Concordat Action Plan | Research and Knowledge Exchange | Queen Margaret University, Edinburgh

��ݮ�� Concordat Action Plan to Support the Career Development of Researchers – 2014-2018

Principle 1: Recognition of the importance of recruiting, selecting and retaining researchers with the��highest potential to achieve excellence in research.

Principle 2: Researchers are recognised and valued by their employing organisation as an essential part of their organisation’s human resource and a key component of their overall strategy to develop and deliver world class research.

Principle 3: Researchers are equipped and supported to be adaptable and flexible in an increasingly diverse, mobile, global research environment.

Principle 4: The importance of researchers’ personal and career development, and lifelong learning, is clearly recognised and promoted at all stages of their career.

Principle 5: Individual researchers share the responsibility for and need to pro-actively engage in their own personal and career development, and lifelong learning.

Principle 6: Diversity and equality must be promoted in all aspects of the recruitment and career management of researchers.

Principle 7: 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.

Order	Action	Responsible	Completion Target	Alignment to Concordat Principle
1	Embed a more strategic, pro-active approach to the promotion of researcher development opportunities, including clearer signposting of the target audiences via the RDF and a review of training opportunities and skills analysis.	CAP	Sept 2015	1,2,4
2	Develop and implement a new ��ݮ�� Strategy for Impact and associated skills gap analysis��to support the specific needs of CRS. Demonstrate impact through case studies and improving the capture of impact.	RKEDU	June 15	1,2
3	Formally roll out new consistent job descriptions and person specifications for atypical posts.	HR	Dec 15	1,2,4,5
4	Increase awareness and uptake of the Performance Enhancement Review (PER) by CRS to encourage more formalised dialogue about performance and professional development	HR	June 15	1,2,4,5
5	Undertake a review of the current Workload Allocation Model (WAM) to ensure its research activity elements are fit for purpose, and develop clear and transparent WAM expectations. In particular review protected career development time for CRS to attend events such as research seminars.	Senior Management Team to appoint Working Group.	Dec 16	1,2
6	Building on the outcomes of the Post REF Working Groups ensure CRS continue to have input to the institutional foresighting exercise that will review the validity and direction of strategic research themes/structures ensuring there is alignment with the scale, scope and quality of our work and excellence in the research and KE agenda with the potential for attracting resources and achieving impact.	Deputy Principal	Sept 16	3
7	Further develop our formal Researcher Career Development Strategy to ensure a more��systematic approach in communicating key policies to CRS. This will include identification of any gap analysis, such as the further integration of the RDF.	CAP and HR	June 15	1,2,4
8	Maximise all opportunities arising from our strategic linkage with Vitae.	RKEDU and CAP	May 18	1,2,3,4,6
9	On-going review and relaunch of a revised and enhanced mentoring scheme to including the formal allocation of mentors to CRS.	HR, CAP, RKEDU	Sept 15	1,2,4
10	Continue to maximise opportunities for international researchers by increasing ��ݮ��'s role as a partner in EURAXESS and other researcher mobility networks to support our ability to attract increased numbers of international researchers. ��	RKEDU	May 18	3
11	Support CRS in maintaining the highest possible standards of good practice and research integrity to underpin the University’s commitment to the NHS Framework for Research Governance; and the proactive implementation of the latest Concordat for Researcher Integrity including a review of our Research Code of Practice.	RKEDU	May 18	3
12	Improve institutional guidance, training and support for NHS research governance and ethical approval and continue to formalise links with NHS R&D offices.	RKEDU	May 18	3
13	Continue to embed internal peer review mechanisms across a broader range of research activities including knowledge exchange.	Professoriate	May 18	2,5
14	Act on the outcomes of the REF Equality Impact Assessment and initiative interventions to address the low representation of female researchers in the submission to REF 2014. Continue to benchmark our REF submission in relation to sector UoA norms for tariff reductions, return of early career researchers and other key data.	RKEDU and HR	May 18	6
15	Secure an Athena Swan Silver Award for the Division of Dietetics, Nutrition & Biological Sciences, Physiotherapy, Podiatry and Radiography	Athena Swan Working Group	2016	6
16	Continue to champion gender equality initiatives beyond the conventional STEM domain of Athena Swan to include initiatives such as Aurora and the Stonewall Equality Index	Equality and Diversity Committee	May 18	6
17	Develop and promote inspiring case studies of career journeys to support researchers at key career stages (early, mid and advanced)	RKEDU and HR	Sept 16	6,7
18	Continue to respond to annual staff survey feedback and monitor issues relating to CRS��through a new Research Culture Working Group, chaired by a member of the��Professoriate.	Research��Culture Working Group	May 18	1, 2, 3,7
19	Use CROS and PIRLS benchmarking data to inform our strategic support for ��ݮ�� researchers.	CAP	May 18	7
20	Improve support for the wider dissemination of intellectual and scholarly output and ensure CRS are equipped to respond to national developments in Open Access publishing.	LRC and Professoriate	May 18	3
21	Embed good practice in support of CRS obtaining skills in the translation of research to SMEs and enhancing employability by increasing the uptake of industry funding as a novel means of bridging.	RKEDU and CAP	June 16	3,5
22	Develop and implement a specific strategy to support our Commitment to the Concordat for Public Engagement. Continue to promote ��ݮ��’s proactive involvement in the Edinburgh Beltane and seek to secure funding for a further Beltane Public Engagement Fellowship	RKEDU	June 16	3,5
23	Facilitate access to appropriate external development opportunities for ��ݮ�� researchers��including representation on external research committees and networks	RKEDU	May 18	3,5