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

• HR Excellence in Research Award
• New RIEC Reps
• RDRC Courses
• Leadership in Action 2022
• Online Writing Groups for ECRs
• Software Engineering Surgeries
• Research Integrity & Ethics Surgeries
• Thinking about your Career
• ECR Christmas Quiz!
• Research Restart Update
• CEDAR Survey Results
• Research Grants and Funding
• Latest Events and Opportunities
• RLI Focus: Full STEAM Ahead
• USS Pension Talk
• and much more!

We realise that 2021 has been another challenging year for everyone and we hope that you are able to get some rest over the Christmas break and come back in the New Year refreshed.

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

Previous copies of Newsletters can be viewed by clicking 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.

Over the last couple of years our Research & Impact Executive Committee (RIEC) reps: Helen Eyles, Ben Gardner, MD Sharma and Clemens Ullman, have done a fantastic job as our reps on RIEC. However, their term is up and we are looking for new reps to represent the ECR community at RIEC. Below is a brief description of the role of ECR RIEC Rep:

• Represent the views of the ECR community at PGR/ECR RIEC specific RIECs
• Listen to the issues raised by the ECR community
• Chair the ECR LF meetings

If you wish to become a ECR RIEC Rep or would like further information please email the team on: researcherdevelopment@exeter.ac.uk. We have decided to extend the deadline to Friday 17 December 2021 as, while we have had some interest in the role, we still have a couple of spaces available for new RIEC reps.

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

ECR Core Programme:-

Writing Targeted Grant Proposals - 9/12/2021 (9 am - 10.30 am) 
The Health Resilient Researcher - 27/01/2022 (10.30 am - 2.30 pm)

New course/programme offerings will be announced in our January 2022 Newsletter – watch this space!

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.

Applications close on Wednesday 8 December 2021 at 12 noon.  For further information and to apply click here.

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!

Various dates in December and  the New Year are now available - all running 10 am - 12.30 pm - Click here to view dates and book your place/s.

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 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 15 December (9.30 am - 1 pm) and 12 January 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.

In addition to the monthly Introduction to Research Ethics webinar (further details below) the Research Ethics and Governance team, in conjunction with the Researcher Development and Research Culture team, are offering 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.

You can either attend a webinar first or book an appointment at one of our surgeries:-

- 11 January 2022 (1 timeslot remaining)
- 14 January 2022 (3 timeslots remaining)

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

'Introduction to Research Ethics Workshops' are delivered monthly online (12 noon - 1 pm).  To find out more and to book yourself a place click here.

NEW DATE FOR 1:2:1 APPOINTMENTS - MONDAY 6 DECEMBER 2021

Kate Foster, Careers Coach for Researcher Development and Research Culture, is offering an additional date in December for ECRs.  If you'd like to book yourself a 50-minute online timeslot to discuss your future career direction either within academia or beyond academia, please contact k.l.foster@exeter.ac.uk directly.  Timeslots are 9 am - 9.50 am; 10 am - 10.50 am; 11.30 am - 12.20 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.

Following on from the success of the ECR quiz in the summer, Dr Rebecca Whear is organising a Christmas QUIZ for all ECRs across all campuses!!  This will be held online on Wednesday 8 December 2021 (13:00-14:15).

SIGN UP HERE NOW!

If you have any questions, please contact Rebecca Whear directly (R.S.Whear@exeter.ac.uk)

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.

The CEDAR Survey was developed in 2019 by sector working groups, it replaces the long-running Careers in Research Online Survey (CROS) and Principal Investigators & Research Leaders Survey (PIRLS).

CEDARs integrates questions from the CROS and PIRLS surveys with new questions reflecting the principles of the revised Concordat to support the career development of Researchers, incorporating the environment, culture, professional development and employment of research staff and the experiences of their managers.

Click here for further details and to view the latest version of the report ie, the 2021 Aggregate results.​​​​​​

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.

Check out the Research Toolkit webpages for more opportunities.

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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Exeter Test Club - Next meeting
Tuesday 7 December (2-3 pm) via Zoom.
Zhivko Zhelev will be discussing the evaluation of AI systems using Machine Learning in screening programmes.

Join Zoom Meeting
https://Universityofexeter.zoom.us/j/96987685603?pwd=d3J6WnlUL2hOdVJFRkRSN0RXdkFydz09
Meeting ID: 969 8768 5603
Password: 153991

To find out more about the Test Club click here.

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SAD Spatial Analytics and Data Seminar Series
Tuesday 14 December 2021 (4-5 pm)
An international showcase of the best scholarship involving Geography and Data co-sponsored by The Alan Turing Institute, Newcastle University and the University of Bristol.  Register here.

For all the latest talks, workshops and events at The Turing Institute click here.

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Introduction to Research Ethics Workshop
Wed 15 December (12 noon - 1 pm) Online
This session will provide an introduction to 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.  Click here to find out more and to book your place.

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Next Disability Network Meeting Dates
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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Environmental Intelligence Conference
Thursday 16 and Friday 17 December 2021
The theme of this year's 2 day Environmental Intelligence conference is 'Beyond COP26: The Road to Net Zero'.  Join us for an exciting line-up of speakers who will showcase their work using transformative technologies to support the UK's Net Zero ambitions, as well as a session exploring opportunities to engage with, and support, the next generation of environmental and data scientists ('El Next Generation'). The Directors of the Joint Centre for Excellence in Environmental Intelligence will be your hosts. Click here for more information and to register.

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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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Develop Basic Technologies in Sensing and Imaging – UKRI
Closing date : 3 March 2022 (4 pm)
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.  Learn more and apply.

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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 dates and to book your place - click here.

This month we are shining the spotlight on the RLI (Researcher-led Initiative) which took place virtually back in May, and was organised by Psychology Lecturers, Dr Julie Pepper and Dr Kat Ashbullby. Julie writes: "The Researcher-Led Initiative Award was used to kickstart a “Full STEAM Ahead” network of PGRs/ECR’s at Exeter. They held an online 3-hour workshop in May. 18 participants from a range of subjects – maths, humanities, physics, engineering, medicine, psychology and computer science - attended. We hope we inspired the attendees to rethink the relationship between science and art and consider how they could use the arts in their work. We heard from Miss Cath Hale and Dr Will Stahl-Timmins. Cath, who is an exhibiting artist, shared her extensive experience in project management and University Knowledge Exchange. Will Stahl-Timmins, Information designer at The BMJ who describes himself as, “Transforming medical research data into visual treats,” shared his insights with us. Dr Houry Melkonian also introduced us to @Lego serious play."

Professor Neil Gow (Deputy Vice Chancellor for Research and Impact), Andrew Connolly (Head of Finance) and Professor Andrew McRae (Dean of the Doctoral College), recently held a talk on the changes to the USS pension scheme and how this may impact future careers. Thank you to all who attended this talk and for those unable to, a recording of the talk is available here.

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.

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. 

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.