Concordat
Career Development of Researchers
The Concordat to Support the Career Development of Researchers sets out the expectations and responsibilities of researchers, their managers, employers and funders. It aims to increase the attractiveness and sustainability of research careers in the UK and to improve the quantity, quality and impact of research for the benefit of UK society and the economy.
The Concordat consists of a set of key principles for the future support and management of research careers, and under each principle, an explanation of how it may be embedded into institutional practice.
The Concordat's key principles:
1. Recognition of the importance of recruiting, selecting and retaining researchers with the highest potential to achieve excellence in research.
2. Researchers are recognised and valued by their employing organisation as an essential part of their organisation's human resources and a key component of their overall strategy to develop and deliver world-class research.
3. Researchers are equipped and supported to be adaptable and flexible in an increasingly diverse, mobile, global research environment.
4. The importance of researchers' personal and career development, and lifelong learning, is clearly recognised and promoted at all stages of their career.
5. Individual researchers share the responsibility for and need to pro-actively engage in their own personal and career development, and lifelong learning.
6. Diversity and equality must be promoted in all aspects of the recruitment and career management of researchers.
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.
Concordat implementation at King’s
Research staff comprise a significant proportion of the academic community at King’s College London and the College recognises that they are a key part of the College’s mission to advance knowledge, learning and understanding in the service of society. For this reason, the College is committed to improving the policies and procedures in place to ensure their welfare and support.
King’s has now been awarded the European Commission’s HR Excellence in Research Badge in recognition for it’s commitment to supporting researcher’s careers and ensuring good working conditions and career development opportunities for researchers. This Badge is awarded to HEIs submitting an action plan for implementing the Concordat to Support the Career Development of Researchers. King's action plan highlights the good work already being done at King's and outlines our continued commitment to building on this work in the future.
King’s action plan was developed by the Researcher Development Unit based on their earlier ‘Mapping and Gapping Exercise’. The Mapping and Gapping Exercise was carried out on behalf of the College Research Committee in order to establish what policies and procedures are already in place at King’s to ensure that the College is compliant with the principles set out in the Concordat, and where additional work needs to be undertaken to improve researcher support. This was achieved by seeking input from as many stakeholders as possible – professional services departments and academic schools were invited to comment on the policies that they have in place, and post-doctoral research staff were consulted through focus groups and surveys to determine their experiences of College practice.