The University is a signatory to the Concordat to Support the Career Development of Researchers, an agreement to provide an excellent environment and culture, conditions of employment and development opportunities for our Research-Only Staff. In recognition of our commitment to this Concordat, Oxford Brookes University has held the HR Excellence in Research Award since 2012.
In addition to responsibilities on Institutions and Managers of Researchers, the Concordat to Support the Career Development of Researchers places a number of responsibilities on Researchers themselves, to pro-actively contribute to their research environment and culture, to engage with Performance and Development Review (PDR), and to take ownership of their professional development and career development.
The Researcher Development team, working with the Careers Centre, has put together a suite of bite-sized, on demand training videos, slides and resources, to help you to navigate your Concordat responsibilities, relevant policy, training and development, resources and support. The focus is on managing your research contract and maximising your time at Oxford Brookes University.
All new Research-Only Staff will be given access to the bundle in the month after they start their research contract. Once you have been notified of access, you can find the training bundle here. Your access will remain open for the duration of your contract, for you to refer back to as needed, and we aim to update materials annually.
The Research-Only Staff Network is a university-wide network of staff employed solely or largely to conduct research.
The purpose of the group is to better connect our Research-only Staff with each other, for peer support, networking, sharing of ideas, knowledge and experiences and future collaboration. The Research-Only Staff Network also facilitates communication and consultation between Research & Knowledge Exchange Committee (RKEC) Researcher Reps and the wider Research-only Staff community.
All Research-Only Staff are connected via a joint mailing list and shared Google Drive (Google Drive – Shared Drives – Research-Only Staff Network). You can also join the Research-Only Staff Network at monthly meetings, October to June, alternating between in person (Headington Campus) and online. Meetings bring together researchers from different disciplines. Each meeting is themed, with internal speakers who lead informal discussions. Programme for 23/24.
CEDARS is a national survey to obtain data about the research environment, working conditions, career aspirations and professional development opportunities of Researchers. You can read about the highlights of the latest CEDARS survey at Oxford Brookes University on our CEDARS web page. Our headline statistic from CEDARS 2023 is that “90% of Research Staff said they would recommend Oxford Brookes to prospective researchers”. You can also read about the areas we’re working on to provide continuous improvements to policy, procedures, pathways, training and awareness.
Subject to continued funding, Research-Only Staff will also be sent an invited annual call (usually in September) to apply to undertake Research Leadership Coaching with an external Coach, to explore their research identify and development of broader leadership skills.