Researcher Development Concordat
The Researcher Development Concordat (RDC), also known as the Concordat to Support the Career Development of Researchers, is a national agreement between key stakeholders in UK higher education.
The Researcher Development Concordat Strategy Group (RDCSG) is the UK-wide governing body for the Researcher Development Concordat, with Nottingham Trent University acting as the secretariat. The RDC aims to improve the employment and support for researchers and their career development.
Key principles
The Concordat is based on three core principles:
- Environment and culture: excellent research depends on a supportive and inclusive research culture.
- Employment: researchers must be recruited, employed and managed in ways that recognise and value their contributions.
- Professional and career development: career development must be embedded to help researchers realise their full potential.
These principles are supported by responsibilities for four stakeholder groups: funders, institutions, researchers and managers of researchers.
Our commitment as a signatory
The University of St Andrews became a signatory on 14 December 2020. This means we have committed to taking action to uphold the Concordat’s principles. We will:
- champion the Concordat across all levels of the University
- appoint a senior manager champion and create an oversight group with broad representation
- ensure researchers are formally involved in monitoring and planning our actions
- complete a gap analysis of our policies and practice
- publish an action plan within one year of signing
- regularly gather researchers' views to inform progress
- report annually to our governing body, including our objectives, implementation plan and results
Annual report
Our latest Annual Report for the Concordat to Support the Career Development of Researchers (Word) was submitted to the governing body on Wednesday 29 October 2025.
CEDARS survey
CEDARS (Culture, Employment and Development in Academic Research Survey) is a national survey run every two years by Vitae. It gathers feedback from researchers about their experiences of employment, professional development and career progression.
The survey is based on the principles of the Researcher Development Concordat and is part of the University’s commitment to fostering a positive and inclusive research culture.
HR Excellence in Research
The HR Excellence in Research award recognises our commitment to supporting researchers with positive working conditions, career development, and alignment with best practice frameworks.
The University of St Andrews has held this award since May 2012, which is reviewed every two years and successfully retained each time.
The award is given to institutions that show:
- alignment with the European Charter for Researchers and the Code of Conduct for Recruitment
- full implementation of related policies
- adherence to UK Quality Code (QAA) standards for research degrees
Maintaining the award and governance
The University maintains the HR Excellence in Research Award through regular review, reflection and action planning aligned with the principles of the Researcher Development Concordat.
Progress is guided by an evolving action plan, developed in consultation with researchers and reviewed both internally and externally. This ensures the University continues to meet sector expectations and responds to the changing needs of research staff.
Further information
You can find more details and supporting materials below:
- The Concordat to support the Career Development of Researchers
- Researchers' principles
- Managers of researchers' principles
Links to external sites and information
The University is not liable for external web content and may not be aware when this content is changed or removed.