Organisations - content moved

Organisations with interest in the development of both postgraduate researchers and research staff.

• Vitae 2008-2012
• Research Councils UK (RCUK)
• RCUK Research Careers and Diversity Unit
• Department for Innovation, Universities and Skills (DIUS)
• Funder's Forum
• Universities (UUk)
• Rugby Team
• Professional societies
• Centre for Science and Technology (CST)
• Council for Industry and Higher Educatio (CIHE)

Vitae 2008-2012

Vitae launched in 2008 as a successor to the UK GRAD Programme. It has five year funding from the research councils to support the personal, professional and career development of postgraduate researchers and research staff. Vitae also incorporates UKHERD, the Higher Education Researcher Development Group.

Vitae aims to:

• champion the development and implementation of effective policy
• enhance higher education provision through sharing practice and resource
• provide access to development opportunities and resources
• build an evidence base to support the researcher development agenda.

About us for more information on Vitae aims and activities

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Research Councils UK

Research Councils UK (RCUK) is a strategic partnership between the seven UK research councils. RCUK was established in 2002 to enable the councils to work together more effectively to enhance the overall impact and effectiveness of their research, training and innovation activities, contributing to the delivery of the government's objectives for science and innovation.

The RCUK Research Careers and Diversity Unit (RCDU)

The Research Careers and Diversity Unit of RCUK was launched on 1 April 2005. The work of the unit is to build on and extend existing cross-council working fostered by the Postgraduate Training Group.

A key role of the unit is to report back to government on the impact of the funding provided in response to the recommendations of the SET for Success review that relate to researchers from doctorate level to their first academic posts. Other activity relating to skills and career development includes monitoring the implementation of the Concordat for the career development of researchers. 

The unit has responsibility for the coordination of cross-council initiatives ranging from the Academic Fellowship scheme to the Dorothy Hodgkin Postgraduate awards scheme for excellent doctoral candidates from the developing world.

The Research Careers and Diversity Unit (RCDU) of RCUK published their strategy in January 2007.

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Department for Innovation, Universities and Skills (DIUS)

The Department for Innovation, Universities and Skills was formed in 2007, bringing together functions from two former government departments: science and innovation responsibilities from the Department of Trade and Industry; skills, further and higher education from the Department for Education and Skills.

To build a dynamic, knowledge based economy the new department will draw together the nation's strengths in colleges, research, science and universities. It is responsible for achieving research excellence and implementing the government's Science and Innovation Investment Framework.

Research Councils UK and all the research councils report into DIUS. The funding for the Roberts' recommendations comes through DIUS's Spending Review settlement with the research councils.

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Funders' Forum

The Research Base Funders' Forum has been set up to allow governmental and non-governmental funders of public good research to consider the collective impact of their strategies on the sustainability, health and outputs on the research base.

It includes representatives from charities, industry, research councils, funding councils, regional development agencies, the higher education sector and government departments.

The Research Career Committee was a sub-group of the Research Funders' Forum chaired by Sir Gareth Roberts. Its remit was to advise and inform the Funders' Forum and other interested parties on issues relating to research careers, including research staff, postgraduate researchers and new lecturing staff within higher education.

One of the outcomes of the committee was to recommend the need for a new Concordat for research staff.

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The Rugby Team

The mission of the Rugby Team is to to 'propose a meaningful and workable way of evaluating the effectiveness of skills development in early career researchers'.

The current terms of reference (2008 - 2012) are to:

• inform national and agency policies and practices relating to the evaluation of skills development of researchers
• providing sector input into shaping a programme to build an evidence base on the effectiveness of developing researchers' skills

• acting as a sector ‘sounding board' to the new ‘researcher development' programme with respect to their engagement in helping to build the evidence base.

 Each year it agrees a range of projects, based on the recommendations of the Roberts' Policy Forum.

Initiatives, activities and projects of the Rugby Team.

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Universities UK (UUK)

Universities UK represents the collected voice of all UK Universities and is the representative body for the executive heads of UK universities and is recognised as the umbrella group for the university sector. It works to advance the interests of universities and to spread good practice throughout the higher education sector.

UUK works closely with a wide variety of organisations and representative groups across the sector, including:

• GuildHE;
• Committee of University Chairman (CUC);
• British Universities Finance Directors Group (BUFDG);
• Universities and Colleges Employers Association (UCEA) and
• Unions (UCU, Unison and NUS) representing staff and students in higher education

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Professional societies

There are many professional societies in the UK. Here are a few that are active in supporting researchers

Royal Society of Chemistry (RSC)

Supported by a worldwide network of members and an international publishing business, the Royal Society of Chemistry is the largest organisation in Europe for advancing the chemical sciences. It provides careers advice to HE students and those advising them on job and further study opportunities. This takes the form of guidance documents, industry tours and careers conferences. They provide specific resources for researchers, including a downloadable postgraduate skills record and support for research staff.

The Royal Society

The Royal Society, the national academy of science of the UK and the Commonwealth, is at the cutting edge of scientific progress. It supports many top young scientists, engineers and technologists, influences science policy, and debates scientific issues with the public.  It is an independent, charitable body that derives its authoritative status from its 1400 Fellows and Foreign Members.

Read the Royal Society report 'A higher degree of concern' (January 2008) on postgraduate education

Society for General Microbiology

The Society for General Microbiology provides a common meeting ground for scientists working in research and in fields with applications in microbiology, including medicine, veterinary medicine, pharmaceuticals, numerous industries, agriculture, food, the environment and education. The majority of members are employees of universities, research institutes, health services, government agencies and small to multinational companies.

The Institute of Physics

The Institute of Physics is a scientific membership organisation devoted to increasing the understanding and application of physics. It has an extensive worldwide membership (currently over 34,000) and is a leading communicator of physics with all audiences from specialists through government to the general public. Its publishing company, IOP Publishing, is a world leader in scientific publishing and the electronic dissemination of physics.

Royal Academy of Engineering

The Royal Academy of Engineering is Britain's national academy for engineering and  aims to:

• Enhance the UK's engineering capabilities
• Celebrate excellence and inspire the next generation
• lead debate by guiding informed thinking and influencing public policy.

 The Council for Science and Technology (CST)

Council for Science and Technology is the UK government's top-level independent advisory body on science and technology policy issues. Its remit is to advise the Prime Minister and the First Ministers of Scotland and Wales on strategic issues that cut across the responsibilities of individual government departments. CST organises its work around five broad themes (research, science and society, education, science and government, and technology innovation) and takes a medium to longer term approach.

Read the Council for Science and Technology report on researchers' careers 'Pathways to the future' (October 2007).

Council for Industry and Higher Education (CIHE)

The Council for Industry and Higher Education leads in developing a shared agenda between academia and industry; they debate that agenda with government to secure changes in policy; and they promote the pursuit of excellence in knowledge creation, dissemination and application.

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