University of Westminster’s Commitment to the New Concordat to Support the Career Development of Researchers

The University has this week become a signatory of the updated Concordat to Support the Career Development of Researchers. The revised Concordat is the result of an independent review into the effectiveness of the previous agreement and delineates the standards that researchers should expect from their institution and vice versa. The document is organised into three principles, each going into detail on the responsibilities of the four key stakeholders (Researchers, Managers of Researchers, Institutions and Funders):

– Environment and Culture

– Employment

– Personal and Career Development

Our commitment to implementing the Concordat’s principles will guide the provision of training and development for research staff, policy developments and help to shape an improved research environment encouraging and rewarding collaboration and innovation.

To guide, track and measure the effectiveness of continuing improvements to research at Westminster, a Researcher Development Concordat Working Group has been created (with representation from senior academic staff, the diversity and inclusion research community, HR, the research office, early and mid-career researchers and research only staff) to create an action plan for compliance with the agreement.

In recognition of the University’s previous action plan for success with the previous Concordat, we were awarded the HR Excellence in Research badge by the European Commission in February 2016, which recognizes an institution’s commitment to improving the working conditions and career development of all research staff. Our signing the new Concordat is a signal of our intent to prioritize the issues it highlights going forward and comes as we prepare to have our HR Excellence in Research Award re-evaluated in June.

You can read the Concordat in full at the below link:

https://www.vitae.ac.uk/policy/concordat/Download_Concordat_PDF

You can see the list of institutions signed up to the Concordat at the below link and read our letter of commitment:

https://www.vitae.ac.uk/policy/concordat/signatories

Keep an eye out on our blog, Twitter and Eventbrite page for updates on how this will shape the support we offer in the research office going forward and do get in touch if you would like to discuss this development further.