EU Commission recognition for researcher development

The University of Nottingham is among the latest 15 UK universities to gain the HR Excellence in Research award from the European Commission. The UK now has 38 of its higher education institutions recognised in this way.

In order to achieve the award The University of Nottingham has demonstrated its commitment to supporting research staff and to implementing the Concordat to Support the Career Development of Researchers.

Professor Jerry Roberts, Dean of the Graduate School, said “The University of Nottingham has more than 1,000 research staff and I am delighted that our activities to support these researchers have been recognised by the European Commission through this HR Excellence in Research Award.”

The news was announced at this year’s Vitae Researcher Development International Conference in Manchester.

Professor Sarah O’Hara, Pro-Vice Chancellor for Human Resources, said: “It is an honour to receive this prestigious award. The University of Nottingham recognises the importance of continually investing in the talents and abilities of our staff to develop genuinely world-changing ideas and discoveries that address the problems and challenges which affect societies and people on a global scale. To ensure we attract and retain the very best researchers we have continued our investment in state-of-the-art facilities.”

A UK-wide process enables UK higher education institutions to gain the European Commission’s HR Excellence in Research award. The award acknowledges their alignment with the principles of the European Charter for Researchers and Code of Conduct for their Recruitment. The UK process incorporates both the QAA Code of Practice for Research Degree Programmes and the Concordat to Support the Career Development of Researchers to enable institutions that have published Concordat implementation plans to gain the HR Excellence in Research badge. The UK approach includes ongoing national evaluation and benchmarking.

Máire Geoghegan-Quinn, Commissioner for Research, Innovation and Science said: “The European Commission, through its Innovation Union flagship initiative, is committed to putting research and innovation at the top of the political agenda. We want to turn ideas into growth and jobs. UK universities play an important part in strengthening the excellent research base in Europe and ensure that our researchers have the right skills to maximise the value of innovation across all sectors.”

Professor Sir Ivor Crewe, Chair of the Concordat Strategy Group, said: “I am delighted that a further 15 UK institutions have gained the HR Excellence in Research award from the European Commission. These announcements highlight our commitment in the UK to training and developing researchers and to continual improvements in provision as we implement the Concordat to Support the Career Development of Researchers.

“However, the current economic climate presents some serious challenges for sustaining the research workforce in higher education, not least the importance of providing frameworks for career progression within an environment of short term, and increasingly competitive, funding.”

Ellen Pearce, Director, Vitae, UK representative on the European Commission HR Strategy Group:

“We are delighted that UK universities are receiving international recognition for their work to develop researcher careers. We hope that many other UK institutions will gain the recognition from the European Commission over the coming months.”

Vitae is supported by Research Councils UK (RCUK), managed by CRAC: The Career Development Organisation and delivered in partnership with regional Hub host universities.

The badge acknowledges that institutions have completed a gap analysis of their existing policies and practice against the Concordat, developed a robust action plan for implementation, and taken into account the views of researchers