The Concordat: implementation and review

‘Principle 7: The sector and all stakeholders will undertake regular and collective review of their progress in strengthening the attractiveness and sustainability of research careers in the UK   ’

Infrastructure

Key to supporting stakeholders to implement the Concordat and to undertake regular review of progress has been the establishment of a Concordat Strategy Group which meets annually and of an Executive Group which reviews progress quarterly. Both the Strategy and Executive Groups are supported by Vitae.

Implementation

• important evidence to support ongoing reviews of progress towards implementation comes from the Careers in Research Online Survey (CROS). CROS was revised and re-launched in 2009 and 75 institutions have since participated. CROS 2011 represented the views of 25% of the research staff population of participating institutions
• further evidence has come from the Principal Investigators and Research Leaders Survey (PIRLS), developed as a tool to understand the views and experiences of research leaders. The participation of 33 institutions in the first survey in 2011 is strong evidence of the level of interest in gathering data to support institutional progress and priorities in implementing the Concordat principles
• a 3-year implementation report is in preparation and will use existing evidence to minimise the burden on institutions. The Concordat Strategy Group has agreed measures of progress, drawing substantially on the 2009 and 2011 CROS and results of PIRLS 2011. The report will be widely distributed to policy makers and leaders of Higher Education

Terms of reference for the three-year review:

1. Review progress in implementing the principles of the Concordat since its launch in June 2008, drawing on the outcomes of the benchmarking projects and measures of success
2. Identify impacts and any additionality by the main stakeholder groups identified in the Concordat: funders, supporters, research managers, employers and potential researchers
3. Identify what still needs to be achieved and any areas of concern taking into account the current and potential HE environment
4. Propose recommendations for future focus and activities, including the role of the Concordat Strategy Group