting UWE researchers physically and/or

virtually is challenging

• Collaboration with other universities is key to

providing high quality development

opportunities – mixed success to date




Reasons to be positive

• Equality & diversity initiatives at UWE appear

to be successful

• Four UWE departments have gained Athena

Swan Bronze Awards in recognition of

progress on gender equality

• There is a commitment from UWE to increase

its support for researchers

researchers forum policy background

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