Every higher education institution in the UK is being invited to complete a survey outlining their strategies for developing their research staff.

The survey, launched by Universities UK on behalf of the Research Concordat Strategy Group, will examine how institutions are implementing the Concordat to Support the Career Development of Researchers. The Concordat, which Universities UK signed in 2008 on behalf of the whole higher education sector, sets out the principles that researchers, their managers, employers and funders will uphold in ensuring that the UK provides the most stimulating and inviting research environment and helps prepare the researchers of the future.

Sir Ivor Crewe, Chair of the Research Concordat Strategy Group, said “This survey provides the main vehicle for higher education institutions to demonstrate their commitment to improving the career development opportunities for research staff. At the same time, the survey will help demonstrate that UK higher education is leading Europe in the area of research staff development and so continues to be the destination of choice for ambitious researchers from around the world.”

The HEI Strategies survey is one of six benchmarking projects that will enable the Concordat Strategy Group to demonstrate the impact of the Concordat and show how the UK is providing ever-wider opportunities for research staff from around the world.

Notes

1. The survey will run from 6 January to 6 April 2010. The results will help institutions to analyse their own procedures and to publish a strategy for implementing the Concordat. This will align institutions with the European Charter for Researchers and Code of Conduct for the Recruitment of Researchers. The survey is being run through the Bristol Online Survey (BOS) platform and is available at http://www.survey.bris.ac.uk/epsrc/hei_strategies.
2. The Concordat to Support the Career Development of Researchers was launched in July 2008 by the Minister of State for Science and Innovation, Ian Pearson. A copy is available to download at http://www.researchconcordat.ac.uk/documents/concordat.pdf
3. The HEI Strategies survey will be used to produce a sector-wide report on the level of Concordat implementation across the UK. It will not be used to compare institutions, though institutions will be able to compare their own performance against UK averages. The report will be launched at the Vitae Research Staff Conference in September 2010.