Queen Mary University of London has retained the HR Excellence in Research award following a 10-year review by Vitae, a non-profit global leader in supporting researchers’ professional development.
The European Commission’s HR Excellence in Research Award marks a UK research institution’s commitment to implement the principles of the Concordat to Support the Career Development of Researchers.
The Concordat is an agreement between funders, research institutions, managers of researchers, and researchers themselves. It sets out clear standards that research staff can expect in terms of the research environment and cultures in which they work, and the recruitment and employment practices and the career and professional development support from the institution that employs them. Queen Mary became a Signatory to the Concordat in January 2021, and published its 2022-2024 Concordat Action Plan a year later, and will continue to report progress on implementing the Concordat annually to the senior executive and council.
Queen Mary has been committed to establishing a standout environment to recruit and retain the very best researchers for many years, and first received the HR Excellence in Research award recognising this in 2012.
Sheila Gupta, Vice-Principal (People, Culture and Inclusion) at Queen Mary University of London, said: “As Queen Mary’s Institutional Concordat Champion, I am proud we continue to be recognised for our values-based approach to supporting our researchers, and providing them with a world-class environment in which to flourish."
In this time, Queen Mary has implemented a number of changes. These include our Researcher Development programme, a Code of Practice for Research Staff, and resources to better support researchers during the performance and development appraisals. The current Action Plan will build on this progress by improving communications with the research community, supporting researchers’ development and culture.
Professor Andrew Livingston, Vice-Principal (Research and Innovation) at Queen Mary University of London, said: “We are proud signatories to the Concordat and we are making Queen Mary an environment where talented researchers thrive and develop. I am delighted that this renewal has recognised the value we place on supporting our researchers to develop their careers, whether their next steps are here, in other universities, or in industry.”
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