7.5

Researchers

The UK is home to many world-leading centres of research, and supporting the career development of our researchers is vital to maintaining this position.

In April 2002, Sir Gareth Roberts' SET for Success review covered the supply of science, technology, engineering and mathematics skills throughout the education system. He made several recommendations relating directly to postgraduate researchers and research staff.

He recommended in Chapter Four that:

  • doctoral stipends be increased to average graduate starting salaries after tax
  • the length of a doctorate should be increased to an average of 3.5 years
  • major funders of postgraduate researchers should make all funding conditional on postgraduate researchers' training meeting stringent minimum standards
  • this should include the provision of at least two weeks' dedicated training a year, principally in transferable skills..."

This report has been very influential in encouraging higher education institutions to review their provision of research degree programmes.

The Roberts' report also made recommendations in Chapter Five concerning research staff and research careers:

  • there should be funding for academic fellowships
  • research staff should be able to have industrial secondments
  • research staff should have a clear career development plan and access to appropriate training opportunities
  • salaries for research staff should be improved.

The Roberts' report has shaped researcher career development, notably through access to ring-fenced funding specifically for this purpose. 

In 2010, there will be some important opportunities to shape the future.

The Postgraduate Review led by Professor Adrian Smith will identify whether we need to develop a UK strategy for postgraduate education. It was announced at the 2009 Vitae conference that the review will consider the attractiveness of postgraduate study in the UK compared with other countries; whether there should be a widening participation agenda for masters and doctoral qualifications; the benefits of postgraduate to the economy and society; and whether the needs of businesses and the academy are being met. A call for evidence took place in the autumn of 2009 and a statement to Ministers will be produced in February.

The Research Excellence Framework will address the wider impact of research, the research environment, provision for postgraduate researchers and training and development of staff. The consultation is now open.

The future of the Roberts agenda: it is clear that the ring-fenced funding and reporting has provided a huge drive and success to this agenda. The funding is currently confirmed until 2011. The Research Councils have been scoping an external evaluation of progress and future scenarios.

2009/10 promises to be another busy year for the Concordat implementation activities. A survey of HEIs will take place this autumn which will ascertain the engagement and provision made for good management of research staff. This survey will also enable UK institutions to demonstrate their commitment to the European Charter and Code for researchers, ensuring no duplication of efforts is needed.

Finally, the immediate priority is the theme of evaluation, evidence and impact. The ‘Rugby Team Impact Framework: one year on' report begins to demonstrate the far ranging impacts of investment in the training and development of researchers; these include successful grant writing, gaining fellowships, employability and in outreach activities. Careers in Research Online Survey, which was run at 51 institutions this year, alongside an analysis of the skills development results from the Postgraduate Research Experience Survey, highlight strong engagement by researchers in their careers and areas for further improvement.

As we enter a time of policy review, it's never been more important to be able to demonstrate the value of our work on research outputs, researcher careers, economic prosperity and society.