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March Vitae News

A woman wearing a blue cardigan with people around her with post it notes on a table.  Image from #VitaeCon2025 by Andrew Callaghan.

THIS MONTH:

Vitae Updates

#VitaeCon2026 is coming to Edinburgh

This year’s Vitae International Researcher Development Conference will take place at Dynamic Earth, Edinburgh on Tuesday 8 – Wednesday 9 September 2026, with a pre-conference workshop on Monday 7 September 2026.

This year’s #VitaeCon will explore what works in researcher career support, examining where organisations can invest in producing meaningful change and what makes support effective in different institutional contexts.

The online element of our conference will take place on Thursday 1 October 2026. Free for Vitae members, it will showcase innovation and emerging practice from across the international researcher development community.

Calls for contributions and conference registration open in March 2026.

Sign up to receive updates about #VitaeCon2026 and be notified when submissions and bookings open.

#VitaeCon2026 – register your interest

What do researchers do? 2026 report launched

This month, Vitae published its latest edition of its flagship career tracking report, ‘What do researchers do? Employment, earnings and activities of recent doctoral graduates, 2026’. The report analyses Graduate Outcomes survey data for doctoral graduates from the 2022-23 cohort and was launched alongside a Vitae Annual Programme event exploring its findings.

The report confirms that doctoral graduates remain highly employable, with 91% in work 15 months after graduation and median earnings of £42,000, compared with £29,000 for first degree candidates at the same stage. It also shows the continued importance of doctoral skills across a wide range of sectors, with nearly 90% of graduates reporting that they use their doctoral skills in roles both within and outside higher education.

For institutions, funders and policymakers, the findings show the economic value of doctoral skills and the contribution doctoral graduates make across the wider economy. This evidence reinforces the importance of doctoral skills to the UK’s ambitions for growth, innovation and productivity. A policy brief on the findings will be published later in March, drawing together the key insights from the report.

Read the full report on the Vitae website

The RDF Planner 2025: launching soon

Mapped to the RDF 2025, the refreshed online planner tool will support and empower researchers to plan, track, and reflect on their professional development. Organised around the three domains: The Researcher, The Research and Research Communities, the planner supports researchers to self-assess their strengths, identify development areas and plan their next steps.

Updates to the Planner include clearer skills labelling and streamlined navigation, making it easier for researchers to record and organise their progress.

Learn more about the RDF Planner 2025 on our website and sign up for updates for when the Planner is launched.

UK leads Europe in 2025 Marie Skłodowska-Curie Postdoctoral Fellowships

Latest results from the Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions Postdoctoral Fellowships have been published. In 2025, 17,066 applications were submitted and 1,610 fellowships awarded, giving a success rate of around 9.6%. The UK secured 347 fellowships, the highest number of any participating country.

The results show the continued international competitiveness of UK research institutions in attracting postdoctoral researchers. The programme also supports researcher mobility, advanced training and international collaboration across Europe.

Vitae hosts the EURAXESS UK bridgehead, supporting researchers and institutions to engage with European funding and mobility opportunities. Please sign up to the EURAXESS UK newsletter or visit the EURAXESS UK website to receive updates and information on funding, training and collaboration opportunities for researchers.

Vitae Annual Programme events

Register your interest for our Annual Programme events and explore what’s upcoming:

View all Annual Programme 25-26 events

Vitae Generative AI workshops

Vitae is running two online workshops in March focused on the practical use of generative AI in researcher development. As AI tools become more embedded in research practice, those supporting researchers need to understand how they are being used across the research lifecycle and how to advise on the responsible, ethical and inclusive use of AI. These workshops explore practical applications of generative AI and aim to help build confidence in supporting researchers to integrate AI into their work.

  • ‘Generative AI Integration Across the Research Lifecycle’, Tuesday 10 March 2026, 10:00-13:00 GMT, online.
  •  ‘Leverage Your Practice with Generative AI’, Tuesday 17 March 2026, 10:00-13:00 GMT, online.

Book now – Vitae Generative AI workshops

Vitae Three Minute Thesis (3MT®) 2026 – register your interest

Register your interest now to receive updates for 2026’s Vitae Three Minute Thesis (3MT®) Competition. Further updates to follow.

Missed an event?

Members can catch up on all our previous events at: View past event recordings

Sector News

PGCC2 Report

The Office for Students (OfS) has published its third interim evaluation report on its AI and data science postgraduate conversion course scholarships programme, conducted by The Careers Research and Advisory Centre (CRAC) Limited.

The evaluation shows that the programme is successfully reaching priority groups and expanding the pipeline of AI and data science talent. The report findings show the role that targeted scholarships and conversion courses play in addressing digital skills shortages and improving diversity in key sectors. CRAC will produce a final evaluation report in 2026, providing further evidence on outcomes and lessons for widening participation and skills development in AI and data science.

Read the full interim report

Membership

Welcome to our new Vitae member the University of the Built Environment

Vitae are delighted to welcome the University of the Built Environment as a new Vitae member. Established in 1919, the University of the Built Environment is the leading online university in the built environment, providing accessible education and flexible degrees and apprenticeships in real estate, construction, planning, and architecture. We look forward to working with colleagues at the University of the Built Environment as part of the Vitae member community.

Do you support researchers? Become a 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.

View the benefits of Vitae membership

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