The Concordat to Support the Career Development of Researchers

 Concordat logo

The Concordat provides a single statement of the expectations and responsibilities of researchers, their managers, employers and funders. It is a national document with many signatories including Universities UK, HEFCE and the research councils UK.

The Concordat consists of a set of seven principles set around six areas which as a university we seek to align our practice:

  • Recruitment and Selection (principle 1)
  • Recognition and Value (principle 2)
  • Support and Career Development (principles 3 & 4)
  • Researchers’Responsibilities (principle 5)
  • Diversity and Equality (principle 6)
  • Implementation and Review (principle 7)
  • The focus of the Concordat is on "employees engaged principally to undertake research, the majority of whom are necessarily supported by fixed-term project funding".

The Concordat is referenced in all the Research Councils’ Delivery Plans and there is an expectation that research intensive universities who employ researchers will be able to demonstrate alignment with the principles.

Futher information about how York adheres to these principles can be found in these pages: 

The Concordat is managed by Vitae, the national organisation championing the personal, professional and career development of researchers.

The Concordat is currently being reviewed. You can read York's response at:

 HR Excellence in research

The 'HR Excellence in Research' initiative recognises the commitment made to the implementation of the principles of the Concordat.

It also includes the work the University is doing in relation to Athena SWAN.

The three documents below outline the University's commitment to the continuous enhancement of researchers' experience at York and to the Concordat principles:

New staff induction webpages

Information for new staff can now found on our new staff induction webpages