Reading time approx. 3 – 5 minutes
THIS MONTH:
- The new Vitae website is launched!
- Dates and location announced for #VitaeCon2025, and more events
- Update on the Vitae Researcher Development Framework
The new Vitae website is here!
We’re delighted to share with you that the new Vitae website is now live and ready for use. It has been designed especially for members and researchers, with features including:
- Easier navigation – a simpler site map means that you can access professional development, career planning and skills resources, all in one place.
- Comprehensive Vitae RDF resources – quickly access new resources and information about the Vitae Researcher Development Framework and how to help you with implementation in 2025.
- Clear access to membership benefits – access benefits for members such as details on events, the HR Excellence in Research Award, Vitae Three Minute Thesis and more!
We’d love to hear your thoughts! If you have feedback or spot any issues, please do get in touch at membership@vitae.ac.uk
Researchers – explore resources to support your professional development
On the updated Vitae website, we have lots of great guides and advice for researchers at all stages of their careers. Our short course on professional development planning is a great place to begin if you are new to research or need some direction. You may also want to explore our collections focused on doctoral research, supervising a doctorate or leading research, or explore our career-related resources such as:
Vitae Events
Dates and location announced for #VitaeCon2025!
Vitae’s flagship annual event, the Vitae International Researcher Development Conference 2025 will be taking place in-person and online, on the following dates and at the following locations:
Online: Wednesday 10 September 09:30am-15:30pm and Thursday 11 September 09:30am-15:30pm
In-person: Monday 22 September and Tuesday 23 September 2025 at We The Curious in Bristol
Following a fantastic awards ceremony in 2024, the Vitae Impact, Culture, and Engagement (ICE) Awards will return this year and will be held on Monday 22 September 2025 in the evening at the Harbour Hotel in Bristol.
Register your interest to receive updates on VitaeCon2025
#VitaeCon2025 – community collaboration survey
Do you have suggestions for how the 2025 Vitae International Researcher Development Conference can be shaped?
Vitae are asking our community to share their thoughts on the development of #VitaeCon for 2025. You can do this by filling out the short survey below.
#VitaeCon2025 community collaboration survey
Bridging the Gap: exploring mid-career challenges and opportunities in HE
Open to Vitae members, and taking place Wednesday 12 March 10:00-12:00 GMT online, ‘Bridging the Gap’ will explore the career development of mid-career professionals, focusing on key statistics, trends and insights.
Voices from the sector will be included, and data including CEDARS will be discussed to give context on the mid-career landscape. Additionally, there will be inspiring case studies, highlighting initiatives that are influencing mid-career professionals.
Connect and create: CPD & wellbeing for researcher developers
Open to those at Vitae member organisations, this Connect and create workshop will enable you to enhance your continuing professional development (CPD) as a researcher developer.
Through facilitated activities and practice sharing, the workshop will allow you to focus on your professional development and will be a space for open discussion. You do not have to share anything you do not feel comfortable with sharing.
Event date and time: Tuesday 18 March 2025, 14.00-16:00 GMT, online
See more on Connect and create: CPD and wellbeing event
Connections: Getting to Grips with researcher development
If you have recently taken on the responsibility of supporting researchers in their professional development, Vitae are running ‘Connections: Getting to Grips’ – a programme across three mornings in April and May 2025, designed to help you ‘get to grips’ with your new role.
Open to Vitae members and non-members, Vitae’s sessions will help you to navigate the researcher development landscape and meet other professionals who also support researchers.
The event is suitable for those who work in a range of roles related to researcher development within an institution, and who have started a new role supporting the development of researchers within the last eighteen months. For more information, including booking, follow the link below.
Information and booking – Connections: Getting to Grips
Vitae Updates
Update on the Vitae Researcher Development Framework (RDF)
Vitae’s event, ‘Transitioning to the refreshed Vitae Researcher Development Framework (RDF)’, ‘soft launched’ the Vitae RDF 2025 to statement level in February.
Information about plans for the full rollout and support for transitioning to the Vitae RDF 2025 can be found on our website. Those at member institutions can now access the statement-level version of the Vitae RDF 2025 (please note that you will need to log in), which will be available more widely soon.
Vitae RDF Community of Practice Steering Group
Following the release of the Vitae RDF 2025 to statement level, a new Community of Practice Steering Group will be established. This is a member-led initiative which aims to:
- Support members to roll out the Vitae RDF 2025
- Share best practice and develop resources around the Vitae RDF 2025
- Support those who are new to using the Vitae RDF
- Share ideas on how to engage researchers with the Vitae RDF
It is expected that the group will meet monthly, with the first steering group to be held on Thursday 27 March at 3:00pm GMT. The deadline to apply has now passed, but if you have questions as to how to be involved please email: learning.development@vitae.ac.uk
Sector news
Where do UK PhD graduates go?
Did you know that there is little accurate data on the career paths of UK doctoral graduates?
To tackle this lack of career destination data, The Careers Research and Advisory Centre (CRAC) Limited, which manages the Vitae programme, is calling for investment in a central data collection service, which would collect information from a variety of sources.
In an article published in the Times Higher Education, Robin Mellors-Bourne, Director of Research and Intelligence at CRAC, argues for a government-endorsed data centre to de-mystify academic careers.
A better understanding of PhD career outcomes would:
- Give an indication about the effectiveness of reforms to PhD training
- Shed light on the shift of the ‘master-apprentice’ model to the integration of professional development in the PhD
- Enable the collection of PhD career data longer-term after initial graduation
- Keep the UK relevant in line with other initiatives, such as the European Commission’s intention to create a Research and Innovation Careers Observatory.
Read the full article from THE
Campaign to recognise ‘hidden’ research outputs and roles given go-ahead
The University of Southampton has announced that a campaign to recognise the ‘hidden’ research outputs and roles has been given formal approval, having been awarded £3.5 million to integrate it into the 2029 REF.
Vitae are supporters of Hidden REF, an initiative from the University of Southampton that aims to recognise all those who work in research, and whose contribution may be overlooked.
Read more about the campaign to recognise hidden research outputs
University and College Union (UCU) Research Staff Manifesto 2025
The UCU have released their Research Staff Manifesto, highlighting the damaging effect of short-term and casual contracts for research staff, at the detriment to world-leading research. They outline five key principles for university employers to implement to address the precarity of research positions.
Read the full UCU Research Staff Manifesto
7th Annual PRIDE Conference hosted by UCL in London
The PRIDE Network Association for Professionals in Doctoral Education will be hosting their annual conference, on Wednesday 9 and Thursday 10 April 2025 at UCL in London.
Themes covered will include the emergence of new career paths and remits in universities, and the essential roles of researcher developers and other professionals who guide doctoral candidates to navigate their futures.
Dr Yolana Pringle, Deputy CEO and Director of Programmes and Partnerships at CRAC/Vitae will also be speaking at the event.
More information on the PRIDE Conference
Scientific Apprenticeship Conference – register now
On Thursday 15 May 2025, the Institute for Cancer Research are holding the Scientific Apprenticeship Conference, taking place at the Wellcome Collection in London.
The conference aims to:
- Enhance research culture to be more welcoming to apprentices, ensuring the sustainability of technical talent
- Support organisations that offer technical apprenticeships through discussions with industry leaders
- Create a supportive ecosystem for apprenticeships by fostering collaborations.
This is a free event and more information can be found below.
ICR Scientific Apprenticeship Conference – register now
Survey to reform research evaluation practices in European institutions (CoARA)
A survey to reform research evaluation practices in European academic and research institutions has been launched, with a focus on intersectional biases, including gender bias.
The survey will enable the Coalition for Advancing Research Assessment (CoARA) and the TIER working group to develop and implement strategies to tackle biases in research evaluations.
The survey focuses on intersectional biases, such as gender bias, in the evaluation of research, as well as in career advancement and during recruitment.
It takes 15-20 minutes to take the survey, and is designed for: PhD students, researchers, research funding organisation (RFO) administrative staff, evaluators, professors, and other members of universities, research centers, and funding organisations affiliated with CoARA.
The deadline is Monday 31 March 2025.
CoARA Boost second cascade funding call
The Coalition for Advancing Research Assessment (CoARA) Boost second cascade funding call, has been announced, as part of the project ‘Strengthening CoARA and Enabling Systemic Reform of Research Assessment – A Booster.‘
The CoARA Boost project aims to reform research assessment, with the cascade funding programme as a fundamental part to this objective.
Sign into the EU funding and tenders portal to access the call
Applications open to observe a Wellcome funding advisory committee
Wellcome offers the opportunity to most researchers to observe funding advisory committees. This is an invaluable chance to learn how Wellcome assesses grant applications, in preparation to submit your own.
Applications close on Monday 14 April 2025.
More information and how to apply for Wellcome funding committees
Vacancy – apply to be a Trustee at CRAC
The Careers, Research and Advisory Centre (CRAC), the charity that manages the Vitae programme, is looking for at least one new Trustee to be appointed through an open recruitment process.
The new trustee will join the Board from June 2025, with a period of transition and handover starting in April 2025.
Those with organisational leadership experience and/or financial and commercial acumen are welcome to apply. We welcome applicants from all backgrounds and roles.
The deadline to apply is Monday 14 April 2025 at noon, with interviews taking place on Friday 25 April 2025 in London.
More information and apply to be a CRAC Trustee
Vitae is now on Instagram!
Who says research can’t be fun? And what better place to interact with Vitae’s work than Instagram? Join us there and be part of our community, as we share resources, news on our events, and inspiration for your researcher journey.
Expect many an emoji.
Do you support researchers? Become an organisational member of Vitae
Benefits of membership include access for your organisation to a comprehensive range of resources, discounts on events, and member only activities, as well as being part of a connected network committed to supporting researchers and those who support them.
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