Research in a connected world
A lot has changed over the past 10 years, and researchers are increasingly working in collaborative, connected, international, interdisciplinary and intersectoral ways. With current political and societal attention on global grand challenges, such as climate change, we have an opportunity to help researchers access a global platform for their research, ensuring that publicly-funded research is conducted with and for the public.
To support researchers at this time of fast-paced change, we will look at the underpinning competences and behaviours of open research, collaboration, and responsible research and innovation. We will work with our member community and other stakeholders to explore how the Vitae Researcher Development Framework (RDF) reflects this changing environment and how it might support researchers’ needs more effectively to ensure they are prepared to take advantage of the opportunities around them. We will also continue to work with the UK Research Staff Association and look to support them to grow, evolve and connect with other researcher networks.
Open Research
Moves towards making research more ‘open’ mark a fundamental shift in the way that research is done. Researchers need to be aware of, understand and engage with the changing requirements for their research and develop new skills to help them adapt.
We looked at the competences of the ‘open researcher’ in our draft lens on the Vitae Researcher Development Framework (RDF)
Learn more about open research
A joint statement from European Council of Doctoral Candidates and Junior Researchers (Eurodoc), Marie Curie Alumni Association (MCAA), and Young Academy of Europe (YAE) calls for EU institutions to ensure free circulation of scientific knowledge.
Other resources and information to help you get started with open research:
• JISC Introduction to Open Access
The Vitae Researcher Development Framework and development opportunities
The Vitae Researcher Development Framework is the cornerstone on which our programme is built and has become iconically recognisable to researchers and the researcher development community. It underpins much of the work we do in helping researchers achieve their potential.
In the year ahead, we will be collaborating with our community to better understand how it is being applied in practice and how it might evolve to suit the needs of the connected research environment.
Learn more about the RDF and how researchers are using it
Find resources to use the RDF as a researcher developer
As part of Vitae organisational membership, members can put forward an entrant for the Vitae Three Minute Thesis® competition. To view the 2019 institutional finalists, see here.
Researcher networks
With the publication of a new-look Concordat in the UK, it’s timely that the UK Research Staff Association (UKRSA) have a new pair of co-Chairs in Alison Tidy and Anjali Shah. They bring experience and insight, as well as enthusiasm, to help move the UKRSA forward and the researcher voice be heard.
We will continue to support the UKRSA and look forward to partnering with them on activities for the year ahead, particularly around raising awareness of the Researcher Development Concordat among researchers and their managers in the UK.
Researchers can embrace opportunities to get involved with policy development and grow their knowledge and skills by joining their local research staff association, or even the International Consortium of Research Staff Associations (ICoRSA).
Find out more about the benefits of joining a research staff association
As a commitment to supporting researcher networks, a member Working Group was launched in 2020, looking at how to help maintain and grow communities of researchers, chaired by Helen Leech, University of Kent, and Saneeya Qureshi, University of Liverpool.
Joining a working group is a great way to connect with like-minded colleagues internationally, share practice and engage deeply with a topic of interest. Find out more about Vitae Working Groups.
