RCUK launches review of funding for researcher development
RCUK launches review of funding for researcher development
Previously, research organisations received payments for career development and skills training known as Roberts funding, but this is now embedded in the fees for postgraduate students and in the indirect costs of research grants.
The review will assess the impact of the funding change and establish whether researcher development has become embedded in research training and staff support.
We are inviting research organisations to respond to a brief survey 
by 30 May 2013. We are particularly interested in whether the research organisation:
- has embedded researcher development in strategies and policies, and reviews this similarly to other strategies
- can show a broad range of opportunities is available to both research staff and postgraduate researchers, and how this reaches across the research organisation
- can evidence on-going processes for enhancing their support and training for researchers
- has developed and established processes for determining and delivering resources for supporting the career development and training of both research staff and postgraduate researchers.
Professor Rick Rylance, Chair of RCUK, said: “It is vital that researchers are equipped with the essential skills to develop their work and also to help them have an impact on the economic and social wellbeing of the UK throughout their careers. When the funding arrangements were revised, we made a commitment to review how they are working to ensure that postgraduate researchers and research staff continue to have relevant training and development opportunities. We need as many research organisations as possible to take part in our survey to ensure the review is robust and provides a benchmark for future best practice.”
In autumn 2013, RCUK will publish the anonymised results from the survey, incorporating information from other sources including evaluation of awards for ‘HR Excellence in Research’. The report will enable institutions to compare their strategies and policies with other organisations across the research landscape and draw on good practice.
For more information and to to send your responses, contact Kate Reading kate.reading@rcuk.ac.uk
