Vitae News: July 2022

Welcome

With just seven weeks until the Vitae International Researcher Development Conference 2022, and at an exciting juncture in the Vitae Three Minute Thesis (3MT®) competition, this month we bring you the latest news around #VitaeCon2022 and dedicate this edition as a ‘3MT® special’. Also included, policy updates and opportunities to engage. 

In total, we received 67 excellent video entries from member institutions on an array of interesting topics ranging from titles such as ‘Shaken not stirred: Alcohol and cognition, and how impairments predict outcomes’ to ‘Death to Worms!’. 

The quarter final 

Each of the 67 entries has been allocated to three separate judges to watch and score based on the University of Queensland criteria.

The pool of 17 independent judges, selected based on their experience of 3MT® and public engagement, were chosen to represent a fair and diverse panel, including our sponsor Taylor & Francis. We would like to extend our thanks to the judges for kindly dedicating their time to reviewing and scoring the candidates.  

The semi-final 

Following incoming scores from the quarter final round, all registered institutions will be notified of their entrants’ subsequent progress in the competition. The 12 semi-finalists’ names, presentation titles and institutions will be announced on the Vitae website tomorrow, Thursday 28 July with the semi final taking place this Friday, 29 July. All video submissions apart from the final six will be available to view on the Vitae website next week.

The semi-final judging panel, this year being chaired by Paul Spencer, PGR Environment Development Manager, University of Bristol, will discuss the merits of each video against the judging criteria, before selecting the top six entries to go forward into the final. All entrants to the competition will receive feedback to support their development in public engagement and research communication. 

The final

The six successful finalists will be notified by Monday 1 August with the captivating final, hosted by Dr Jamie Gallagher, being broadcast on Thursday 15 September at 12:00 GMT+1.  

Watch and vote

As with the previous two years, the broadcast of the competition will be completely open access, as will the People’s Choice vote. Simply register to the 3MT® platform, which will be launched soon.

Workshop sessions

Community online workshops are now live for booking on the conference website, including abstracts and presenter information. Use the ‘save your seat’ function to make your selection for the interactive sessions at #VitaeCon2022. Some sessions will have limited availability, so please book soon to avoid disappointment.

Evolving the Researcher Development Framework 

The latest around Vitae’s ongoing Researcher Development Framework (RDF) ‘refresh’ project and the new projects it has led to, involving cultural contextual adaptations of the framework, can be read in a new blog post by Dr Kate Jones, Head of Learning and Professional Development, Vitae. Find out more at #VitaeCon2022. 

Research Culture and Practice Forum recordings 

Recordings of Vitae’s presentations around the Researcher Development Concordat obligations and the Concordat Platform of Practice, amongst other sessions from the recent Research Culture and Practice Forum hosted by Universities UK, are now available to watch online.

Further opportunities to explore the Concordat obligations, including the engagement of researchers in 10 days of professional development, will be available at #VitaeCon2022. 

New Deal for Postgraduate Research (PGR)’ Consultation summary 

Following the open call for policy input from UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) on a ‘new deal for postgraduate research’, Vitae has published a collective response from its members to the consultation. This, and a short summary of the submission by Dr Mat Tata, Project Manager, Vitae, are available on our website.  

Call for peer reviewers for the HR Excellence in Research Award (HREiR) 

If you would like to build your experience in HR- and research culture strategy, Vitae is seeking new peer reviewers for the UK process of the HR Excellence in Research Award. Training will be given to successful candidates and further information including what is involved and how to apply can be found on our website. We are especially seeking applications from non-UK-based individuals to ensure comparability with the European process for the Award. 

New funding call: Equality, diversity and inclusion caucus  

Vitae welcomes the recently announced funding call from UKRI and the British Academy to establish and lead an equality, diversity and inclusion (EDI) caucus.  

With our strong and growing portfolio of diversity and inclusion work, both in and outside the HE research environment, we would be interested in discussing potential collaboration opportunities with senior contacts at member organisations who are considering making a bid for funding.  

Read and sign the Agreement on Reforming Research Assessment 

The European Commission, the European University Area and Science Europe, amongst other international research stakeholders have published an agreement for reforming research assessment. The principles and commitments laid out in the agreement are in  alignment with the aims of broader research culture policy, such as the ‘recognition of wider contributions’ and the ‘diversification of research careers’ advocated for within the Researcher Development Concordat. 

Vitae warmly welcomes the Agreement and encourages research organisations to become signatories, with the collection of signatures to be launched from September 2022 (early indications of signature can be sent before then to researchassessment@eua.eu. 

Research England continues investment in research culture 

Research England has announced £8 billion investment for English Universities, acknowledging the excellence of the university research base and its importance in supporting sustainable economic growth and improving societal benefits.

£36million is pledged annually to enable universities in England to further improve research culture and enhance research conducted in partnership with communities. 

Vitae have collaborated with a number of member institutions to develop their research culture through consultation, training and evaluation. If you would be interested in any of these services, please get in touch to discuss further.

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