Researcher Development Policy

The University of Dundee is committed to national initiatives to support the career and professional development of researchers. In particular, the University is striving to implement the obligations set out in the Revised Concordat to Support the Career Development of Researchers. Where appropriate, it will also draw guidance for its actions to support the development of researchers from other national and international standards and agreements including the other Research Concordats, the HR-Excellence in Research Award, the expanded Athena SWAN charter, the Race Equality Charter, the National Co-ordinating Centre for Public Engagement’s Public Engagement Watermark and the San Francisco Declaration on Research Assessment (DORA).

The University’s policy for researcher development aims to:

Consolidate our commitment to the professional development of researchers

• Through strategic and operational institutional commitment to support the principles of the revised Concordat to Support the Career Development of Researchers and continue to raise awareness among researchers and their managers or supervisors of the obligations created by this Concordat.
• By committing to provide opportunities, structured support, encouragement, and time for researchers to engage in a minimum of ten days professional development pro rata per year. This commitment comes with the recognition that researchers will pursue careers across a wide range of employment sectors. The University also recognises that development activities can take various forms including, but not limited to: workshops, participation in mentoring, completing the online research integrity modules, attendance to appropriate conferences, residential training courses, demonstrating, tutoring, work placements, shadowing, networking activities, involvement in local or national associations, seminars, public engagement /communication of research, enterprise activities etc.
• By recognising the importance of continuing professional development to the career potential of researchers that integrates with research excellence and expertise in the wider community.
• Through the ongoing retention of the European Commission's HR Excellence in Research Award as a key mechanism to support the University’s RDC action plan.
• Through resourcing of key activities such as, the Teaching, Research and Academic Mentoring scheme (and other relevant mentoring schemes), bespoke intensive researcher programmes, careers guidance, etc.
• Through responsive action to the University’s staff survey, as well as national surveys such as Culture, Employment and Development in Research Survey (CEDARS) and Postgraduate Research Experience Survey (PRES).
• By striving to put principles of equality, diversity and inclusion at the heart of how researchers are recruited and supported.
• By taking positive steps to promote the wellbeing and mental health of researchers

To further embed and strengthen researcher development that delivers innovation and impact

• Through underpinning strategic research themes with appropriate resources and training provision in accordance with national policy.
• By providing researchers and their managers and/or supervisors with appropriate training in equality, diversity and inclusion to enable them to build relevant considerations of equality, diversity and inclusion into their research at every stage.
• By promoting the highest standards of research integrity across the research community and empowering researchers to report research misconduct if they encounter it.
• By engaging with researchers and providing core training in parallel with new initiatives that have been either identified or directed by researchers.
• Through offering an innovative professional development programme for research leaders and managers of researchers at every stage of their career that evolves as career directions and employability needs change.
• By actively promoting professional development opportunities to researchers, supervisors and managers of researchers.
• Through meeting the needs of researchers and Schools and whilst fulfilling the requirements of the research councils.
• By monitoring feedback and evaluating the impact of researcher development both internally and externally.
• Through enhancement of the visibility of the professional development opportunities and initiatives to attract and retain the best doctoral researchers and research staff both nationally and internationally.

To enhance collaboration and interdisciplinary activities

• By raising awareness of and engaging researchers in collaborative and interdisciplinary opportunities across the University, the wider local community and at a national level.
• With increased involvement in fostering networking opportunities between individual researchers, Schools and external partners.
• By linking local activities to and promotion of national events that offer wider collaborative opportunities across disciplines.
• Via ongoing partnerships with the University’s various postgraduate and research staff associations.

Promote impact, enterprise and entrepreneurship, public engagement and the employability of researchers

• By providing appropriate workshops, programmes and opportunities to enable researchers to enhance their profiles and better equip them to succeed in a funding environment and job market increasingly concerned with the communication, sharing and application of research.
• By providing support for researchers seeking to enter a variety of careers beyond academic research.
• By aiming for all relevant units involved in training and development provision to deliver researcher development opportunities in as seamless a manner as possible.