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We hope you have had a safe and restful break.

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

• RDRC Courses
• Online Writing Groups for ECRs
• Doing Research with Artists - drop in session
• Software Engineering Surgeries
• Research Integrity and Ethics Surgeries
• Thinking about your Career
• Responsible Metrics and how to get involved
• Research and Innovation Blog Request
• Contribute to the Research Network Toolbox
• Research Restart Update
• Research Grants and Funding
• Data Protection in Social Sciences and Humanities Research Practice – Useful Resources
• Latest Events and Opportunities
• RLI Focus: Building a Cross-College ECR Community through DICE Training
• and much more!

We hope you've been able to stay safe during the holidays and that 2022 will be kind to us all.

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:-
The Health Resilient Researcher - 27/01/2022 (10.30 am - 2.30 pm)
Applying for Academic Jobs - 15/03/2022 (10 am - 12 noon)
Applying for Jobs Beyond Academia - 22/03/2022 (11 am - 1 pm)
Getting Stuff Done - 30/03/2022 (9 am - 10.30 am)
Research Culture from the Bottom Up - 06/04/2022 (10.30 am - 2 pm)
Planning a Fellowship Proposal - 05/05/2022 (10 am - 4.30 pm)

Research and Innovation Essentials Series:-
Consultancy and Contract Research - 20/01/2022 (1-2 pm)
EU Funding Opportunities from the Horizon Europe Programme  - 02/02/2022 (12.15 - 1.45 pm)
Open Research - Publications, data and beyond - 03/02/2022 (9.30 am - 11 am)
Consultancy and Contract Research - 03/02/2022 (1 pm - 2 pm)

If you register for any of our above sessions, it is expected that you will attend. If you are not able to attend please log in to the ‘iTrent’ online system to remove your name from the relevant activity before it is due to take place. You will be expected to attend for the whole session and for ease of administration, attendance registers will be taken at the end of each session. Should you need to leave a session early or you experience ongoing technical issues, please email ResearcherDevelopment@exeter.ac.uk.

These online ECR group sessions are dedicated support spaces to enable ECRs to work on their own (be that writing a paper, a report, data analysis, reading, a specific task), with support from a facilitator. Time is structured into a series of work and discussion slots, to encourage productivity and sharing of practice. These sessions allow you to block out some time for whatever you are working on, without distractions! You can attend for as long as you need to!

Various dates in January and February are now available - all running 10 am - 12.30 pm - Click here for dates and details of how to join this group.  

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.

This drop-in session on Wednesday 19 January 2022 (2.30 - 3.30 pm) is for ECRs wanting to work with creative practitioners in their research but are unsure where to start, or what the process involves.  Sarah Campbell, Associate Director for Arts and Culture will be on hand to guide you through how to progress your idea about working with artists and who to ask for help.  To find out more and to register, click here.

These surgeries are new for ECRs and 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 next surgeries will be held on Wednesday 9 February 2022 (9.30 am - 1 pm) and Wednesday 9 March 2022 (1 pm - 4.30 pm). 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.

The Research Ethics and Governance team, in conjunction with the Researcher Development and Research Culture team, are offering two further monthly Research Ethics Surgeries for ECRs.

These 1:1, 20 minute drop-in surgeries provide an opportunity to discuss any queries, concerns or issues that you may have relating to all aspects of good practice in research, research integrity and ethics.
This could include consideration of the ethical implications of your research project and future research direction, review of your ethics application, identifying regulations and external approval routes for your research where relevant, discussing concerns on research integrity or queries on, for example, authorship, data management and open research practices.

The surgeries are on:

-  Monday 7 February 2022 (afternoon)
-  Thursday 17 March 2022 (morning)

To book yourself a surgery timeslot please email a request to ResearcherDevelopment@exeter.ac.uk.

As a reminder, you may be interested in enrolling on the following online courses, facilitated by the Researcher Development Careers Coach, Kate Foster:- 

Applying for Academic Jobs - 15/03/2022 (10 am - 12 noon)
Applying for Jobs Beyond Academia - 22/03/2022 (11 am - 1 pm)

Career Support – self-paced online career management programme for researchers:
In addition to the 1:1 coaching and career related workshops and webinars we offer, you may be interested in the Career Management for Early Career Academic Researchers MOOC which is now open until July 2022.

Career Management for Researchers is a bespoke online course developed by specialist researcher careers consultants at the universities of Edinburgh, Glasgow and Sheffield. It has been designed for research staff and PhD students who are exploring their career options and preparing for the next stage in their career, whether in academia or beyond. It is a 4 part/week course designed to address key career issues pertinent to researchers. Each week the course content provides a range of articles, videos, reflective activities, exercises and discussion topics. Researchers are encouraged to set aside 3 hours to complete all of the content available each week.

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.

Dr Rebecca Whear organised and ran a very successful Christmas Quiz for ECRs on 8 December.  All contestants received a prize of a Devon Hamper! Congratulations to all those who took part and hope you enjoyed your delicious prizes!

Marketing, Recruitment, Communications & Global is looking for PhD and Early Career researchers to contribute to the Research & Innovation blog and write posts that are based on three questions about your work.

The posts need to be between 300 - 750 words in total and should be aimed at a general (ie, non-specialist) audience. This is a great opportunity to promote your research as well as inspiring others by talking about your research journey and aspirations. For more information, please email l.f.cronin@exeter.ac.uk.

The Researcher Networks Working Group is seeking the Vitae community’s collective knowledge and examples of practice, including case studies, to be included in a ‘Toolbox for developing and sustaining effective Researcher Networks’.

To find out more and to submit a case example for the ‘Researcher Networks Toolbox’ initiative, click here.

The deadline for submissions is the 31 January 2022.

Professor Neil Gow (DVC Research and Impact), recently emailed all Research Staff with an update on research restart plans.  To keep up-to-date with the latest changes to the current offsite research please visit the University Travel pages.  Red list countries will be reviewed on a 3-week basis by the Government. If a country is registered as red listed then it will require research restart approval followed by approval from Gold. The approval routes for travel along with guidance for completing your research restart application can be found on the University Travel pages.

TREE Carer Support funding - Deadline - on a rolling basis until all awards allocated.
The Translational Research Exchange @ Exeter has Carer Support funding available. The aim of the funding is to support academic staff with caring responsibilities whose career development has been adversely affected as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. Click here for more information.

L'Oréal-UNESCO For Women in Science UK & Ireland Rising Talent Awards 2022 - Extended deadline 20 January 2022 (5 pm)
Five outstanding early-career women scientists will be awarded a fully flexible grant of £15,000 to enable them to further their careers and research in the fields of Physical Sciences; Engineering; Mathematics and Computer Science; Life Sciences and Sustainable Development.  To find out more and to apply, click here.

UKRI | develop basic technologies in sensing and imaging
Apply for funding to develop early-stage technologies in sensing and imaging. You must be based at an eligible UK organisation and must collaborate with organisations from other disciplines. Your project must have two co-principal investigators from different research areas.
Closing date: 3 March 2022 (16:00 GMT)
Learn more and apply

AUK-BLF Grant Rounds - Deadlines Extended
Due to the disruptions caused by the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic deadlines have been extended for the majority of our currently open grant rounds.  For more information visit the Asthma UK or British Lung Foundation websites, or contact research@blf.org.uk.

Check out the Research Toolkit webpages for more opportunities.

The Ethics and Legality in Digital Arts and Humanities (ELDAH) working group of the Digital Research Infrastructure for the Arts and Humanities (DARIAH-EU) has created the Consent Form Wizard to support EU humanities researchers in GDPR compliance.

The DARIAH ELDAH Consent Form Wizard (CFW) is a tool which supports humanities researchers in obtaining valid consent for data processing in the context of their specific professional activity. Based on an online questionnaire, the system generates a consent form template, which observes the Articles of the GDPR. The CFW does not provide formal legal advice though.  To find out more click here.

UKRI new open access policy briefing session
Tuesday 18 January (11 am - 11.45 am)
Join the Open Research team for a briefing session about the new UKRI open access policy, which applies to articles submitted from 1 April 2022 and long form outputs published from 1 January 2024. Register here.

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Introduction to Research Ethics Workshop
Wednesday 19 January 2022 (12 noon - 1 pm)
This online one-hour session is relevant for all researchers, regardless of career stage. Click here to find out more.

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Measuring Lifestyle Behaviours & Health Impacts with Wearable Technology
Wednesday 26 January 2022 (4.30 pm - 5.30 pm)
This webinar will look at why wearable devices are becoming more common in health and population surveillance. We will discuss how they can be used to measure patient lifestyle remotely and provide detailed insights into behaviour, physical activity, and sleep patterns.  By the end of the webinar, you will have a greater understanding of the capabilities of wearable devices and their impact on health measures.  For more information and to register click here.

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Social Media Training for ECRs and Academics – Booking Now Open!
From social media ethics and codes of conduct, to implementation strategies for posting research online and creating meaningful industry links and collaborations.  Each session is designed to equip you with the practical techniques and learnings you require to confidently raise awareness of your own work, increase citations and build profile through the use of social media. The workshops will draw upon the University of Exeter’s own academics along with speakers from outside of the sector to provide expert perspectives to using social media for reputation purposes.

To register your place, please select the workshop(s) most suitable for your individual learning requirements:
 
Social Media Training for Academics - Beginners’ Session - Wed 2 February 2022 (12.15 pm - 2.30 pm)
For academics who are new to social media or are beginning their social  journey.
Book your place and Agenda.

Social Media Training for Academics - Intermediate/Advanced Session - Tues 8 February 2022 (12.15 pm - 2.30 pm)
For academics who are regular to advanced users of social media.
Book your place and Agenda.

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Early Career Fellowships
For Early Career Researchers, with a research record but who have not yet held a full-time permanent academic post, to undertake a significant piece of publishable work.  Fellowships can be held at universities or at other institutions of higher education in the UK.  The Fellowships are intended to assist those at a relatively early stage of their academic careers, and it is hoped that the appointment would lead to a more permanent position for the individual, either within the same or another institution.  Opens - 1 January 2022.  Deadline - 24 February 2022. Decision - May 2022.  Find out more by clicking here.

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AI UK
22 - 23 March 2022
The Institute will be hosting their flagship two-day conference AI UK, showcasing the latest developments in artificial intelligence (AI) research, applied  to the most pressing challenges across multiple disciplines. Click here to find out more.

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NCRM/Exeter Computational Communication Methods Spring School
6 - 14 April 2022
Researchers interested in computational social science will be given the chance to learn new skills at a spring school in April 2022.

The NCRM/Exeter Computational Communication Methods Spring School will provide training at introductory and advanced levels, catering for both social scientists and data scientists.  To find out more and to apply click here.

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Clinical Secondments for Researchers with Quantitative Skills
The University of Exeter is offering great secondment opportunities to researchers with quantitative skills from any organisations wishing to work on a short research project.  For more information and to find out how to apply, click here.

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Events for Curious Minds - Agile Rabbit
Agile Rabbit puts on events, normally on the last Thursday of the month, about issues that matter: ideas, culture, global affairs, and the natural and scientific world. They are an opportunity to be in the room with some of the greatest minds in the world—and have a conversation.  For more information, click here.

This month we are shining the spotlight on the RLI (Researcher-led Initiative) which took place virtually back in June, and was organised by Dr Bethany Roberts, Dr Daniel Derbyshire,  Dr Musarrat Maisha Reza and Oliver Young based on a training workshop for Early Career Researchers on unconscious bias and micro-aggressions. This was a collaboration between the College of Medicine and Health (CMH) and the Business School (UEBS), working with the Race Equality Officer and the Chief Diversity Officer respectively.  They worked with an external company called BCohCo Ltd, whose ethos is Building Cohesive Communities together.  Any ECRs wishing to join the ECR Equality, Diversity and Inclusion group formed as a result of this training, please contact Beth or Dan.

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 your peers. To find out more about the Networks and who your Network Rep is click here.

The University of Exeter’s long-term commitment to nurturing and developing the career development of its researchers has been recognised through a prestigious international award.
Exeter is one of eight UK institutions who have retained their HR Excellence in Research award given by Vitae, the global leader in supporting the professional development of researchers.
The HR Excellence in Research Award is an important mechanism for implementing the principles of the Concordat to Support the Career Development of Researchers.

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.

This COVID quick reference guide. This has been developed to help colleagues find key pieces of COVID 19 information and links quickly. It also includes information on what will happen in the event of COVID 19 case(s).

Please remember to check the University Travel Policy for Colleagues before booking any travel for work purposes.  Due to the ongoing uncertainty and changes surrounding the pandemic, our travel advice is regularly updated and therefore might change. The information covers both international travel and trips within the UK. Find out more click here. If you have any concerns, please do contact researchrestart@exeter.ac.uk and the research restart panel will be happy to discuss any bespoke issues that require further support and consideration.

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.

Colleague Grief and Bereavement Group
The University Chaplaincy and Staff Wellbeing teams have launched a Colleague Grief and Bereavement Group - a support network for colleagues experiencing any form of Grief or Bereavement. The group is a safe space for sharing/listening and practical/reflective activities, rather than a counselling environment. We have now set dates for groups at both campuses until the end of the year. Please click here to find out more and register your interest in attending. This group is open to all staff regardless of your worldview or religious faith. Further support is available here.

Spectrum Life
If you’re finding things tough at the moment, please don’t forget we can all make use of our free and completely confidential Employee Assistance Programme, Spectrum Life, available 24/7 365 days a year for you, your partner or spouse and any dependents over the age of 16, still living at home.