Learning and Development support for all Research
Active Staff at Warwick focuses on five main areas:
 Career Development
 Enterprise &
Entrepreneurship
 Equality & Diversity
 Leadership
 Skills
Please contact Sandy Sparks:
Sandra.Sparks@warwick.ac.uk with any queries or to discuss your needs.
Visit the website for Research
Active Staff (below) for information on current support.
Warwick is one of only 72 institutions who have demonstrated their continued commitment to researcher development by retaining the
European Commission’s HR Excellence in
Research Award at the two year stage.
What does it mean for researchers?
The HR Excellence in Research logo informs researchers that Warwick is committed to supporting their careers.
There are a number of benefits to organisations with this award, for example it can add value to funding applications to demonstrate a commitment to good working conditions and career development for research staff.
Read Warwick’s Two Year Report, an updated action plan on progress and a new action plan going forward at: http://www2.warwick.ac.uk/services/equalops/ hrexcellence/
 Leadership Support
Programmes
 Career Development
Support
 Funding
Opportunities

Having enjoyed six years as a member of research staff in the
Chemistry Department at
Warwick, Helen Willcock has recently taken up a new position as Lecturer in Polymer Science at
Loughborough University.
Helen wished to share some of her thoughts on the training and support on offer for research active staff through LDC.
“ I thoroughly enjoyed all my time at
Warwick and I appreciated all of the opportunities that LDC has given me: training; the chance to be a member of the research staff forum; and perhaps most importantly the chance to be able to apply for ‘small’ pots of money (Roberts funding, Enterprise and Entrepreneurship funding, etc).
These ‘small’ pots of money allowed me to both travel to conferences and arrange conferences, improving my profile within the university, nationally and internationally. In the most recent instance they allowed me to undertake a research project with the University of Nottingham and my industrial partner (BP), culminating in a publications that is currently being drafted.
These things have really made a difference to me as a person, as a researcher and vitally to my CV. This meant that I was not only successful in my application for an internal promotion (Senior Research Fellow), but I was able to secure an independent and permanent position as Lecturer at Loughborough university.
So—a heartfelt thanks go to Sandy and the LDC team at the University of
Warwick. Your help and support was vital in enabling me to succeed!”
This fund is to support staff with caring responsibilities, by contributing towards the costs of providing support to enable staff to attend conference / workshops etc.
The budget for the fund is £2000, and awards for each individual application are capped at £100. Staff are allowed to submit more than one application per year.
For further details visit: http://www2.warwick.ac.uk/services/ equalops/athena/ warwickconferencesupportawards/
Examples of support provided include:
 Female European staff member needing to attend a conference: contribution to flight for her parent to come and look after her child to enable her to attend the conference
 Professional Staff Member to attend workshop / conference on a non-working day: contribution to the train travel of her mother to come up to assist with child care
 Request from academic parents both attending the same conference: to contribute towards the travel of the child getting to the conference
Quotes from the support and how it helped staff :
“ I have not given an oral presentation in an international conference located outside of the UK since before having my children. This is an excellent opportunity to forge new networks with international collaborators.”
“Attending this conference was highly beneficial to me. As I work two days/ week, it is not often possible for me to attend conferences or training events and so I appreciate the extra support in enabling me to do this for my personal development.”
“The Warwick Conference support award enabled me to attend this conference, which is the largest conference of its type in the UK. I gave an oral presentation, acting as a session chair (for the first time), my research featured in a keynote address and I also had the opportunity to support my PhD student in her first conference. This was an excellent opportunity for me to network and showcase my own research. As a direct result of this conference attendance, I am now developing three new collaborations with individuals I had not communicated with prior to this event.”
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An important part of LDC’s support opportunities for research active staff centres on career development.
The provision includes:
 Individual career consultations to provide support for your particular career development concerns: http://www2.warwick.ac.uk/ services/ldc/researchers/ opportunities/1_1support/
 Online advice and training resources in LDC’s Career
Development site: http://www2.warwick.ac.uk/ services/ldc/researchers/ opportunities/ development_support/ career_development/
 A range of video’s from past
Career Development workshops in the Resource Bank: http:// www2.warwick.ac.uk/services/ldc/ researchers/resource_bank/
 Workshops on specific career development topics, including two events coming up soon on
‘Managing Your Career:
Exploring Career Options’ and
‘ Career Development—Get
Your Career on Track: The
Art of Time Creation’ . Details on page 3.
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Preparing for Leadership
Following successful pilots this Vitae programme is being adapted to support research active staff at Warwick in grade 5 and 6 posts.
This course of three sessions will now run in Term 3:
19 May, 2 and 16 June 2015 .
It is aimed at staff who wish to develop into research leadership roles.
A nomination form, including support from your line manager/
PI/supervisor is required as application for this programme.
The deadline for submission has been extended to 17
April 2015 and 8 places are still available.
For further details and the nomination form please visit: http://www2.warwick.ac.uk/services/ldc/researchers/ opportunities/development_support/pfl/
Leadership in Action
This programme enables research active staff and doctoral researchers (in grade 5, 6 and 7 posts) to explore and develop their leadership skills.
Participants will have the opportunity to look at relevant theory, practice their unique leadership styles and receive coaching and feedback.
Participants must commit to attend all three afternoon sessions, which will now take place on 1, 8 and 15 June
2015.
A nomination form, including support from your line manager/PI/supervisor is required as application for this programme.
The deadline for submission has been extended to 17
April 2015 and 5 places are still available.
For further details and the nomination form please visit: http://www2.warwick.ac.uk/services/ldc/researchers/ opportunities/development_support/lia
Please note that this programme has been postponed for the current academic year. The April deadline for nominations is currently suspended.
Further information will be included in future newsletters when available.
For further information on the programme, please visit the
RTLP site: http://www2.warwick.ac.uk/services/ldc/ researchers/opportunities/development_support/rtlp /
LDC EVENTS
** Further events for 2015 have been confirmed, click on the titles below for more information and booking. **
Visit the Programme of Events for Research Active
Staff for details on our events: http:// www2.warwick.ac.uk/services/ldc/researchers/ events_news/ras_events/
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8 April 2015
Managing Your Career - Exploring Career
Options
28 April 2015
Planning Your Publication Strategy:
Journals (Science & Medicine) **
6 May 2015
Planning Your Publication Strategy:
Journals (Arts & Social Sciences) **
6 May 2015
Get Your Career on Track: The Art of Time
Creation
14 May 2015
Planning Your Publication Strategy:
Scholarly Books **
20 May 2015
Research Staff Forum Meeting
21 May 2015
Academic Writing: Writing for Non-Specialist
Audiences
4 June 2015
Planning Your Publication Strategy:
Conference Papers **
17 June 2015
Planning Your Publication Strategy:
Social and Informal Publishing **
24 June 2015
Academic Writing: Online Dissemination for
Impact
2 & 3 July 2015
Academic Writing Away Days
** denotes introductory level collaborative events being run between Student Careers &
Skills, the Library and LDC.
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Thirteen applications for funding have now been approved for activities during the rest of the academic year:
 The Medical Statistics
Book & Journal Club
 Health Economics
Journal Club
 Warwick Women in Science Network
 WMG Researcher Forum
 Network for Early Researchers within WMS
 Discourse Studies in the Social Sciences
 Research Methodology Advice Service
 Qualitative and Mixed Methods Interest Group
 Education Researchers Network
 Life Cycle Assessment
 Borders, Race, Ethnicity & Migration (BREM)
 Creating a G+ Community (focusing on language teaching and research)
 Minorities Within the Military: Inter-disciplinary Network
For further details about the fund— with £1,000 still available — visit: http://www2.warwick.ac.uk/services/ldc/researchers/funding/ network_funding
Information about the networks can be found at: http://www2.warwick.ac.uk/services/ldc/researchers/community/ networks/
==============================
The Japan Society for the Promotion of Science (JSPS) is the leading research funding agency in Japan, established by the Japanese
Government. This current funding available for foreign researchers provides the opportunity for researchers based outside of Japan to conduct collaborative research activities with leading research groups at Japanese Universities and Research Institutions for visits of between 1 to 12 months. Eligible applicants need to be either within
2 years of finishing their PhD at the time of applying, or have obtained their PhD after 2 April 2009.
The application deadline is 1 June 2015.
For further details visit the JSPS London website: http://www.jsps.org/funding/2015/03/the-jsps-london-call-for-theprepost-doctoral-fellowship-for-foreign-researchers-short-term.html
Warwick’s Research Development Fund (RDF) is now open to applications for activity taking place between 1 August 2015 and 31 July 2016.
The RDF provides pump-priming funds for the development of external funding applications.
Projects can vary in size and awards are supported under its strategic or development strands.
Strategic Awards
An annual competition to provide up to £25,000 of support for the development of new research initiatives which are innovative and clearly of a strategic nature. Projects should ideally be inter or multi-disciplinary and must show clearly that they will lead directly to future bids for external funding.
Deadline: Friday 22 May 2015, 4pm.
Development Awards
Rolling funds are available for modest support for research activity specifically related to department/faculty/university strategic priorities.
Further details about both strands can be found at: http://www2.warwick.ac.uk/services/ris/ fundingopportunities/opportunities/rdf
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The first of two funding rounds in 2015 for collaborations between Monash and Warwick is currently open.
The two areas relevant to research active staff:
 Alliance Seed Fund—to support development of new, strategically aligned education and research initiatives.
 Alliance Strategic Development Scheme—to support modest, strategically aligned initiatives that build on existing Monash
Warwick collaborations.
Applications close 13 April 2015, further details can be found at: http://www2.warwick.ac.uk/fac/cross_fac/ monash-warwick-alliance/funding/