Vitae News: November 2020

30/11/2020

Welcome

Welcome to the November issue of Vitae News. This month there are some interesting opportunities to get involved in; the Culture, Employment and Development in Academic Research Survey (CEDARS) Steering Group;  the HR Excellence in Research UK process; and a range of events over the weeks and months to come.

Community calls 

CEDARS Steering Group call 

We are looking for new members from a range of institutions and sector bodies, to join the CEDARS Steering Group. CEDARS is the new survey for capturing the views and experiences of researchers aligned to the Principles of the Concordat to Support the Career Development of Researchers. The survey ran for the first time in 2020 and will run every two years from 2021. 

Apply to CEDARS Steering Group

HR Excellence in Research Award 

Vitae is also seeking to recruit peer reviewers for the UK process of the HR Excellence in Research Award. This is a good opportunity to further your professional development and build experience in HR Strategy and we especially welcome those with a European perspective. 

More details

Remember that from January 2021, HR Excellence in Research Award holders using the UK process will need to use the new action planning template mapped against the Researcher Development Concordat. Our member webinar from earlier in the year is really helpful for further context and questions that you might have and you can contact us at concordat@vitae.ac.uk for further advice. 

New template

Watch member webinar

Call for independent Academic Professional Apprenticeship End Point assessors 

Advance HE are now looking to recruit more independent assessors to be part of their End-point Assessment (EPA) service, as numbers of apprentices undertaking the Academic Professional standard continually increase. They are looking for assessors for both the teaching and / or research roles of the standard, but particularly encourage applications from practitioners with experience in the latter. 

They are also encouraging applications from practitioners with a higher education teaching and / or research background in the clinical health professions. Assessors must hold Senior or Principal Fellowship of HEA or be a fellow of any other learned society. Vitae have been pleased to work with Advance HE, and the APA has successfully brought together researcher and teaching frameworks - Vitae Researcher Development Framework (RDF) & UK Professional Standards Framework (UKPSF).

More information on the APA and assessor recruitment 

Upcoming events

Member festive networking event

Join us on Thursday 10 December for an end of year festive networking event. This community-driven event is an opportunity for those who support the career and professional development of researchers to come together and reflect on events and learning from 2020 and to have a little fun at the end of what has been a difficult year for all.  

Book your place

IP for Research webinars

Back by popular demand and in conjunction with the Intellectual Property Office (IPO), we are delighted to announce a third series of IP for research webinars and lectures. The events are aimed at increasing the IP knowledge & skills of doctoral candidates & early career researchers, and expressions of interest are invited from universities & research institutions to host an for research webinar during 2020-21. The deadline is 3 December.

Register your interest

Connections: Getting to Grips

Our popular flagship event – Connections: Getting to Grips, will be taking place in March. This international online event is specifically aimed at those who have taken on responsibility in the last 18 months, for supporting researchers in their professional development. Places are limited for this interactive event and we expect to reach capacity again this year. Those who register their interest will be notified as soon as bookings open.

Register your interest

Three Minute Thesis® (3MT®) competition

The Vitae Three Minute Thesis® competition is currently open for registrations and we encourage all member institutions to take part in this exciting and rewarding journey - supporting doctoral candidates develop effective and impactful life-long communication skills. 

Register your interest

Other News

Inquiry into equity in STEM  

An All-Party Parliamentary Group (APPG) is conducting an inquiry into equity in the STEM workforce and the Careers Research & Advisory Centre (CRAC) which manages the Vitae programme will be submitting evidence based on its recent diversity and inclusion research and analysis. Your institution may want to consider submitting evidence as well; the deadline is 29 January 2021.

More information

Advance HE survey

Advance HE is conducting a survey of staff working in UK higher education about universities’ responses to Covid-19 and the impact of remote working on staff. 

Take part in survey

Research to recovery

The report ‘Research to recovery – R&D Taskforce 2020’, was published by the National Centre for Universities and Business last week, setting out opportunities to help deliver the government’s research and development (R&D) ambitions. The report includes strengthening the enablers of the research and innovation system to attract global investment. 

Research to recovery

The next issue of the Vitae News will be the second week of December to accommodate those of you who are finishing early for the festive break.