Early Career Researchers Hub   :   ECR Training and Development

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

Spotlight On ...

ECR Researcher Development Programme

Learning and Development Opportunities: University of Exeter and Beyond

Research Grants, Funding & Competitions

Research Culture

Research & Researcher Networks

Research & Researcher Blogs

Organising an Event & Need Help?

Health, Wellbeing & Support

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

Previous copies of Newsletters can be viewed by clicking here. If you have something that you'd like to share in future Newsletters, click here for copy deadline dates as well as submission guidelines.

Responsible metrics is part of ensuring a fair and thriving research culture at our University. By using expert judgement and considering a variety of indicators – including qualitative – we can all ensure we are upholding our commitment to the San Francisco Declaration on Research Assessment.

Our Guiding Principles identify what you need to consider when using metrics and other indicators when assessing the research of others.

You can find out more about responsible metrics and what we’ve been doing at the University of Exeter to implement this, by reading our blog post or discovering our other resources to aid your decision making on our responsible metrics webpage.

The Researcher Development Core Training Programme for ECRs, is a development programme specifically designed for Early Career Research staff (i.e. staff on research contracts grades E to G), across all campuses of the University of Exeter. Upcoming courses:-

Focus Space - takes place virtually every Monday and Thursday (10 am - 12.30 pm).

Wednesday 26 July 2023 (10 am - 12.30 pm) and repeated on Thursday 27 July 2023 (10 am - 12.30 pm)
Closing date: Wednesday 19 July (9 am)

This focused learning activity, created especially for Early Career Researchers, will help you start to understand what leadership is, how you can lead authentically and how to get the best from the people around you.  This session is suitable for those with little or no leadership experience and for those who wish to refresh their knowledge and add to their leadership toolkit.

There are limited places, which will be allocated on a first come first served basis. Once your place has been confirmed you will receive details of how to join the live sessions.

Closing date: 12 Noon on Thursday 13 July.

Join us for a full day of protected productivity and anti-procrastination management techniques designed especially for people who want to get things done but find that life or work gets in the way of progress.

You are welcome to apply for one of three full-day, in-person, writing retreats facilitated by Dr Katy Mahoney, Researcher Coach, at Rodetal.

• 19 July – St Lukes Campus - (open to Exeter based colleagues only).
• 20 July – Streatham Campus - (open to Exeter based colleagues only).
• 21 July – Penryn Campus - (open to Cornwall based colleagues only).

Timings for all three sessions: 9 am – 5 pm.

There are limited places, which will be allocated on a first come first served basis. Once your place has been confirmed you will receive details of how to join the live sessions.

Unsure of your future career direction either within Academia or beyond Academia? Kenneth Howgill, (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.

Kenneth can offer advice and discuss how to manage and plan your career and has timeslots from July through until mid-September.  Should you wish to meet him before then, please contact ResearcherDevelopment@exeter.ac.uk.
 

Wednesday 5 July - Friday 28 July 2023.

Want to know more about sharing research software/code, preprints or publishing in open access? Register in the workshops that are being delivered by the University’s Open Research team, based in the Library. These workshops have been designed in the scope of the UK Reproducibility Network and are being offered to researchers from all career stages and disciplines.  For more information, please contact openaccess@exeter.ac.uk.

Thursday 6 July 2023 (11am-12.30pm)

The Network’s Mental Health and Education theme group are meeting on Thursday 6th July in Room 112, Baring Court, St Luke's Campus, to review potential research projects under these broad headings:

• Definitions and conceptualisations
• School mental health systems
• Mental health of school staff & school policy 
• Research methods and methodologies for mental health in schools
• Specific research questions (e.g. mental health screening in schools)

The meeting aims to:
• provide networking opportunities to identify mutual interests and potential interdisciplinary partnerships;
• select specific research ideas and begin to plan eg discussing formats- seminars, paper, bids;
• discuss practical funded support needed from the Network to advance them, such as future meetings and events.

Everyone is welcome, whether or not you’ve attended previous Network meetings. If you can’t attend but would like to keep in touch, please email cypwellbeing@exeter.ac.uk.

Thursday 13 July 2023 (1 pm – 2 pm).

For all staff working on climate science, policy and environmental research, please feel free to join a Climate Walk to explore your thoughts and feelings about the climate and ecological emergency in a welcoming, open and confidential setting.

To join a Climate Walk please book your place via this form. The meeting spot is the XFI Atrium in the Business School. The next walk will take place on Thursday 13 July, from 1 pm to 2 pm. Walk facilitators are trained by Climate Psychology Alliance. You are welcome to bring your lunch and a drink. For further information, please contact infoGSI@exeter.ac.uk.

Thursday 20 July 2023 (2pm-4pm)

This interdisciplinary workshop is hosted by The CYP Wellbeing @ Exeter Research Network and will provide the opportunity to learn about and experience a range of creative methods to engage children and young people in your work.

It’s taking place on Thursday the 20th of July from 2-4pm at St Luke’s in Baring Court room 112.

Spaces are limited due to size of the space, so please do register soon to secure your place.

If you have any queries, please contact cypwellbeing@exeter.ac.uk

We are a mixed group of academics, staff and PGR students looking for new members to join our floorball (indoor hockey) group. We play casually every Thursday 12 - 1 pm at the Streatham Sports Hall and are open to all. No prior experience is required, and all equipment is provided. If you would like to join or know more, please contact Ashley Bell.

The University has received funding to support the introduction of sustainable initiatives across our estate. This funding is supporting the work of four key workstreams, one of which is the introduction of a Funding Scheme available for the implementation of local projects or purchases in order to support the embedding of sustainable practices in both our teaching and research spaces.

The application will be reviewed by a panel of technical and sustainability staff. There is no specific deadline, as there is funding available for both 2022-2023 and 2023-2024. The panel will convene regularly to discuss new applications.

We have to ensure that any projects proposed for this financial year are able to be completed in this financial year (end of July), so make sure to consider lead-times when making your proposal.
For questions contact Emma McArdle (e.mcardle@exeter.ac.uk)

Tuesday 19 September 2023 (1.30 pm - 5 pm) - Online

Scriptoria's course in Grant Writing is tailored specifically for early-career researchers in the humanities and social sciences who are looking to build their track record and fund their independent research by winning their first small awards, fellowships and project grants or the next “level” of funding. No previous funding experience is required.

Research culture can be summed up as the shared experience of the behaviours, values and expectations of all those who contribute towards research. A positive research culture not only enables all researchers to thrive, but has wider benefits from the way research is conducted and communicated, to consequent impact in society.

Our new Research Culture SharePoint site provides information about how we support a positive and thriving research culture and includes examples of what our departments are doing to support research culture locally.

There is growing sector awareness about the importance of research culture and our funders are increasingly wanting to see what we do to support our research culture. In response, we have developed a Grants toolkit which can help you answer research culture questions for grant bids.

Fostering a positive research culture is a collective responsibility and we encourage you to join in the conversation on our Research Culture Viva Engage community.

Next meeting for your diary:-
Wednesday 19 July 2023 (10 am - 11 am).

The Network Meetings 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.  Action Notes from the last meeting held on Wednesday 11 January 2023 are below.

Next meeting for your diary:-
Tuesday 1 August 2023 (10 am - 11.30 am).

All ECRs can attend an 'ECR Liaison Forum' (ECR LF).  The LFs continue to develop and now act as a formal route for PGRs and ECRs within the ECR Networks to feed into University strategy. Dedicated ECR Reps feed ‘to and from’ the ECR Liaison Forums from several strategic boards, steering and working groups, including the Research and Impact Executive Committee (RIEC), and other steering and working groups such as the Concordat Steering Group. If you'd like to come along, simply email researcherdevelopment@exeter.ac.uk asking to be added to the ECR LF list and you will be invited to future meetings.

We are looking for PhD and Early Career researchers to contribute to Exeter’s Research & Innovation blog and write posts that are based on three questions about your work.  If you would like to find out more please email digitalteam@exeter.ac.uk.

We are currently updating and developing the ECR Hub webpages so that we can improve the information and support we provide you. Our aim is to make the Hub a one-stop-shop to help reduce the time you spend searching for key information and support, along with streamlining our communications to you.

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.

The University of Exeter is a member of the Employers’ Initiative on Domestic Abuse, a leading national charity in this field, whom we have worked with on our website guidance. We also have a network of trained 'Domestic Abuse Awareness Champions' available for colleagues to approach confidentially. If this is happening to you, please do confide in your manager. Together you can complete a ‘Support Assessment’ and there is ‘Guidance for Managers’ about this. There is also support via a dedicated external Independent Domestic Violence Advocate (IDVA) at First Light. Please do explore our website for all information and support available, including the domestic abuse hand signal (pictured). Please remember you are not alone.

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