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Welcome to this month's ECR Newsletter where you will find information on the following opportunities:

• RDRC Courses
• GW4 Crucible 2022
• Online Writing Groups for ECRs
• 1:2:1 Careers Appointments
• Responsible Metrics
• Latest Events and Opportunities
• Black History Month
• RLI Focus: Women in Data Seminar Series
• and much more!

Please direct any questions you may have to researcherdevelopment@exeter.ac.uk.

Previous copies of Newsletters can be viewed by clicking here.

All courses are delivered online (please click on the course title for info and to book your place).

ECR Core Programme:-

Software Engineering Surgeries - 13/10/2021 (9.30 am - 1 pm)
Overcoming Imposter Syndrome - 18/10/2021 (9.30 am - 12.30 pm)
Research Integrity and Ethics Surgeries - 21/10/2021 (12 noon - 2 pm)
How to Manage Your Career - 26/10/2021 (10 am - 12 noon) 
Peer Reviewing Research Papers - 27/10/2021 (9.30 am - 10.30 am)
Planning a Fellowship Proposal - 2/11/2021 (10 am - 4.30 pm)
Mapping and Marketing Your Skills - 9/11/2021 (11 am - 12.30 pm)
Software Engineering Surgeries - 11/11/2021 (1 pm - 4.30 pm)
Networking for Researchers - 16/11/2021 (11 am - 12 noon)
Research Integrity and Ethics Surgeries - 17/11/2021 (10 am - 12 noon)
Questionnaire Design - a very basic introduction - 18/11/2021 (2 pm - 3.30 pm)
Applying for Academic Jobs - 23/11/2021 (11 am - 1 pm) 
Doing Research with Artists - 23/11/2021 (2 pm - 3.30 pm)
Writing World Leading & Impactful Research Papers - 24/11/2021 (9 am - 10.30 am)
Applying for Jobs Beyond Academia - 30/11/2021 (10 am - 12 noon) 
Doing Research with Artists - 7/12/2021 (10.30 am - 11.30 am)
Writing Targeted Grant Proposals - 9/12/2021 (9 am - 10.30 am) 

Research & Innovation Essentials Series:

What Makes for High Quality Public Engagement with Research - 25/11/21 (10.30 am - 12.30 pm) 

The GW4 Alliance (GW4) is a consortium of four of the most research-intensive and innovative universities in the UK: Bath, Bristol, Cardiff and Exeter. The only research alliance to collaborate across England and a devolved administration.

The GW4 Crucible brings together 30 competitively selected future research leaders to explore how you can enhance your career by working with researchers in other disciplines on a themed research topic.

This year’s Crucible topic is: Building back better: interdisciplinary approaches to Mental Health and Wellbeing research

GW4 Crucible 2022 offers an opportunity for future research leaders to come together to generate innovative, multifaceted responses to the global challenges of poor mental health and wellbeing enabling individuals and communities to ‘build back better’.

This year’s Crucible will foster conversations and collaborations between future research leaders across a broad range of disciplines. If you are a GW4 researcher with an interest in or expertise applicable to addressing mental health, wellbeing and mental illness, GW4 want to hear from you!

GW4 Crucible is an excellent opportunity for you to consider new approaches to your research and its impact, to enhance your leadership potential and career development, and to network with peers and experts from across GW4 and beyond.

Find out more and how to apply by clicking here.

The deadline for expressions of interest is 31st October 2021 (23:59).
The final deadline for completed applications is 14th November 2021 (23:59).

For further information about GW4 Crucible 2022 and to discuss the application process, contact Dr Chris Wood, Head of Researcher Development and Research Culture, University of Exeter.

GW4 Crucible Alumni and postdoctoral research fellow at the University of Exeter, Dr Andrew Jones, described the 2020 programme as: ‘Incredibly rewarding; I have left with many new friends and collaborators, and a confidence to develop successful interdisciplinary networks building on the leadership skills I have learnt from the GW4 Crucible Programme.’

Struggling to find time to write?

Feeling guilty about putting time to yourself?

Would you benefit from support from peers?

Then join the regular online Writing Groups - various dates in September and October are available - all running 10 am - 12.30 pm - Click here to view dates and book your place/s.

Here's what Dr Anna Adlam wrote following her first session last month:

"I joined the Researcher Development writing group this morning and spent 2.5 hours of uninterrupted time focusing on a manuscript that I have been feeling ‘stuck’ on for a (long!) while. The time went quickly but I made progress and have overcome the ‘stuck-ness’ that I was feeling. For me, having others writing at the same time helped me to feel a sense of accountability and community. Also, having the facilitator set the timer (25mins, 45mins x2, 10mins) helped to make my writing process more efficient. I will definitely be signing up for more of these sessions and hopefully will develop a ‘writing habit’ as a result."

These sessions provide the perfect space for you to 'give yourself permission' to write!

We are looking to expand our team of facilitators so if you would like to find out more about becoming a facilitator please contact ResearcherDevelopment@exeter.ac.uk.

These surgeries are new for ECRs and are due to run monthly by the University’s new Research Software Engineers (RSEs) Group. The University has created a centralised RSE group that will assist our research community with more complex and bespoke research software needs. The RSE group is part of the Institute for Data Science and Artificial Intelligence.

The software surgeries provide an opportunity to discuss with a member of the RSE team any coding issues, software development tasks, or other research software problems or ideas you have. For example:-

• Discuss bugs or problems you are having, and approaches to finding a solution;
• Get some guidance on how to design and approach your coding tasks;
• Understand the next steps and places to go for getting additional help or working with the RSE team in the long term.

The first surgery will be held on 13th October, from 9.30-13.00 and will then alternate between afternoons and mornings; afternoon surgeries will run from 13.00-16.30. Appointments are 30 minutes and need to be booked in advance.

To book your place, complete this short form.  Once submitted, you will receive an auto-reply with an MS Bookings link where you can book yourself a timeslot.

Autumn/Winter Dates Available!!

Unsure of your future career direction either within Academia or beyond Academia? Kate Foster, (Careers Coach for Researcher Development and Research Culture), is available to offer 1:2:1 Career coaching appointments for ECRs.  50 minute online appointments are available for you to book on by clicking here.

Kate can offer advice and discuss how to manage and plan your career.

If there are no timeslots available please contact ResearcherDevelopment@exeter.ac.uk.

"I would just like to thank you (Kate) so much for all of the support that you provided over the last couple of years. Your appointments and your comments on my application were incredibly helpful" quote from Dr Lewis Ireland on who successfully landed himself the position as Senior Scientific Consultant at the Met Office! Congratulations Lewis, we all wish you the very best in your new role! :)

Do you care that your research is assessed fairly, in its entirety and not based on narrow measures such as where you have published or how many times you have been cited? Responsible metrics is about ensuring that our research culture celebrates all research and research outputs and looks beyond blunt quantitative measures to assess quality. As a signatory to the San Francisco Declaration on Research Assessment (DORA), we are looking for PGRs and ECRs to join our Responsible Metrics Champions Group, in order to help ensure that this important agenda translates into our own university policy and practice. Those in the early stages of their research career have the most to gain from responsible metrics, so we’re keen to ensure that we have PGRs and ECRs represented on the group. If you’d like to find out more, or think you may be interested in joining the group, please contact Becky Euesden r.s.euesden@exeter.ac.uk.

IP Workshop for Exeter Researchers - Thursday 7 October 2021 (10 - 11 am)

This workshop will focus on Intellectual Property (IP) in the context of research commercialisation and is open to academic staff and PGRs.  It will focus on the key categories of intellectual property and some key considerations for the commercialisation and disclosure of research. The aim of the workshop is to enlighten the researchers on when IP arises, the rights relating to the same and to get the researchers thinking about some of the protective steps and actions that can be put in place to mitigate the risk of IP infringement, misuse and non-ownership.

This workshop is aimed at all researchers at the university but is particularly relevant for those of you considering commercialising your research into a product, service or initiative.  For more information and to book your place click here.

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World Mental Health Day - Sunday 10 October 2021.
The University has collated some amazing colleague wellbeing tips and inspiration surrounding this year’s World Mental Health Day theme: Mental Health in an Unequal World. Click here to be inspired!

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Welcome to the University - Tuesday 12 October 2021 (2 pm - 3 pm)
The Welcome to the University event forms part of the University's onboarding procedure.  Effective onboarding is an important and valuable part of ensuring real benefit to you, as a new member of staff at the University. The Welcome event provides an overview of the University, its strategic direction, its governance structure and key aspects of working here.  To book your place click here.

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Protecting Nature – Improving Our Health - Wednesday 13 October 2021 (7 pm - 8 pm) 
Increasing evidence is showing that the benefits of spending time in nature extend beyond ‘feeling good’ to longer term improvements in our physical and mental health and wellbeing. During this online event, we will take a deep dive into the benefits nature provides us and what this means for how we protect the natural world, with perspectives from science, policy, practice and the arts. Stimulating thinking and debate around the health benefits of protecting the natural environment, this event aims to raise awareness and foster a sense of empowerment for action.  Click here to register.

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Introduction to research ethics workshop
Organised by the Research Ethics and Governance Team, this session is relevant for all researchers regardless of career stage and for new Departmental/Discipline Ethics Officers, Research Ethics Committee members, reviewers and administrators.

It will introduce theoretical frameworks and codes of practice, the principles of research ethics, the process of research ethics review and provide an opportunity for researchers to reflect on the ethical implications of their work.

The sessions are monthly, 12:00-13:00 via Microsoft Teams and the next one is 20th October 2021 - click here for more information and to book your place.

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Opportunity to join UK Committee on Research Integrity - Closing Date for Applications 22.10.21 (9 am)

We have been advised that the UK Committee on Research Integrity (CORI), established to promote research integrity, has opened for applications for Chair and members.  This is a great opportunity to join the inaugural UK CORI and influence, at a national level, this critical area. UK CORI is being hosted by UKRI for three years.  To find out more about the roles and how to apply, visit their website.

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2021 Research Methods e-Festival - Innovation, adaptation and evolution of the social sciences
The University of Exeter and Exeter Q-Step Centre are partners in the National Centre for Research Methods -- the UKRI funded national consortium for social science research methods training. Each year they host a festival of research methods showcasing innovative methods, offering short training sessions in methods and creating opportunities for expanding your methodological tool kit. The methods and approaches cover everything from autoethnography to using Twitter data and beyond. Workshops and presentations are suitable for PGT, PGRs, early career researchers and beyond.

Keynote addresses include Professor Noshir Contractor (Northwestern) and Professor Trisha Greenhalgh (Oxford). There are sessions on in-depth interview by phone, ethnography and arts based methods. This year it will be an e-festival so please do join. Sign up for a session or two or more here - The cost for the entire festival is £10.

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New UKRI Open Access Policy
The new UKRI (UK Research and Innovation) open access policy has been launched and it applies to research articles and conference proceedings (with an ISSN) submitted from Friday 1 April 2022 and longer form outputs published from 2024.

A briefing session about the policy will be delivered by the Open Research team, via Microsoft Teams, on Tuesday 26 October (10 -10:45am). For those who cannot attend, there will be another session on Wednesday 17 November (1:30-2:15pm).  Contact openaccess@exeter.ac.uk for more information.

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Translational Research Exchange @ Exeter (TREE) seed corn funding
This online event will launch the latest Seed corns and is open to all researchers, academics and clinicians who want to find out more about our seed corn funding. The deadline for the next round of applications is 17 November 2021. Here you can find out about available funding, collaboration opportunities, application advice and project suitability, as well as speaking to people who have taken part in previous seed corn projects.  Click here to register.

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Government Consultation - Proposals to Reform Flexible Working Regulations - Deadline 1.12.21
The Government has launched a consultation seeking views from individuals and businesses on proposals to reform flexible working regulations as part of their plans to modernise the way we work. The consultation looks at a range of flexible working methods such as job-sharing, flexitime, compressed, annualised and staggered hours, as well as phased retirement – not just working from home.

You can respond to the consultation on the government’s website before it closes at 11.45 pm on Wednesday 1 December 2021.

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Next Disability Network Meeting Dates
24 November 2021 (1-2 pm)
15 December 2021 (1-2 pm)

For accessibility information & the meeting links, please email disabilitynetwork@exeter.ac.uk. All welcome to attend, including allies, and it will be an open discussion.

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Scenes of Shame and Stigma in COVID-19 Seminar Series - online events June - December 2021
This seminar Series, organized at the University of Exeter as part of the UKRI-AHRC funded ‘Scenes of Shame and Stigma in COVID-19’ project, addresses the key role that shame and stigma have played in the COVID-19 public health crisis. With talks from established and emerging experts in sociology, anthropology, history and public health, this interdisciplinary seminar series examines the effects of shame and stigma during the pandemic, considering topics such as national responses, professional practice in medicine, community resilience, public health policy and BAME experience. For find out dates and book your place - click here.

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The University of Exeter Research Toolkit offers several internal funding schemes which can be accessed by clicking here.

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Postdoc Futures
Created from the committee who organised National Postdoc Appreciation Week (NPAW), Postdoc Futures is a “grassroots” initiative that is in communication with Wellcome and UKRI to help shape a better future for Postdocs, and create a more consistent policy structure across all institutions for Postdocs. Postdoc Futures is looking for ECRs from Exeter to be part of this group, give their views as well as represent the views of ECRs at Exeter. If you are interested in being on the Postdoc Futures group please email: researcherdevelopment@exeter.ac.uk.

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UKRO Services: Available To All Colleagues
The UKRI are based in Brussels and they help researchers and organisations to get EU-funded research. UKRO provides the UK research community with information on all European funding opportunities for research and higher education as they arise, as well as information, practical advice, guidance and training to ensure that those who participate are fully equipped with the knowledge and skills needed to write successful applications and to manage European projects. The University of Exeter are subscribers and, as an employee, you can access UKRO's EU funding news services and Horizon Europe factsheets. Sign up for regular access to the UKRO Portal and regular news updates.

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Fellowship Advice!
Click here to open a very useful Sway which gives information and advice on fellowships (based on feedback received by an academic).

Black History Month and the spotlight is on black researchers - visit this Sway to connect with stories and experiences from black researchers.

This month we are shining the spotlight on the RLI (Researcher-led Initiative) which took place virtually back in July as two seminar series, and was organised by Meghan Plumridge. Meghan writes: "As researchers, we dream of helping to solve the world’s problems. Data holds the key to understanding the urgent global issues our world is facing, so it’s no surprise that data-related jobs present the fastest growing industry in the world. But there is a big problem in the world of big data. According to The Alan Turing Institute “women represent 47% of the workforce, yet hold less than 17% of all available tech jobs.” Click on the sessions below to listen to the two guest speakers sharing their stories:
Session 1 - Dr Monique Kuglittsch.
Session 2 - Dr Anjali Mazumder

Early Career Research Networks (ECRNs) are designed to help support our Early Career Researchers in the beginning stages of their career. The ECRNs are designed to help raise awareness of new developments in a particular field: new tools, processes, leaders, training programs, and services. They are also an opportunity for collaborative problem solving and to get advice from other Early Career Researchers. To find out more about the Networks and who your Network Rep is click here.

You can also get the latest Concordat updates and events by signing up to their newsletter when registering with their website.

Already registered and want to receive Vitae News? Contact Vitae direct

See the latest news update on the Concordat here.

We have published a range of guidance, checklists and the University travel policy for colleagues planning on travelling for work or study. The information covers both international travel and trips within the UK. Find out more click here. 

Library Search is your key gateway into the print and electronic resources available to you via the Library. It is available 24/7 from your desktop or device, wherever in the world you are located.

It will enable you to find recommended readings and search across a wide range of full text resources to discover materials on your research topics.

If you're organising an event and don't know where to start, take a look at the Corporate Events webpage where you will find lots of useful information and advice including an Events Planning Toolkit!  If you would like to contact the Events Team for further advice email eventenquiries@exeter.ac.uk.

Find out how the University can support Early Career Researchers by clicking here.  The page includes support from the University, Spectrum.Life as well as a list of networks to support staff wellbeing.