Global leader in supporting the professional development of researchers www.vitae.ac.uk © 2023 The Careers Research and Advisory Centre (CRAC) Limited Vitae Annual Report 2022 / 2023 Foreword As Chair, I am thrilled at the collective progress made by Vitae and the sector in pursuit of a healthy research culture, as well as global collaboration in promoting the value of researchers and a focus on redefining what makes a successful researcher, now and for the future. The academic year 2022/23 took off to a flying start with discussions on how we define research culture from a researcher development perspective during Vitae’s first multi-format online and in-person conference. The expectation and anticipation for an engaging online conference established over the past three years, coupled with eagerness from the community to meet and connect face-to-face, resulted in another successful event. It was great to feel the energy in the room again. Championing a healthy research culture and environment remains a key strand of the Vitae strategy to 2025. For a healthy and inclusive research culture to flourish, strong support mechanisms for researchers are needed. Vitae has strived to support members in furthering their researcher development and research culture ambitions through practice sharing forums, Researcher Development Concordat thematic sessions and our stewardship of the HR Excellence in Research Award. This year saw the third iteration of CEDARS, the biennial Culture, Employment and Development in Academic Research Survey. The aggregate results provide the latest in national benchmarking of environment, culture, professional development and employment of research staff and the experiences of their managers. I was pleased to hear of the international application of CEDARS, too, demonstrating it’s benefits beyond the UK context. Over the past year, Vitae has collaborated with sector stakeholders to gather evidence and refine a broad definition of research culture, considering how this relates to researcher development as a lever and driver for culture change. At the beginning of 2023, The Careers Research and Advisory Centre (CRAC) Ltd, that manages the Vitae programme, was commissioned by UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) to provide expertise in partnership with the UK Reproducibility Network (UKRN) and Shift Learning to produce a research culture ‘State of the Nation’. The project involved extensive mapping of current initiatives throughout the sector and the co-development of a framework to help inform and improve research culture. 2022/23 VITAE ANNUAL REPORT 2 © 2023 The Careers Research and Advisory Centre (CRAC) Limited Professor David Oswell Chair of the Board of Trustees, Careers Research and Advisory Centre (CRAC), Pro-Warden for Research, Enterprise and Knowledge Exchange at Goldsmiths, University of London At an international level, Vitae remains committed to advocating for researchers and their careers. Our involvement in the successful Coalition for Advancing Research Assessment (COARA) ‘Boost consortium’, the Open and Universal Science (OPUS) project, and the Sustainable Careers for Researcher Empowerment (SECURE) project reflects our continued efforts to partner with a wide variety of stakeholders, particularly in the European Research Area, to promote the value of researchers. I was eager to see Vitae launch the new Policy Advisory Group earlier this year, marking a change in our approach to policy and advocacy. Through this diverse group from across member institutions globally we aim to inform and influence policy that will create the conditions for all researchers to thrive. The group has held its first meeting and I very much look forward to further developments in the months to come. Building on contextual adaptations of the Vitae Researcher Development Framework (RDF), Vitae has revised the Researcher Development Statement (RDS); a top level ‘statement’ summarising the RDF and taking account of changes to the research environment and culture. This work progresses the third strand of Vitae’s strategy to 2025: redefining what makes a successful researcher. Acknowledging the remarkable efforts of those involved in researcher development and in response to community feedback, we proudly launched the inaugural Vitae Impact, Culture and Engagement (ICE) Awards this year. The overwhelming number of nominations is testament to the innovative and impactful work being undertaken, showcasing catalysts for change in research culture and towards achieving equity in the research environment. The Vitae ICE Awards give a much-needed platform for recognition of this community. Whilst all those nominated are exceptional, I look forward to announcing the winners of the four categories during the Vitae International Researcher Development Conference 2023. Throughout this academic year, we have covered significant ground, thanks in no small part to the dedicated contribution and support of the Vitae community. Together, we have made substantial progress in keeping researcher development at the fore of conversations around a cultural shift in research policy. Through maintained momentum, I believe that positive change can be achieved to deliver an inclusive, diverse and healthy research culture in which researchers can flourish and reach their potential. 2022/23 VITAE ANNUAL REPORT 3 © 2023 The Careers Research and Advisory Centre (CRAC) Limited Foreword Championing a healthy research environment 1. 4 2022/23 VITAE ANNUAL REPORT ¢ All-Party Parliamentary Group for Skills, Careers and Employment ¢ Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council (BBSRC) Institute Assessment Exercise Panel ¢ Career Development Policy Group (CDPG) ¢ Chemistry in Cells Doctoral Training Programme Advisory Board ¢ Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy (BEIS) now Department for Science, Innovation and Technology (DSIT) Research and Innovation Workforce Survey Steering Group ¢ Economic and Social Research Council ¢ European Council for Doctoral Education (EUA-CDE) Thematic Working Group on Postdocs EUniWell Advisory Board ¢ National Institute for Career Education and Counselling (NICEC) ¢ Prosper Advisory Board ¢ Quality Assurance Agency (QAA) Advisory Committee on Degree Awarding Powers ¢ Leadership Excellence Award in Research (Lexa) Career Center of the Ludwig Boltzmann Gesellschaft, Austria ¢ Mary Academy External Advisory Board Reforming Research Assessment Stakeholder Assembly (Science Europe/EUA) ¢ National Centre for Universities and Business (NCUB) Researcher Career Mobility Taskforce ¢ National Postdoc Conference Steering Group ¢ Researcher Development Concordat Steering Group ¢ Researcher Mental Health Observatory (REMO) Management Committee ¢ R&D People and Culture Ministerial Coordination Group (MCG), for the Department for Science Innovation and Technology, and working groups that sit under it such as the Inspiring and Attracting People Working and Dynamic and Sustainable Career Paths Working Group ¢ Surrey Black Scholars ¢ Technicians Commitment Advisory Board ¢ The European Laboratory Research and Innovation Group (ELRIG) Board and Early Career Professionals (ECP) Panel ¢ Transitions and Transformations Strategy Board ¢ University Alliance Awards Panel 2022/23 VITAE ANNUAL REPORT 5 © 2023 The Careers Research and Advisory Centre (CRAC) Limited Championing a healthy research environment Advocacy CRAC/Vitae representation on boards, panels and advisory groups Policy and Evidence Vitae Policy Advisory Group Formed in 2023, the Vitae Policy Advisory Group exists to provide strategic advice on how Vitae can promote the value and potential of researchers to policymakers and advocate for policies that support researchers to thrive. Group members focus on providing input that ensures Vitae’s policy positions and advocacy activities reflect the needs and interests of the community. The inaugural meeting was held in July 2023 and the group will continue to convene three times a year to develop a clearer stance on the policy issues affecting researchers, particularly within universities, funders, and government. Providing policy insights During 2023 Vitae introduced monthly policy focussed updates for members, receiving positive feedback from the community. In addition, Vitae have developed regular policy briefings and opinion pieces in the form of blogs and more formal news articles. Dedicated videos and Playlists have been posted on Vitae’s YouTube channel relating to research culture. Championing a healthy research environment 2022/23 VITAE ANNUAL REPORT 6 © 2023 The Careers Research and Advisory Centre (CRAC) Limited 2022/23 VITAE ANNUAL REPORT 7 State of the Nation The UKRI State of the Nation on Research Culture project was to define what a positive, healthy and inclusive research and innovation culture looks like and how it can be better supported in the future. The Careers Research and Advisory Centre (CRAC) Ltd, that manages the Vitae programme, was commissioned by UKRI in partnership with Shift Learning and the UK Reproducibility Network (UKRN) to map and establish an understanding of current and past activity to improve research culture. The collaboration included a broad stakeholder consultation to gather evidence and examples of good practice around research culture. UKRI intends to use this to underpin the development of a Good Practice Exchange, which aims to harness and consolidate existing activities for the benefit of researchers, research itself, and society. Championing a healthy research environment Policy and Evidence The Culture, Employment and Development in Academic Research Survey (CEDARS), reflects the Principles of the revised Concordat to Support the Career Development of Researchers, incorporating the environment, culture, professional development and employment of research staff and the experiences of their managers. CEDARS brings value to the sector by providing a benchmark for institutional and national monitoring and evaluation of culture, development and employment among researchers. 2022/23 VITAE ANNUAL REPORT Culture, Employment and Development in Academic Research Survey (CEDARS) Findings included 70% of research staff aspire to an academic career, with 63% expecting to achieve this Over 60 member organisations have run CEDARS in 2023, a 30% increase from the previous cycle in 2021 70% 45% 30% Less than half of staff (45%) agree their working environment supports their wellbeing and mental health © 2023 The Careers Research and Advisory Centre (CRAC) Limited 8 CED RS Culture, Employment and Development in Academic Research Survey Championing a healthy research environment Championing a healthy research environment Vitae Impact, Engagement and Culture (ICE) Awards The Vitae Impact, Culture and Engagement (ICE) Awards were created to celebrate and amplify the impactful and innovative work being done by the researcher development community. The Awards are in response to insights gained through the Researcher development strategy, provision, and profession survey 2022, member community forums, the Vitae International Recognition Awards (VIRA) project, and reward and recognition discussions at the Vitae conference 2022. They have also been inspired by the iceberg of researcher development, coined by colleagues from Ulster, Southampton and Strathclyde universities in ‘Valuing the impact of Researcher Developers’, and aim to highlight the multifaceted role of the researcher developer, much of which often goes un-recognised. Vitae received over 50 nominations and an independent shortlisting panel from the community have reviewed all entries to choose the final three in each category - winners will be announced during the annual Vitae conference Gala dinner in September 2023. Being nominated feels incredibly humbling and gratifying . . . to be part of such a supportive environment and inspiring community that is committed to empowering our researchers at all career stages . . . an affirmation of the increasing recognition of researcher development and research culture initiatives’’. Dr Saneeya Qureshi Head of Researcher Development and Culture University of Liverpool ‘‘ 2022/23 VITAE ANNUAL REPORT 9 © 2023 The Careers Research and Advisory Centre (CRAC) Limited Vitae ICE Awards Impact, Culture and Engagement Vitae received over 50 nominations The Vitae International Researcher Development Conference is for all those with an interest and a stake in the policy and practice of global researcher development. Following the appetite for in-person meetings as well as the steadfast popularity of the accessible online element, 2022 saw our first multiformat conference, with a three day online element followed by two half days in-person in London. The blended format consisted of keynote presentations, expert panels, roundtables, workshop sessions, networking opportunities, on demand content, online exhibition and interactive online spaces. Themes focussed on cultures, environments, and impacts of researcher development, horizon scanning post-Covid-19, supporting researchers through PhD, Researcher Development Concordat implementation and UK policy for researcher development. A conference reflections piece was subsequently produced to enhance engagement with Vitae members and the wider community to gather and share perspectives, experiences, good practice and evidence. 2022/23 VITAE ANNUAL REPORT Vitae International Researcher Development Conference 2022 #VitaeCon2022 From 50 institutions worldwide, spanning 16 countries Almost 300 participants with a stake in researcher development joined #VitaeCon2022 © 2023 The Careers Research and Advisory Centre (CRAC) Limited 10 Championing a healthy research environment Researcher Development Concordat thematic sessions Vitae ran three Researcher Development Concordat thematic sessions to help members to embed the RD Concordat Principles into institutional policy and practice. Aimed at tackling well-known challenges, participants gained a clearer understanding of how to: improve Concordat action planning; support researchers in meeting their Concordat obligations; and explore ways to tackle researcher precarity. Platform of Practice Vitae has continued to share good practice from across the sector through further development and curation of the Concordat Platform of Practice. Created for those responsible for delivering on the Researcher Development Concordat's aims, the platform not only offers great practice sharing examples but also encourages engagement and inspiration for change and innovation in achieving the Concordat Principles. Championing a healthy research environment HR Excellence in Research Award Vitae continues to manage the HR Excellence in Research Award process for Vitae organisational members with 92 institutions currently hold the award. To support Vitae members to master the Award process and use it to further their research culture and researcher development ambitions, Vitae ran an HR Excellence in Research (HREiR) Award Workshop that was attended by 94 participants. Researcher development survey Following the online survey on researcher development in early 2022 to determine the state of the art in researcher development, a new slide-set report will be available in the autumn. 268 individuals responded to the survey, with 82% of these were based in the UK. The report covers employment and contract status, role, experience motivations, career pathways and professional prospects. Findings have been incorporated into Vitae annual programme 2023/24. 2022/23 VITAE ANNUAL REPORT 11 © 2023 The Careers Research and Advisory Centre (CRAC) Limited The sessions attracted over 125 participants, demonstrating the level of commitment to Concordat obligations among the community CRAC partners to inform policy Research into impact of Covid-19 Further research, funded by DSIT (formerly BEIS) and UKRI, was undertaken by Vitae in March 2023 aimed at identifying the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic during ‘lockdown’, the effectiveness of government interventions and any ongoing impacts affecting researchers and their research over the subsequent years. Consisting of three waves, the surveys were targeted at researchers of all career stages (Wave 1 ran in June 2020 and Wave 2 in March 2021). Wave 3 has revealed that the Covid-19 pandemic is still having an ongoing impact on research, teaching and administrative activities, with respondents worried about the long-term impact on career progression, particularly for early career researchers and those with caring responsibilities who were disproportionately affected by the Covid-19 restrictions. Outputs will help inform ongoing policy responses to support research and innovation and to help policy makers and government be better prepared for the future. Wave 3 will be published soon. Championing a healthy research environment 2022/23 VITAE ANNUAL REPORT 12 © 2023 The Careers Research and Advisory Centre (CRAC) Limited Future Leaders Fellowships CRAC was commissioned by UKRI to identify good inclusive practice during the processes run by UK universities to select applicants for the Future Leaders Fellowship scheme. Our primary research has revealed examples of interesting and innovative practice, but also many activities that could be made more inclusive. In making those recommendations, CRAC is able to draw upon its work on inclusive recruitment and selection in other sectors. Collaboration through evaluation and impact studies that builds Vitae’s evidence base on researchers and their environment CRAC and Vitae’s research and evaluation activities have continued to expand in scale and remain focused on a range of themes spanning the higher education research world. Areas of specialism include career progression and transitions, career tracking, STEM and research careers - with diversity and inclusion a growing theme. Transforming the Gap: Inclusive Digital Arts and Humanities Research Skills (DAReS) CRAC/Vitae is pleased to be an independent evaluation partner in supporting a project led by the University of the Arts London, looking at how to make high-level digital skills training in the arts and humanities much more inclusive. Consideration of wider implications for skills development is ongoing. Championing a healthy research environment Research and evaluation: Intergenerational fairness and the challenges facing scientists at different career stages CRAC has continued to help the Royal Society with its diversity and inclusion work recently with a study of challenges and barriers to progression for scientists at different career stages. One conclusion emerging from this is the need to recognise more overtly the range of contributions that academic scientists make to the HE and research eco-system, beyond conducting research and teaching. The study, for the first time, also sheds light on intergenerational fairness, including the impacts of a reluctance to retire amongst some senior academics and the challenges of managing this issue where it arises. 2022/23 VITAE ANNUAL REPORT 13 © 2023 The Careers Research and Advisory Centre (CRAC) Limited Redefining what makes a successful researcher 2. 14 2022/23 VITAE ANNUAL REPORT Following the recent take-up of Researcher Development Framework (RDF) adaptations around the globe and to reflect current and potential future changes to the research environment and culture, Vitae is revising its Researcher Development Statement (RDS). The RDS provides a strategic overview of the framework, and the knowledge, behaviours, and attributes of researchers who can work across sectors and look to society’s future needs. The latest revisions will apply our learning from a broad range of RDF related projects, and priorities for the refresh that are concerned with developments in thinking and language around equality, diversity and inclusion; wellbeing and mental health; open research; digital skills; diverse careers; interdisciplinarity and internationalisation. The statement aims to describe the current needs and priorities of the research and innovation sectors and has helped shape our approach for updating the framework in the new academic year. 2022/23 VITAE ANNUAL REPORT Researcher Development Framework refresh © 2023 The Careers Research and Advisory Centre (CRAC) Limited 15 Redfining what makes a successful researcher Redfining what makes a successful researcher A focus on policy Supporting and influencing policy in the European arena Vitae are delighted to have been part of the successful Coalition for Advancing Research Assessment (COARA) Boost consortium - Strengthening COARA and Enabling Systemic Reform of Research Assessment. Vitae’s role lies in the monitoring and evaluation of two working groups, along with broader input into management, development, and engagement as well as the formation of two additional working groups. We look forward to sharing insights and advocating for the recognition of diverse researcher skills and competencies globally. Other consortium members include the European Science Foundation, Science Europe, Marie Curie Alumni Association and Young European Universities Network. ¢ This will enable the embedding and amplification of the COARA ten principles over a five year period ¢ It will implement a cascade funding programme and strengthen COARAs operational capacity ¢ It will also provide and administer a suite of working groups tackling research assessment topics and implementation The Career Development Policy Group (CDPG) The CPDG (of which CRAC is a founding member) was established in 2018 to create a coherent voice to articulate and promote the importance of the benefits of professional career guidance and to embed enhanced career guidance across the education and employment systems. In July 2023 the CPDG was represented in UK parliament at “A Career Guidance Guarantee for England” roundtable and shared an ‘Investing in Career’s’ report that included a costed plan to address suggested improvements. CDPG looks forward to the prospect of future collaboration to implement the Career Guidance Guarantee and potential resulting policy changes. 2022/23 VITAE ANNUAL REPORT 16 © 2023 The Careers Research and Advisory Centre (CRAC) Limited 2022/23 VITAE ANNUAL REPORT 17 Vitae is a proud partner of the Open Universal Science (OPUS) project; an EU-funded project that aims to develop coordination and support measures to reform the assessment of research and researchers. During 2023,Vitae has been involved in the completion of two literature reviews for the OPUS project: ¢ state of the art on open science literature ¢ state of the art on open science initiatives Vitae has also developed a framework of indicators and metrics for open science, supported by a second framework of interventions. This will be piloted and tested over the next two years and will include input from our community. Redefining what makes a successful researcher Open Universal Science (OPUS) project pus Open Universal Science The What do researchers do? series explores the destinations and career paths of doctoral graduates and how they contribute to society, culture and the economy. Following findings from last year’s launch of the latest in the series, ‘What do researcher’s do?’ Doctoral graduate employment, activities and earnings, a Vitae member event was held to unpack the findings and extract the trends. ¢ The report includes findings around employment, HE careers, earnings, value of the doctorate, job fit and outcomes for different groups ¢ Whilst based on UK graduate data, the findings may be of interest to compare with the international context ¢ The expert analysis adds to Vitae’s growing evidence base on research careers, providing institutions and research stakeholders with key information needed to inform future policy at both an institutional and a national level, such as helping progress the Research and Development People and Culture Strategy. 2022/23 VITAE ANNUAL REPORT What do researchers do? The proportion of those working in HE research roles employed on a fixed-term contract (89%) was much higher than in HE teaching roles (27%) or all other roles (21%) © 2023 The Careers Research and Advisory Centre (CRAC) Limited 18 89% Redfining what makes a successful researcher Connections: Getting to Grips Connections: Getting to Grips is the professional development event for those who have recently taken on responsibility for supporting researchers in their professional development, whether as a full-time role or as a part-time activity. Next year we look forward to moving this longstanding popular flagship event back to an in-person format. ‘‘I will definitely engage more with Vitae now that I know the richness of its content’’ Connections: Getting to Grips 2022 participant © 2023 The Careers Research and Advisory Centre (CRAC) Limited 19 2022/23 VITAE ANNUAL REPORT The popular event attracted 44 participants from a total of 31 institutions from around Europe Redfining what makes a successful researcher Train the trainer packages This year, Vitae’s Learning and Development Team have developed and delivered new Train the Trainer (TTT) packages alongside other workshops. This has been a highly effective way for researcher developers, and other staff members, to upskill and spread the benefit of the training more widely and more cost-effectively. We have also been working with members and clients to develop stand-alone workshops that provide an introduction to researcher development facilitation. Through learning and development training courses Vitae has supported hundreds of researchers from: France, Germany, Hungary, Iceland, Ireland, Italy, Luxembourg, New Zealand, Poland, Singapore, Spain, Sweden, Ukraine, USA and UK on a multitude of impactful topics. Please contact: learning.development@vitae.ac.uk to find out more. Research leadership • Women in academia • Train the trainer • International good practice in doctoral supervision • Engaging in professional development incl. RDF Planner • Project management for researchers • Mental health and wellbeing • Self-confidence and resilience • Academic writing practice • Structuring your thesis Career choices for researchers within and beyond academia • Making an effective research pitch • Development needs analysis • Effective Researcher • Communication and collaboration • Setting the research agenda • Strategic project management Responsible Research and ethics • Making an effective grant application • Enterprising researcher • Engaging with policymakers • Generating impact in research engagement activities • Responsible research and integrity • Career choices for doctoral researchers • Getting the most from your relationship with your supervisor • Professional development Planning • Communicating Research to Industry • Academic writing, publishing and presentation • Publishing and Peer review • Open researcher • Progressing your academic career • Career choices • Making effective grant applications • Building an online research profile • Development needs analysis Learning and development 2022/23 VITAE ANNUAL REPORT 20 Redfining what makes a successful researcher Supporting researchers As part of European Union MarieSkłodowska-Curie Actions (MSCA) funding, Vitae has provided training for researchers from Innovative Training Networks (ITNs) and Doctoral Networks (DNs), to support their career and professional development, employability, and in making steps towards achieving the real-world research impact they strive for. Network project Training provided Oligonucleotides for Medical IP and commercialisation Applications’ (OLIGOMED) EpiSeedlink Effective researcher workshop Quality Control of the Mitochondrial Engaging in Professional Gene Expression System in Health Development Planning (PDP) and Disease (MITGEST) Package Systems approach of URban Impact and engagement for enviRonmEnts and health researchers (SURREAL) Quantum Semiconductor Career choices and making Technologies Exploiting Antimony effective grant applications (Quantimony) 2022/23 VITAE ANNUAL REPORT 21 © 2023 The Careers Research and Advisory Centre (CRAC) Limited There are currently 14,019 organisational Vitae RDF planner user licences being used worldwide - a 130% increase from last year There are 127 subscribing organisations an increase of 31% from last year There are 377 individual subscribers to the RDF Planner - a 165% increase from last year RDF Planner Redfining what makes a successful researcher Promoting the value of researchers 3. 22 2022/23 VITAE ANNUAL REPORT 2022/23 VITAE ANNUAL REPORT 23 Promoting the value of researchers Sustainable Careers for research empowerment (SECURE) Vitae is a proud partner of SECURE - a recently established European initiative that has strong links to improving research culture. SECURE’s focus is to develop new approaches for the empowerment of researchers in their careers. The project is looking into ways of effectively overcoming precarity and uncertainty in the research field, as well as improving opportunities for career advancement. SECURE has already released two reviews of practices and policies that affect researcher careers in Europe: ¢ State of the Art on Research Career Frameworks highlights the need for new guidance on researcher careers across Europe, particularly around career pathways, equality, diversity and inclusion (EDI), and professional development ¢ State of the Art on Tenure Track-Like Models highlights variance internationally around the understanding of pathways to open-ended and permanent contracts for postdoctoral researchers and what is feasible, desirable, and acceptable at institutional and national levels ¢ During the two-year project, Vitae will be co-developing a framework to help overcome challenges that researchers face today Follow SECURE on their website, SECURE Twitter and SECURE LinkedIn. Promoting the value of researchers Vitae Three Minute Thesis (3MT®) The competition helps doctoral candidates build skills to effectively explain their research and its potential impact on society, to potential funders, the public and future employers. Since 2014, Vitae has proudly hosted the Vitae 3MT® competition which is the culmination of finalists from Vitae member higher education institutions. ¢ In 2022, the Vitae 3MT® competition attracted around 3,200 visitors to watch and vote via the Vitae 3MT® platform ¢ This year, 60 member institutions have competed in the Vitae 3MT® competition. The broadcast of the 2023 final is expected to once again attract viewers from across the world, featuring live voting for the People’s Choice Winner ¢ During the past year, Vitae has created and posted playlists on the Vitae YouTube channel, around topics that relate to research culture, such as 3MT® top tips to help inspire doctoral candidates and institutions to take part in future 3MT® competitions In 2024, we look forward to celebrating Vitae’s 10-year anniversary of hosting Vitae 3MT® competitions. The Three Minute Thesis (3MT®) competition, developed by the University of Queensland challenges doctoral candidates to present a compelling spoken presentation on their research topic and its significance in just three minutes. 2022/23 VITAE ANNUAL REPORT 24 © 2023 The Careers Research and Advisory Centre (CRAC) Limited Harnessing research talent EURAXESS Vitae was delighted to partner with the British Council and EURAXESS (a European Commission portal), in organising three open access and topical webinars earlier this year on: ¢ Supporting Refugee Researchers at Risk ¢ The Coalition for Advancing Research Assessment (COARA) ¢ Public engagement in science and international connections The webinars were highly attended and the public engagement webinar featured Vitae 3MT® 2022 People’s Choice Winner Yasna Najmi from Ulster University. National Postdoc Conference (NPDC) 2023 Alongside UKRSA, Vitae have been supporting C-DICE and Loughborough University, this year’s hosts of the biennial National Postdoc Conference (NPDC), as part of Postdoc Appreciation Week. NDPC is the only conference in the UK dedicated solely to the celebration of postdoctoral researchers from any university, in any discipline. This year’s theme is ‘Postdoc Transitions and New Horizons’ and to recognise and celebrate the work of postdoctoral researchers and those who enable it, NPDC 2023 will be awarding impact, unsung heroes and organisational awards. UKRSA The UK Research Staff Association (UKRSA) is a ‘super network’ of representatives from research staff associations and networks from across the UK. It aims to be a collective voice for research staff and to represent the needs of researchers at national and international policy level. Representatives from UKRSA sit on steering groups including for the National Postdoc Conference 2023, and for the Researcher Development Concordat. In the coming year, the UKRSA will be looking to recruit new committee members to help drive its mission of representing research staff, and with Vitae’s assistance will be reviewing its terms of reference to ensure that the UKRSA is truly representing and amplifying the voice of researchers across the UK. 2022/23 VITAE ANNUAL REPORT © 2023 The Careers Research and Advisory Centre (CRAC) Limited UK Research Staff Association 25 Promoting the value of researchers Promoting the value of researchers Technicians Commitment The Technicians Commitment celebrated five years of their inception and Vitae is delighted to continue to support the Technicians Commitment including the £5.5m national Institute of Technical Skills and Strategy announced earlier this year. “We look forward to working collaboratively across the sector to support a strategic approach that fully recognises and utilises the UK technical workforce. In the collective goal of a culture in which technicians can be appreciated and flourish, Vitae’s expertise will bring insight, inclusion and impact” Clare Viney CEO, CRAC/Vitae Mobility taskforce Vitae is pleased to be a member of the Mobility Taskforce which brings together business and university leaders to investigate the movement of researchers between industry and academia. The launch by the National Centre for Universities and Business (NCUB) this year, followed the publication of the State of the Relationship Report 2022. The taskforce will explore the opportunities and challenges that researcher mobility can bring to UK innovation. © 2023 The Careers Research and Advisory Centre (CRAC) Limited 26 2022/23 VITAE ANNUAL REPORT As research enablers, researcher developers are beginning to be recognised for the deeper contribution they make to the research ecosystem. We know that personal and professional skills development, talent management and leadership are strong levers and drivers for cultural change; through this researcher developers can be seen as a community of change makers. What change do you want to see? At Vitae, we see our role as informing and influencing policy that will create the conditions for all researchers to thrive. Embedded in Vitae’s strategy, we set out a vision for a world in which all researchers are valued and supported to realise their potential. Measured not just by the blunt instrument of papers published and grants won, but the true impact of the doers, thinkers, leaders and enablers in the research environment. When researchers realise their potential, individuals grow, universities thrive, employers prosper, and society benefits. What is required of us to create this future? There is a strong appetite across the sector to work together to co-create inclusive, supportive, and sustainable working environments that attract, retain, and develop diverse talent. This recognises the need to shift cultures of research towards openness and collaboration, responsible research management and governance, support for training and career development, and the recognition and valuing of all who contribute to the research endeavour. In the year ahead, Vitae will work with sector stakeholders to advocate for the professional and career development of researchers, and the necessary changes in the research environment to ensure a diverse, inclusive, and sustainable research workforce. We will synthesise relevant evidence and develop recommendations for university leaders, funders, and government to evolve policy that will create transformative change. Through the Vitae membership programme, the digital transformation project, our policy and advocacy activities, learning and development services and research and evaluation expertise, we will work with the sector and our community to create a better future for researchers. We will seek out opportunities to collaborate, bring communities together, and collectively move the dial on understanding, evaluating, and changing research culture. Building a healthy research environment will be hard. But together, we can do hard things. 2022/23 VITAE ANNUAL REPORT 27 © 2023 The Careers Research and Advisory Centre (CRAC) Limited Looking to the future Rachel Cox Head of Membership and Engagement, Vitae We are a non-profit programme, part of the Careers Research and Advisory Centre (CRAC) Ltd with over 50 years’ experience of enhancing the skills & careers of researchers www.vitae.ac.uk Published by Vitae, © 2023 The Careers Research and Advisory Centre (CRAC) Limited Registered Charity No. 313164 Global leader in supporting the professional development of researchers