The Concordat to Support the Career Development of Researchers
The Concordat is an agreement between the funders and employers of researchers in the UK. It sets out the expectations and responsibilities of each stakeholder in researcher careers - researchers themselves, their managers, employers and funders.
The Concordat consists of seven key principles for the support and management of research careers, covering
- recruitment and selection
- recognition and value
- support and career development
- researchers' responsibilities
- diversity and equality
- implementation and review
Implementation of the Concordat
The University's Research and Knowledge Transfer Committee established a Concordat working group, which brought together researchers, research managers, staff developers, HR specialists and research support specialists from across the four faculties and central directorates. The faculty representatives consulted widely within their faculties, and formal responses were received.
The working group mapped the University's current practice against the Concordat principles. It identified areas of good practice and also further areas for consideration and development in our ongoing responsibility and commitment to our research and knowledge transfer staff.
Our response and action plan was endorsed by the University's Executive Group in July 2012.
Next steps
A Concordat working group will oversee the action plan, reporting to the University's Research and Knowledge Transfer Committee.
The HR Excellence in Research Award
A UK-wide process enables institutions that have published concordat implementation plans to gain the European Commission's HR Excellence in Research Award. The award acknowledges alignment with the principles of the European Charter for Researchers and Code of Conduct for the Recruitment of Researchers.
In January 2013 Vitae confirmed that Sheffield Hallam had gained the HR Excellence in Research Award from the European Commission.
A UK-wide process, incorporating the QAA UK Quality Code for Higher Education, Chapter B11: Research Degrees and the Concordat to Support the Career Development of Researchers, enables institutions to gain the European Commission's HR Excellence in Research Award, acknowledging alignment with the principles of the European Charter for Researchers and Code of Conduct for their Recruitment.
