Concordat to Support the Career Development of Researchers

Supporting the career development of researchers

The Concordat to Support the Career Development of Researchers provides a single statement of the expectations and responsibilities of researchers, their managers, employers and funders. It is a national document owned by the sector, overseen by the Concordat Strategy Group and with many signatories including Universities UK, the UK research councils and other funding bodies. Organisations who wish to sign up to implementing the Principles of the Concordat must produce a biannual report and action plan detailing how the principles will be implemented.

Internal oversight of the fulfilment of the obligations of the Researcher Development Concordat (as it is usually known) is the responsibility of the University Research Careers Oversight Group (URCOG). Chaired by the Director of Human Resources with representation from Schools, Services, VCO, postgraduate and early career researchers it reports to the University Research Committee. The commitment to the Concordat is supported through participation in the HR Excellence in Research Award scheme.

The Researcher Concordat has three defining Principles

Environment and Culture: Excellent research requires a supportive and inclusive research culture
Employment: Researchers are recruited, employed and managed under conditions that recognise and value their contributions
Professional and Career Development: Professional and career development are integral to enabling researchers to develop their full potential.

For each of these Principles, the Researcher Development Concordat outlines the key responsibilities of the four main stakeholder groups; researchers, managers of researchers, institutions, and funders. The revised Researcher Concordat focuses primarily on the rights and responsibilities of researchers who are employed solely or largely to conduct research, but the Principles can also be applied to other staff groups who engage in research. It also highlights the key responsibilities of those who directly manage researchers, recognising the critical role that they play.

At Huddersfield we believe these principles should extend, where appropriate, to our postgraduate researchers. The Researcher Concordat is referenced in all the Research Councils’ delivery plans and there is an expectation that research intensive universities who employ researchers will be able to demonstrate alignment with the principles. It is therefore important for all those engaged in research, managing researchers, or applying for research funding to be aware of the Concordat and the HR Excellence in Research Action Plan.

Key documents:

Key links:

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