The Concordat

The University of Leeds is committed to supporting the career progression of our research staff, with opportunities for professional and personal development.

We are signatory to the revised Concordat to Support the Career Development of Researchers, launched in September 2019.  This is an agreement between funders and employers of research staff to improve the employment and support for researchers.  It has 3 defining principles: Environment and Culture, Employment, and Career Development.

As we state in our sign up letter:

The University of Leeds has a sustained institutional commitment to provide an excellent working environment, which enables our research staff to fulfil their potential. We have an ambitious action plan, developed in partnership with our researchers, which aims to have a positive impact on both our research staff and the institution.

A scanned copy of the letter can be downloaded as a PDF.  The full Concordat to Support the Career Development of Researchers can be downloaded in PDF or MS Word format.

Our ongoing work to implement the principles of the Concordat led to us retaining the HR Excellence in Research award for 11 years, but following a consultation with our postdoctoral researchers, Early Career Researcher Development Steering Group and Research and Innovation Board, we have decided to withdraw from the HR Excellence in Research Award.  We will focus our efforts on embedding the Concordat ensuring researchers are at the core of our institutional plans as our activities to enhance our research environment evolve, in alignment with our strategic ambitions for Research Culture.

What does this mean for our researchers? 

The Concordat sets out the responsibilities for funders, institutions and your managers, so you will know what you can expect from each of these groups.  It also provides guidelines regarding the responsibilities you have in your own personal and professional development.  Details of the responsibilities for each group can be found on the information pages for researchers, managers and the institution.