Researcher Development Concordat

As part of our commitment to ensuring that our researchers experience the best employment, working environment and professional development experiences possible, St Andrews is participating in the Culture, Employment and Development in Academic Research Survey (CEDARS) between 30th May and 16th June 2023. To find out more and participate in this survey, visit the St Andrews CEDARS webpage. 

The Researcher Development Concordat (RDC) (also known as the 'Concordat to Support the Career Development of Researchers') is an agreement between stakeholders to improve the employment and support for researchers and researcher careers in higher education in the UK.

The three main principles of the Concordat are:

  • Environment and culture - Excellent research requires a supportive and inclusive ‌research culture
  • Employment - Researchers are recruited, employed and managed under conditions that recognise and value their contributions
  • Professional and career development - Professional and career development are integral to enabling researchers to develop their full potential

These principles are underpinned by obligations for the four key stakeholder groups, funders, institutions, researchers and managers of researchers, to realise the aims of the Concordat.

Committing to the Concordat

The University of St Andrews became a signatory to the Concordat on 14 December 2020 and has made a commitment to meet the signatory responsibilities. 

Concordat signatory responsibilities

As a signatory to the Concordat we have a responsibility to:

  1. Raise the visibility of the Concordat and champion its Principles within their organisation at all levels.

  2. Identify a senior manager champion and associated group with relevant representation from across the organisation with responsibility for annual review and reporting on progress.

  3. Ensure that researchers are formally represented in developing and monitoring organisational efforts to implement the Concordat Principles.

  4. Undertake a gap analysis to compare their policies and practice against the Concordat Principles.

  5. Draw up and publish an action plan within a year of signing the Concordat.

  6. Set up processes for systematically and regularly gathering the views of researchers they fund or employ, to inform and improve the organisation’s approach to and progress on implementing the Concordat.

  7. Produce an annual report to our governing body, which includes their strategic objectives, measures of success, implementation plan and progress, which subsequently is publicly available.

Further information