The University of Southampton has been a signatory to the Researcher Development Concordat, an agreement between the funders and employers of researchers in the UK to improve the employment and support for researchers and researcher careers, since 2009. The University also received its first Human Resources Excellence in Research (HREiR) Award in 2012.
2022 proved to be a busy year with both a successful HREiR Award 10-year internal review and Concordat Signature renewal. These achievements followed extensive work carried out by five separate working groups, each tasked with better understanding the landscape around one of the following areas: researcher development, reducing the use of fixed term contracts, developing career support, wellbeing and family policy, and researcher manager development.
The current action plan demonstrates the University’s commitment to improving the research culture at Southampton, with notable actions including:
- Encourage the use of 10 days allocated for professional development or training, through sharing of best practice and exploring an update to Worktribe to include training in bid proposals.
- New Careers Consultant (Research) to have 0.3FTE time to dedicate towards the research community.
- Appointing a L5 Researcher Careers Development Officer to coordinate activities to further employment opportunities
The Concordat Advisory Group (CAG) and relevant stakeholders are now busy delivering all the actions that we have committed to. Professor Rebecca Hoyle, Associate Vice-President (Interdisciplinary Research), and Sponsor and Chair of the CAG adds:
“I am very grateful to everyone who has committed their time and energy towards improving our research culture culminating in our extensive Concordat action plan. Research culture is constantly evolving as the nature of our research, the research environment and its wider context changes. Our Concordat work continues and we welcome continuing contributions to making the University of Southampton a great place to do research”
To learn more about researcher development opportunities, please visit the CHEP Researcher Development Hub.
