University joins sector initiatives to advance culture and careers
Published: 6 May 2020
UofG signs up to the Concordat for the Career Development of Researchers and the UK Reproducibility Network
Our research strategy is founded on the idea that the University succeeds when individual staff and students succeed. The University’s programme to promote a positive research culture builds on this ethos, by creating the environment in which more of us can succeed.
Today, the University announces its association with two high-profile sector initiatives that will reinforce our research culture further by supporting the careers of its researchers.
By signing up to the Concordat for the Career Development of Researchers, we are investing in helping researchers to succeed in their chosen career path. The University’s Concordat action plan, which was developed over the past year in consultation with our research community, is centred on a small number of priorities: equipping research-only staff to pursue career destinations within and outside of academia; providing opportunities for research-only staff to engage in continuous professional development; and recognising the role played by Principal Investigators in enabling and supporting these aims.
The University has also signed up to the UK Reproducibility Network (UKRN), a consortium to investigate factors that contribute to robust research, provide training, and share best practice. Membership of UKRN is key to fulfilling our ambitions for a positive research culture: by developing and adopting the highest standards, we will advance the quality of, and trust in, our research.
Both initiatives emphasise that sustainable changes to the way in which we do research - and support researchers - work best when we coordinate our actions with the wider sector.
Professor Chris Pearce, Vice Principal for Research, announced these two new commitments at the University’s 2020 research staff conference. He emphasised that career development is a crucial pillar in strengthening the University’s Research Culture.
Researcher development at the University of Glasgow
Marcus Munafo’, the founding member of the UKRN and a keynote speaker at the conference, said “I’m delighted that Glasgow is signing up to UKRN, which sends out a strong message to its researchers and the sector. Our goal is to ensure that the UK remains at the leading edge of research globally; Glasgow will join a growing number of universities that have agreed to work together to achieve this.”
The delivery of the Concordat as part of the wider Culture Action Plan and the University’s contribution to the UKRN will be jointly led by Dr Tanita Casci (Head of Research Policy) and Professor Miles Padgett (Kelvin Chair of Natural Philosophy), alongside the University’s Research Culture and Careers group and the Postdoctoral Researcher Forum. The UKRN Local Network lead for the University is Professor Lisa DeBruine (INP).
Dr Casci said: “The University has already taken many practical steps in making Glasgow a supportive place in which to develop a career, building on the collaborative and collegial spirit of our researchers. These new sector commitments reflect the priority we place on culture and hold us accountable to our communities for the progress we have pledged to make.”
First published: 6 May 2020
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