Concordat to Support the Career Development of Researchers
Imperial is dedicated to creating a positive research culture and to providing sector-leading support and professional development to all its researchers. Following our ambition to equip and empower all researchers at Imperial to succeed in their chosen careers, the College became a signatory of the new Concordat to support the career development of researchers (pdf) in March 2020.
The Concordat is an agreement between funders and employers of researchers in the UK. It aims to set the “gold standard of researcher development” by committing funders, institutions, researchers and managers of researchers to create a healthy and supportive research environment and culture for researchers to realise their potential.
As part of Imperial’s commitment to the Concordat principles, we will continue to work closely with funders and other institutions to address all-important wider concerns around job security and other systemic issues.
2023-25 Concordat action plan
During 2022, a review was undertaken of the progress made against the 2021 Concordat Full Action Plan. The initial Concordat gap analysis was re-evaluated through consultation with key stakeholders: the PFDC Reps Network, a thriving community of over 70 reps who represent research staff from every department across all campuses, and the Concordat Implementation and Planning Group (CIPG).
The CIPG, which is composed of researchers and key services providers, reports to the Researcher Development Committee. Its purpose is to have oversight of the current Concordat action plans, while also assisting to direct future ones. The 2021 Staff Survey results were released and reviewed against the Concordat action plan and gap analysis. These reviews and the subsequent recommendations from the scoping projects conducted by the PFDC during 2022, led to the 2023-25 Concordat action plan. The action plan continues to group activities according to themes, to ensure that it creates the best culture for its researchers to thrive.
- Communications of current and new College provision (new)
- Wellbeing of research staff (existing)
- PI support to deliver the Concordat principles (existing)
- How postdocs utilise their 10 development days (existing)
- Supporting talent (new)
The 2023-25 Concordat action plan was endorsed by College Council in May 2023 and its implementation will be overseen and promoted by the Researcher Development Committee.
Regular updates on the progress of the implementation will be published in the PFDC newsletter.