News articles and press releases

An 80,000 word thesis would take 9 hours to present. Their time limit... 3 minutes

Vitae is now inviting research organisations and universities to become Vitae members.

It’s just under two weeks until CRAC, Vitae’s parent organisation celebrates its 50th anniversary with a major careers event in Cambridge.

We are pleased to announce the first speakers and workshops confirmed at the Vitae Researcher Development International Conference taking place between the 9-10 September.

The British Council are looking for researchers who would like to broaden their experience of peer review

New survey investigates what research staff do when they move out of academia

Today, Vitae is delighted to announce the names of 19 peer reviewers, selected for their complementary experience and expertise, who will undertake the external review of UK institutions’ progress and plans

Today Vitae confirms that two more UK universities have gained the HR Excellence in Research Award from the European Commission.

...including a networking day for Midlands staff researchers, new career workshop for East of England staff researchers and Train the Trainer workshop for staff developers in South West and Wales and Midlands...

On 14 -15 July, CRAC, Vitae’s parent organisation is celebrating its 50th anniversary by hosting a major careers event in partnership with NICEC (the National Institute for Career Education and Counselling)

Fee-exempt places for 6 researchers to attend the Vitae Open Space event, 19 June

Competition is open to postgraduate researchers

RCUK has published research career case studies, designed to inspire those who are considering research as an occupation

Deadline to submit your workshop proposals is 16 June

What is their #PostAcStory?

1 slide, no props, 3 minutes…

Follow-up to how to start a business after your PhD? Hangout

Vitae welcomes a new independent report commissioned by The Department for Business, Innovation & Skills (BIS)

Now in their tenth year, the Times Higher Education Awards will be looking for outstanding examples of best practice during the 2012-13 academic year.

Vitae is delighted to announce that the Cancer Research UK has become the latest organisation to sign the Concordat to Support the Career Development of Researchers.

On 26 March the European Commission published a number of additional articles to the draft Horizon 2020 Grant Agreement.

Join researchers turned successful entrepreneurs for our first free #vitae14 Hangout on 20 March (Thursday) from 2pm GMT! Katie Wheat (of #ECRchat) will be joined by entrepreneurs, founders and educators spanning high-tech to social enterprise to discuss how to take the first steps towards building your own business and being more enterprising in your research.

In 2013 the European Commission launched a feasibility study into the development of a certification mechanism for human resources management in Europe.

...by retaining the European Commission’s HR Excellence in Research Award at the two year stage.

Seize opportunities to practise an enterprising mindset this March!

Today we are releasing the first phase of the new Vitae website.

External review for UK announced, EURAXESS Roadshow

CRAC (the Careers Research & Advisory Centre) and Vitae, supported by the International Centre for Guidance Studies at the University of Derby and in collaboration with the UKCGE, are commencing research work on behalf of HEFCE. This will gather qualitative information to build a picture, from an HE institutional perspective, of the market for prospective postgraduate research (PGR) students in England, how they are recruited and selected, and their role in the HE research base.

With the new year fast approaching, we would like to take a few moments to highlight the upcoming developments for 2014 and reflect on our achievements this year.

With the New Year fast approaching, Euraxess is calling on Early Career Researchers globally to apply for their Researcher Links workshops, taking place in 2014.

Application Deadline: Thursday 5 December 2013 Fellowships must start between 1 May 2014 to 31st March 2015.

Research Councils UK (RCUK) has (7 August) set out Common Terminology for the different approaches to funding postgraduate training taken by the seven Research Councils to provide clarity and consistency for postgraduate students and higher education institutions.

We are delighted that a number of new initiatives, research and projects are being announced or discussed at the Vitae conference this year.

Analysis of research into the employment situations of doctoral, masters and first degree graduates suggests those with a doctoral qualification are more "recession proof" than those with other qualifications.

'HR Strategies for Researchers report' reviews plans set out by universities and research funders across Europe to improve the working conditions and career development of researchers as part of the ‘HR Excellence in Research' Award process.

Professor Sir Adrian Smith has written a letter to the Commissioner,on behalf of the Concordat Strategy Group, which sets out the final UK position statement in response to the HR certification proposed by the European Commission.

Higher Education Funding Council for England (HEFCE) has today published a review showing students' economic background, school history and undergraduate institution all play a role in determining levels of enrolment at postgraduate level.

Research Councils UK (RCUK) has today (17 June) unveiled its Statement of Expectations for Doctoral Training, which sets out common principles for the support of all Research Council-funded students.

Today Vitae confirms that 12 UK institutions have successfully retained their HR Excellence in Research Award from the European Commission. The Award demonstrates a university's commitment to improving the working conditions and career development for research staff, which will in turn improve the quantity, quality and impact of research for the benefit of UK society and the economy.

Vitae announced the members of the new Vitae Researcher Development Action Group at the Vitae Policy Forum which took place on the 30/31 January in Birmingham. The new group will build upon the excellent work of Vitae's Research Staff Development Advisory Group (ReSDAG) and will serve to provide focus on refining the ideas for the future progress on the step-change in research staff development plus provide ongoing support for PGRs.

Take 230 researchers, 17 HEIs, 17 employers mix them all together and what do you get?

What happened next?

Vitae and the Concordat to Support the Career Development of Researchers were launched together in 2008. This signalled continuation of our work with doctoral researchers under the UK GRAD Programme, and also an expansion of our activities to include research staff in higher education.

The Entrepreneurs and Education Programme was officially launched today by Minister for Business and Enterprise, Michael Fallon.

The Vitae Midlands Hub in collaboration with the Midlands Energy Consortium ran a Digital Researcher Event on 19th October. Over 30 researchers from across the UK attended the workshop to learn and understand more about how social media can be used by researchers. Emma Gilaspy (@vitaenwhub) and Tristram Hooley (@pigironjoe) facilitated the day and provided useful and interesting tips on managing your digital profile and making the most of the digital environment for your research.

UKCGE and Vitae are the two leading UK organisations concerned with postgraduate education and researcher development respectively. Vitae works with higher education institutions to build and strengthen personal, professional and career development for early career researchers, including doctoral students and works directly with colleagues in institutions, providing strategic and practical resources to implement relevant policy and good practice. UKCGE supports all levels of postgraduate education, focusing on the student experience and providing updates for academic and administrative staff about policy development and good practice in the postgraduate sector.

We are delighted to confirm that the Department for Employment and Learning in Northern Ireland, the Higher Education Funding Council for Wales and the Scottish Funding Council now join the Higher Education Funding Council for England and Research Councils UK to support Vitae from 2013.

We are delighted that a number of new initiatives, research and projects are being announced at the Vitae conference this year. These include:

This Saturday, the International Consortium of Research Staff Associations (ICoRSA) was launched in a session at the European Science Open Forum. ICoRSA will provide an international voice for researchers through the collaboration of national associations. Other global associations participating besides research staff associations are a highly-mobile part of the global research enterprise. ICoRSA will provide a collective voice to represent researchers in international policy. ICORSA will also support the development of national associations by facilitating communication across borders and the sharing of best practices.

QAA Quality Code and the Vitae Researcher Development Framework

On 30 May, David Willetts announced that RCUK and HEFCE have come together to strengthen their support for ensuring the development of world-class skills amongst research staff. Recognising the importance of the high level skills developed through research careers, RCUK and HEFCE confirmed their support for Vitae and further funding until 2015.

Scottish Funding Council and seven UK universities gain European Commission recognition for researcher development