The Concordat to Support the Career Development of Researchers is an agreement between four key stakeholder groups (funders, institutions, researchers, and managers of researchers) aimed at improving support for researchers and research careers in higher education in the UK. The Concordat sets out a number of obligations, for each of the four stakeholder groups, which must be upheld in order for its aims to be realised.
The Dunhill Medical Trust became a signatory of the Concordat in March 2020, and is committed to upholding those responsibilities targeted at the Funder stakeholder group. One of those responsibilities is to publish an action plan and we are now pleased to do so, ahead of the launch for new research proposals which is planned for the late spring.
This action plan is based on the defining principles of the Concordat: environment and culture, employment, and professional and career development. For each of the outlined Funder commitments, it describes the current situation, including policies the Trust already has in place, as well as the changes the Trust intends to make. The action plan will be kept under close review by our Research Grants Committee, on behalf of the Trustees.