Research Concordat

Concordat to Support the Career Development of Researchers - supporting research excellence and increasing focus and impact.

Introduction and Background

The University of Dundee officially launched the 'Concordat to Support the Career Development of Researchers' http://www.researchconcordat.ac.uk in February 2009, with two open events led by RCUK, the Vice Principal for Research, the Director Human Resources and the Vice Principals/Heads of Colleges.

The Concordat to Support the Career Development of Researchers sets out the expectations and responsibilities of researchers, their managers, employers and funders. It aims to increase the attractiveness and sustainability of research careers in the UK and to improve the quantity, quality and impact of research for the benefit of UK society and the economy.

The Concordat will ensure today's researchers are nurtured and supported during their career development. By setting out clear expectations for researchers, research managers, research institutions, and funders of research, the Concordat aims to enhance the research workforce and thereby sustain research excellence in the UK, bringing benefits to the health, economy and well being of our nation.

The Concordat consists of a set of key principles for the future support and management of research careers, and under each principle, an explanation of how it may be embedded into institutional practice.

The Concordat's key principles:

Recognition of the importance of recruiting, selecting and retaining researchers with the highest potential to achieve excellence in research.
Researchers are recognised and valued by their employing organisation 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.
Researchers are equipped and supported to be adaptable and flexible in an increasingly diverse, mobile, global research environment.
The importance of researchers' personal and career development, and lifelong learning, is clearly recognised and promoted at all stages of their career.
Individual researchers share the responsibility for and need to pro-actively engage in their own personal and career development, and lifelong learning.
Diversity and equality must be promoted in all aspects of the recruitment and career management of researchers.
The sector and all stakeholders will undertake regular and collective review of their progress in strengthening the attractiveness and sustainability of research careers in the UK.

Summary of Concordat activity across the University of Dundee

We have carried out a review of our policies and practices against the principles of the Concordat. The review has highlighted how our current provision in the Summary of Concordat activity across the University of Dundee meets many of the expectations contained within the Concordat and has enabled us to identify actions to build on these good practices. The extent of the University's commitment to the principles of the Concordat is demonstrated by the level and breadth of the activities currently supporting these principles.

Gap Analysis

The initial gap analysis was undertaken in the spring of 2011 by the Organisational and Professional Development and Human Resources members of the University Concordat Steering Group. Postdoctoral Research staff were invited to feed into the gap analysis through representatives on the Concordat Steering Group. The representatives were then further charged with responsibility for feeding back information to the two Postdoctoral Associations which represent research staff from the Colleges with a clear majority of Postdoctoral Research staff employed by the University of Dundee.

These Postdoctoral Research Associations are run by Postdocs for Postdocs, but are integrated into College committees thus ensuring appropriate representation of views and opinions at all levels. Postdoctoral Research Association membership ensure representation from all Early Career Researcher type jobs and all dvisions are represented. Initiatives and opinions are sought by the Postdoctoral Research Staff Association through a range of media ranging from open invite AGM, email distribution lists, website and direct canvassing by Postdoctoral Research Staff Association members. Where Postdoctoral Research Staff Associations are not in existence, the University Concordat Steering Group representative for that College takes responsibilty for canvassing opinion and communicating feedback from the Concordat Steering Group.

Following ratification by the University Steering Group members, the outcome of the gap analysis exercise is the identification of a number of areas for further review and action, notably, Principal Investigators (supervisors) people management knowledge and skills; induction at University and local level; and, not least, internal communication and promotion of the Concordat activities.

Action Plan to Support the Implementation of the Concordat

The University has developed an action plan which summarises the areas in which we meet the expectations contained within the Concordat and outlines actions we will take to ensure we improve on and meet remaining areas.

With ongoing feedback provided to and actively sought from local Postdoc Associations and local Concordat Working Groups, via attendance/associate membership of a Concordat Steering Group member at all Post-doctoral Association meetings (monthly), and at local Concordat Working Groups, the University Concordat Steering Group will continue to refine, develop and review the Concordat implementation process and progress updates will be posted on this website.

Role of the University Concordat Steering Group

The University Concordat Steering Group is chaired by the Vice-Principal and Head of College of Life Sciences with representatives across all four Colleges of the University and across representative job roles, including Postdoctoral Researchers from the Postdoctoral Research Staff Associations, Union representation, Human Resources, Research Leaders in the form of Principal Investigators (supervisors), Dean of Research, Associate Dean of Research and Generic Skills Dundee (now Organisational and Professional Development).

The Group meets once or twice a year in the context of regular electronic communication. It's remit is to promote the implementation of the Concordat Principles through the collective commitment to reviewing progress and acting as an advisory gorup to two University Committees of Court in their decision-making process for issues impacting on the research community.

The Group provides update reports to the Human Resources Committee, (which meets four times a year), and which in turn reports to University Court. The Vice-Principal of Research has also requested that minutes from the Concordat Steering Group are made a standard item on the University Research Committee, which also reports to University Court - this is pending discussion with the Concordat Steering Group. In this fashion, the group acts as an advisory panel to both the HR Committee and Research Committee on issues related to the Concordat Principles. Furthermore through the presence of the Head of Organisational and Professional Development and an HR Officer on the panel, the University ensures that issues raised, and decisions taken by the Group are translated into a response in terms of training provision and HR policy. Shared membership between the University Concordat Steering Group, local Concordat Working Group(s) and Post-doctoral Research Staff Associations and committees ensures communication of Steering Group activities to researchers.

Information from representatives on the Concordat Steering group indicates that there is currently one active local Concordat Working Group, which aims to meet twice a year, the remit of this group is focussed on the differing needs of researchers in the clinical setting of the College of Medicine, Dentistry and Nursing. Their minutes are fed to the University Concordat Steering group by their chair-person who is a member of the University Concordat Steering Group. In addition, a respresentative from the Concordat Steering Group and/or the chair of the Life Sciences Postdoctoral Research Staff Association attend the Concordat Working Group at the College of Medicine, Dentistry and Nursing. Through the University Concordat Steering Group, the University has given encouragement to all Colleges to follow the example set by the College of Medicine, Dentistry and Nursing in the presence of a local Steering Group.

The local Concordat Working Groups are not constrained by the University-wide group.

Researcher Engagement to Implement and Promote Good Practice

The University Concordat Steering Group recommends Postdoctoral Researcher representation at all Division/Department, School, College and relevant University committees. A supported and active Postdoc Association/forum exists in two of the University's four Colleges.

The University took part in the Higher Education Career Barometer survey in 2010. This has been benchmarked against an already established index and consultation with University Senior Management and the Campus Unions on an action plan is currently underway. In addition, the University ran the Careers in Research Online Survey (CROS) in the spring of 2011. Analysis in the context of findings from this and other surveys, including the Career Barometer, will be undertaken and an action plan will be developed and posted on this website.