Programme
The Researcher Development programme is designed to provide you with opportunities to develop as professional researchers by refining your existing skills and acquiring new skills. We offer targeted training and events, summarise relevant information on our website and e-bulletins, provide funding for researcher-led initiatives and support communities of researchers.
The programme of courses and opportunities has been designed around the:
- University of Manchester's Strategic Goals and Research Strategy
- Concordat to Support the Career Development of Researchers
- Researcher Development Framework (RDF).
The RDF divides the skills and attributes early career researchers should have into four main domains:
- Knowledge and Intellectual Abilities
- Personal Effectivenes
- Research Governance and Organisation
- Engagement, Influence and Impact.
You may find Vitae's RDF Professional Development Planner useful for assesing your skills, identifying areas for development, creating an action plan, and recording evidence of your progress. This can help to inform Peformance Development & Review (PD&R) discussions with your line manager.
What does the programme offer?
Researcher Development encompasses a range of training initiatives and opportunities that promote personal development, active career management, and researcher independence. This evolving programme aims to help you develop as flexible researchers who can excel in a global environment which calls for expertise in collaboration, communication, public engagement, and knowledge transfer in a variety of career paths.
The programme is arranged around five key themes, though many of the specific opportunities cross over between these:
- Career Management
- Communication
- Leadership and Management
- Research and Enterprise
- Teaching and Learning
View our workshop training calendar and events page to see what courses and opportunities are available to you.
Why take up these opportunities?
We recognise that researchers have many pressures to produce research output and some PIs (and researchers!) are purely interested in this aspect of their role. However, there is also a strong recognition that professional development (in the broadest sense) is part of being a researcher. Guidelines such as 10 days/two weeks per year are sometimes useful to help individuals find an appropriate balance between their research output and their personal/career development - and to show their PIs that time out from research is not only an option but one that is strongly endorsed at all levels, from the Faculty and University to UK Government and at European level.
We offer many and varied opportunities for researchers through our Faculty Researcher Development programme and University initiatives. We are always keen to engage with individuals and Schools to find new ways to put these principles into practice. So do get in touch and let's explore how we can best develop opportunities that will help you reach your personal and professional aspirations - email us at eps-researchstaff@manchester.ac.uk or call us on 0161 306 4188.