Code of practice for the career management of contract research staff

The arrangements outlined below apply to all employees of the University on individual or consecutive fixed-term contracts of greater than six months total duration employed to undertake research as defined in the University’s Research Policy, and who are excluded from current development and appraisal systems.

Research experience and research training

At the initial point in time of offer of employment to a contract researcher, it is the responsibility of the employing Faculty to identify the research training needs, if any, of the employee. If research training is required it is the responsibility of the contract researcher’s supervisor (see below) or another person nominated by the Faculty, to formally assess the effectiveness of this training.

Career development

At the time of offering employment, the precise nature of the contract and of the work, and the role of both of these in the employee’s career development, must be clearly articulated and understood. In particular, the point of termination of the contract and the chances of extension must be made clear and clearly understood.

It is especially important to give a realistic assessment of future prospects to the employee. Offering “false hope” should at all costs be avoided.

Training and assistance in career development should be offered to all contract employees. It will be important to bear in mind that their future career may lie outside academe, hence training in non-research areas should be offered.

The main non-research training areas are likely to be in the various transferable skills of use in employment, whether this be in academe or outside. There may additionally be “academic” conferences related to the employee’s interest but not strictly to his/her training needs as a researcher. Faculties should agree with the employee the broad pattern that such training will follow before the employee signs a contract of employment. The Faculty will need to give consideration to the amount of time it can reasonably allow for the employee’s non-research training and development, commensurate with delivering the research for which the employee is employed, but it should be a minimum of five days per year (i.e. about one-fortieth of a working year).

Training other than research training should be offered, as it is to other employees, through the courses available in the University (including undergraduate courses, postgraduate courses, language courses, Learning Resources - Computer Services courses or any other courses which employees are entitled to attend).

Faculties may also wish to avail themselves of external training courses for contract researchers. It will be the responsibility of the Faculty to fund such arrangements.

Re-entry to research

Faculties are especially encouraged to consider contract research posts as opportunities for re-entry into research for those who have taken a mid-career break. This will be particularly appropriate where the length of the contract and/or the nature of the research do not require rapid results, or where the work does not require an employee to be immediately up-to-date in subject knowledge. For many contracts the requirements is a proven ability at research, not the immediacy of up-to-date knowledge. Even when up-to-date knowledge is required, it must not be assumed that those who have taken a mid-career break do not have it. Frequently, such individuals have both the motivation and the time to ensure modernity.

Contract research supervisors

On employment, all contract researchers must be allocated both a research supervisor and a mentor. The two roles require somewhat different attributes and Faculties should consider nominating different individuals to undertake these roles at the inception of the contract.

The role of the research supervisor is to ensure that any research training of the contracted researcher is in place and appropriate to the individual and to the research. The supervisor has responsibility for all research aspects of the researcher’s career and work, including the effectiveness of the research training offered and the effectiveness of the employee as a researcher. Regular meetings between the supervisor and researcher are essential and should include a formal appraisal of the training and the research progress at least once per year.

The employee’s mentor has responsibility for assisting the employee with non-research training and with career development. Guidance on this matter starts from the principle that contract employees are entitled to such career development, to a pre-agreed broadly defined pattern that in part relates to the researcher’s career position and needs for the future, and to the time available. Again, meetings between the researcher and the mentor will need to take place, including at least one meeting per year that formally considers non-research training and development.

Conditions of service and remuneration

The conditions of service and remuneration scales shall be exactly those that would be applied to a full-time permanent member of staff employed to do similar work at similar level and requiring similar experience and expertise, with the exception of pension arrangements and the payment of relocation expenses.

Deans of Faculty responsibilities

It is ultimately the responsibility of Deans of Faculty to monitor these arrangements and to ensure that they are met.

It is similarly the responsibility of the Dean of Faculty to be satisfied that due attention has been given to both the training and the career development elements, and to the pursuance of the research itself.

Approved by the Research and Consultancy Committee 28th January 1997