The concordat to support the career development of researchers

The Concordat to Support the Development of Researchers is a sector-wide initiative that promotes the creation of healthy and supportive research environments, recruitment practices, and opportunities for professional development, enabling researchers and research practitioners to thrive in their chosen career paths.

Signatories of this concordat agree to, and seek to operationalise, the following principles:

• Excellent research requires a supportive and inclusive research culture
• Researchers are recruited, employed, and managed under conditions that recognise their value and importance
• Professional and career development are integral to enabling researchers to develop their full potential

Find out more about the concordat

At Derby, we acknowledge a growing need to support our researchers and their development in a constantly evolving research landscape. We want to give our researchers and research practitioners, from our postgraduates and early career academics through to our more senior professorial colleagues, the best chance of success at Derby and beyond.

We know that the best research comes from individuals who are supported and feel valued, and we welcome this concordat as a guiding framework towards ensuring we follow best practice when implementing new and existing practices, policies, and development provisions.

Letter of commitment

I, Professor Kathryn Mitchell, on behalf of the University of Derby, confirm our commitment to the Concordat to Support the Career Development of Researchers.

The University of Derby fully supports the principles of this revised concordat and we intend to uphold our obligations and responsibilities as a signatory.

The University is keen to support the career development of its researchers. We recognise the value of our researchers and the importance of creating the right environment and culture, employment, and professional and career development opportunities for them to thrive. The aims of this concordat align with a key institutional objective in our Innovation and Research Strategy (2020-2026) towards Investing in Talent. We welcome the structure and clarity this concordat affords to those responsible for supporting research careers and will use it and its future evolutions to inform support development, to reflect on progress made, and to address areas where further improvement is required.

We agree to work collectively and engage with initiatives to address systemic challenges in progressing towards a UK research system where researchers work in healthy and supportive environments. We believe that researchers at all levels and career stages should be recognised and valued for their contributions in research and beyond, supported in their professional and career development, and equipped and empowered to succeed in their chosen careers.

Yours sincerely,

Professor Kathryn Mitchell
Vice-Chancellor, University of Derby

Future actions

The University will be releasing an action plan on embedding the Concordat principles in institutional practice by the spring of 2024.