Research Councils

Research Councils

www.rcuk.ac.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 aims to build on the Research Councils' investments in training and fellowships by strengthening the skills base and by leading and influencing the skills agenda.

The Research Councils made clear in their Statement of Expectations regarding researcher development that they expect research organisations to fully embed researcher development into the normal processes in the research and training environment. Research organisations will wish to take into account the Researcher Development Statement when reviewing their range of formal and informal support and provision for researchers.

The Researcher Development Statement (RDS) is a reference document that includes the domains, sub domains and descriptors of the full researcher development framework in a useful format for policy makers.

The Researcher Development Statement is an evolution of the 2001 Joint Statement of the UK Research Councils' Training Requirements for Research Students (JSS). It identifies the broad range of knowledge, skills, behaviours and personal qualities which are required to be an effective researcher and employee in a world driven by knowledge production and innovation. These skills may be present on commencement of a research degree, explicitly taught, or developed during the course of the research.

The FAQs provide more information on specific aspects of the Researcher Development Statement and its relationship to the Research Councils:

• How will the Research Councils use the Researcher Development Statement (RDS) in terms of their training requirements for postgraduate researchers?
• How will the Research Councils use the Researcher Development Statement (RDS) in terms of their training requirements for research staff?
• How will the RDS be used for researcher development (Roberts agenda)?