Researcher Development Concordat

The Concordat to Support the Career Development of Researchers is an agreement between the funders and employers of researchers in the UK setting out the expectations and responsibilities of researchers, their managers, employers and funders.

The Concordat, together with the QAA Codes on postgraduate research degrees, forms the UK mechanism to deliver the objectives and requirements of the European Charter for Researchers and Code of Conduct for the Recruitment of Researchers, to which the UK higher education sector as a whole is committed.

Vitae, the national organisation responsible for championing the personal, professional and career development of doctoral researchers and research staff in higher education institutions and research institutes, provide targeted briefings on the Concordat for researchers, PIs, senior managers, and HR and careers specialists.

In 2009, the University completed a self-audit against the principles of the Concordat and European Charter, and approved a Concordat Implementation Strategy and Action Plan  in June 2010. The Implementation Strategy and Action Plan was reviewed and updated in October 2012, and an application was submitted for the HR Excellence in Research Award. The University was delighted to be granted this award by the European Commission in January 2013.

Through the autumn of 2014, a working group reviewed the Strategy and Action Plan, produced a report on progress and devised a 2-year action plan.  The Strategy and Action Plan 2015 was submitted in January 2015 to Vitae and secured renewal of the HR Excellence in Research Award.  The 2017 Strategy and Action Plan was further updated in January and August 2017 to seek renewal for a further 2-year period. The 2019 Strategy and Action Plan is also available for download.

Implementation of the Concordat at the University of Chester is now led by the Director of Research & Knowledge Transfer, supported by the Human Resources (HR) department and the Research & Knowledge Transfer Office.

A UK-wide process, incorporating the QAA UK Quality Code for Higher Education, Chapter B11:  Research Degrees and the Concordat to Support the Career Development of Researchers, enables institutions to gain the European Commission’s HR Excellence in Research Award, acknowledging alignment with the principles of the European Charter for Researchers and Code of Conduct for their Recruitment.

Research Integrity Training

The University offers free access to the Research Integrity training programme provided by Epigeum. As the leading external provider of online courses for HE institutions, we are pleased to be able to offer this training resource to colleagues and postgraduate students across the University.