Vitae researcher development
programmes
Enhancing higher education provision to train and develop researchers
Vitae champions the personal, professional and
career development of doctoral researchers and
research staff in higher education, working in
collaboration with organisations that aspire to
international excellence in developing
researchers. Vitae is committed to enhancing the
quality and output of the research base, through
supporting the training and development of the
next generation of world-class researchers,
improving the employability and career impact of
researchers.
Vitae is managed by CRAC: The Career
Development Organisation, dedicated to supporting
career development and active career-related
learning at all stages, and has led the development
of transferable skills and career development
training for researchers since 1968. Over the years
we have developed highly effective professional
development programmes for researchers
internationally as well as the Vitae Researcher
Development Framework to guide researchers in
their professional development.
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“Vitae has provided us with materials and ideas
which, over the years, have greatly enhanced
our provision in quality”
Dr Richard Hinchcliffe
Head of PGR Development, University of Liverpool
Background and delivery
Vitae programmes offer a range of experiential
learning sessions: from short sessions that can be
incorporated into other courses to longer
programmes, packaged for ‘off the shelf’ use or
adaptation. Programmes can be combined to
create a longer term continuing development
programme for researchers. Many of these training
resources have been developed to run with a
specific group (e.g. doctoral researchers or
research staff) but may be adapted for use with
other groups.
Our development programmes have been mapped
to the Vitae Researcher Development Framework
and they have gone through a rigorous
development process including testing and
improvements in response to feedback.
We provide manuals with all the information needed
to organise and deliver our programmes, as well as
access to a network of experienced facilitators who
are able to deliver them on your behalf. We also
‘train the trainers’ to deliver our programmes
effectively and provide tools for evaluation.
Vitae Researcher Development Framework
www.vitae.ac.uk/rdf
If you are interested in any of our training
resources, please visit www.vitae.ac.uk/resources
Vitae Professional and Career Development Programmes
for doctoral researchers
Effective Researcher: Getting Started
This one-day programme is for researchers in the first 3-5 weeks of their
doctorate. It introduces a framework for successful self-management and
development and provides peer support for the start of their doctorate.
“I feel more confident as
a result of the course. It
made me realise that a
PhD is not just about the
content of research – it
comes with lots of skills
attached.”
Effective Researcher
participant
Effective Researcher: How to be an Effective Researcher
A finalist for a UK National Training Award and Times Higher Education Award,
this established two-day programme enables researchers who are 3-12
months into their doctorate to focus on building understanding, capability
and confidence in communication, planning, time management, problem
solving, leadership and assertiveness.
Effective Researcher: The Next 90 Days
Moving on from How to be an Effective Researcher, participants identify the
progress they have made in their doctorate to date and what they need to
develop further to achieve a successful doctorate in this one-day programme.
Effective Researcher: Effective Progress
This one-day programme offers participants in the second year of their
doctorate the opportunity to focus on the detailed critical success factors and
management skills required to complete their doctorate. The course addresses
the requirements of a doctorate: the hypothesis, the thesis structure and the
assessment criteria. It enables participants to create an action plan.
Effective Researcher: The End is in Sight
This one-day programme is designed to help researchers navigate the final
year of their doctorate and plan a successful job search. Through a series of
activities specific to this stage in their research, participants build a practical,
relevant, personal action plan.
“Sessions were really
informative, and I think
what made the event all
the more memorable was
sharing PhD research
experiences with other
students who were
studying part-time”
Part-Time Researcher
participant
Part-Time Researcher
This interactive one-day programme (or series of events) offers part-time
doctoral researchers the opportunity to take the time and space to share and
discuss topics such as ‘what is research’ and ‘how is quality assessed’ with
peers and academics from outside their supervisory arrangements. The
programme includes skills sessions in a range of key areas for part-time
researchers.
Finish Up, Move On (FUMO)
FUMO is a two-day programme aimed at doctoral researchers who are in
the middle to late stage of their doctoral studies. It aims to develop the
skills and awareness of doctoral researchers as they look towards completing
the requirements of their doctoral degrees and moving on to the next phase of
their careers. These materials were co-developed by Imperial College London
and Vitae. The programme was a 2008 winner of the Times Higher Award for
outstanding support for early career researchers.
Vitae Professional and Career Development Programmes
for doctoral researchers and research staff
“I feel this is a pivotal
point in my life - I now
have the self-confidence
and skills to hopefully
shape my life”
GRADschool participant
Effective Researcher
participant
GRADschools
Vitae GRADschools are three-day experiential learning courses that develop
the transferable skills of doctoral researchers, enabling them to experience a
range of employment settings and gain practical strategies and tips for being
more effective. GRADschools have been a flagship training and development
programme for doctoral researchers over the last 40 years.
Careers in Academia
A one-day programme provides doctoral researchers with a greater
understanding of the roles and responsibilities integral to an academic career,
enabling them to be more effective in their research.
Leadership in Action
This three-day programme has been Vitae's most popular event since its
launch in 2009. It enables doctoral researchers and research staff to
explore and develop their leadership skills. Participants have the opportunity to
look at relevant theory, practice their unique leadership styles and receive
coaching and feedback.
“I attended the
‘Leadership in Action'
course expecting to pick
up a few tips, the odd
insight. I left 6 inches
taller, with increased
confidence, team skills
and satisfaction”
Leadership in Action
participant
“I’m more productive,
assertive in my needs,
equipped with time
management tips and
new sense of research
esteem”
Research Staff Futures:
Enhancing Professional
Effectiveness, participant
Research Staff Futures: Enhancing Professional Effectiveness
This one-day programme facilitates new research staff in making an effective
start. It focuses on two important themes during the transition from doctoral
candidate to employee: being more effective in the face of diverse and
competing responsibilities, and working more effectively with others.
Research Staff Futures: Introducing Impact and Engagement
This one-day programme introduces research staff to the current ‘impact’
context of research and enables them to identify and engage with
stakeholders, and to recognise the benefits and impact of research.
Research Staff Futures: Progressing Your Academic Career
This one-day programme explores how to succeed in a competitive and
complex research environment. This programme enables research staff to
hear from successful academics about their career paths and aims to uncover
those elements for success that are not always immediately obvious or
transparent.
Research Staff Futures: Managing Your Career
This programme, which can be run over one or two days, enables research
staff to gain a sense of direction and progression in their career by widening
their understanding of what a career is and applying their own strengths,
motivations, values and talents to their career planning.
Managing Your Academic Career
A one-day programme for women in academia and women returners to
discuss a wide range of issues that women face in the management of their
careers. This programme includes active reflection and an opportunity to
examine existing skills, networks and preferences so that women can progress
their careers. The programme is a collaborative development between Vitae
and the UKRC.
Vitae Professional and Career Development Programmes
for researchers, supervisors, principal investigators and others
Every Researcher Counts
These resources are targeted to supervisors and principal investigators to
ensure that in relation to research staff, equality and diversity issues are
understood, visible and prioritised in higher education institutions. A flexible set
of training and reference materials for supervisors and principal investigators is
provided for use alongside existing equality and diversity policies and
programmes.
Preparing for Research Leadership
A two-day programme for research staff who are not yet fully independent. It
is experiential, with coaching and action learning to look at self, intellectual and
team leadership. Participants assess their current position, identify where they
would like to be, what it takes to be in that role and create a plan to get there.
Collaborative Researcher
This two-day residential programme establishes the building blocks of the
collaborative style of research: inclusive communication, cultural awareness,
robust planning, negotiation and the ability to work effectively with others.
Whether collaboration is with another academic or partners from different
subjects, sectors and countries, this programme enables researchers at any
stage to develop winning strategies for connecting and working with others.
Discovering Innovation and Intrapreneurship
A suite of resources exploring the innovative and intrapreneurial capabilities
that make an effective researcher within the research environment. The suite
includes a research report, information sheets, self-assessment questionnaire
and development sessions.
The Engaging Researcher
This is a highly interactive one-day programme for researchers at any stage
who are new to public engagement, or those who already have some
experience, to better understand and plan effective public engagement through
a variety of media.
Social Enterprise: The Common Good
This programme focuses on the identification of and possible solutions to
societal and/or environmental problems in a framework that could be run as a
social enterprise. The programme focuses on the practical elements
concerning the sustainability of social enterprises with a strong focus on
creative problem solving. A case study provides a real life example of a social
enterprise spin-out from a university. This was developed as a collaborative
project between Vitae and the University of the West of England.
Vitae ‘hot topics’ programmes
Additionally, Vitae can deliver professional development programmes for your
researchers around ‘hot topics’. These programmes can be tailored to
researchers at any career stage, including mixed audiences. Topics and
programmes include, for example: Project Management in Research,
Enterprising Researcher, Creativity in Research, Professional
Development Planning, Digital Researcher, First Time Academic
Leadership.
If you are interested in any of our programmes, please visit www.vitae.ac.uk/resources or email resources@vitae.ac.uk
Vitae is led and managed by CRAC: The Career Development Organisation and delivered in partnership with regional Hub host universities
Vitae is supported by Research Councils UK (RCUK) and UK HE funding bodies
Vitae, © The Careers Research and Advisory Centre (CRAC) Limited. The Vitae logo is a registered trademark owned by CRAC