University commits to the Concordat to Support the Career Development of Researchers

The University of Sussex has recently signed up to the Concordat to Support the Career Development of Researchers.

The UK Concordat to Support the Career Development of Researchers is an agreement between funders and employers of research staff to improve the employment and support for researchers and research careers in UK higher education. It sets out clear standards that research staff can expect from the institution that employs them, as well as their responsibilities as researchers.

The Concordat was established to ensure that 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 has three defining Principles covering:

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

For each of these Principles, the Concordat outlines the key responsibilities of the four main stakeholder groups:

1. Funders
   Providing funding for public or private research
2. Institutions
   Universities and research institutes as employers of researchers
3. Managers of researchers
   Having direct line management responsibility for researchers
4. Researchers
   Employed primarily to conduct research

University Interim Vice-Chancellor, Professor David Maguire, signed the Concordat for Researcher Development on Thursday 11th November 2021. Please see the letter from our Interim Vice-Chancellor found here.

To implement the Concordat Principles, the University will convene a Researcher Development Concordat (RDC) Steering Group. Its immediate priority is to write a two-year action plan which will set out how we will embed Concordat actions in our core practices and consider them alongside other University initiatives.

More information about the Concordat to Support the Career Development of Researchers

Help relaunch the BAME Staff Network

There are currently different staff networks in place to give staff the opportunity to meet with other colleagues from across campus. You can read more about the networks here on Sussex's Equality, Diversity and Inclusion pages.

One of those networks which has been inactive for a period of time is the BAME Staff Network. The network will be re-launching early in 2022 and, as part of our ongoing commitment to making the University a more inclusive place to work, the university is really keen to understand how you would like the network to be run and what kind of things you would like to get from it. Your answers will help decide how to move forward with re-starting the network.

Please complete our short survey so you can help shape how the network starts up again and, if you would like to be a part of the network, please email bame-staff@sussex.ac.uk to sign up.

Apply now to become a Dignity and Respect champion

If you’d like to be a Dignity and Respect Champion to support and promote an inclusive culture at Sussex, you can now apply for the role.

The network of Dignity and Respect Champions first launched on October last year to support the Dignity and Respect policy [PDF 678KB] and to ensure that people could seek support from a trained individual.

There is now an opportunity to apply for the role as the network is being expanded to increase representation from marginalised groups. Individuals will need to approach their line manager if they want to apply for the position as it is an average of 0.1 of your role (equivalent to half a day) although this may vary depending on the number of cases and we are also able to flex to meet people’s commitments.

Applications open from Monday 6 December and will close on Friday 14 January.

NCRI Early Career Researcher Forum  

NCRI is creating a research-ready workforce, strengthening the retention of early career researchers and facilitating the early interaction of clinical and preclinical researchers.  

The Early Career Researcher Forum will enable early career researchers to build collaborative networks in their field of interest whilst enhancing their skills and supporting career development through training, mentoring, networking and research involvement opportunities.

In addition, members of the Early Career Researcher Forum interested in or working towards becoming independent investigators will have opportunities to join NCRI Groups and actively contribute to the acceleration of cancer research within their areas of expertise.

Membership is aimed at any early career researcher who is interested in and/or working towards a career in cancer-related research. This includes both clinical and non-clinical colleagues based in the UK.