Funders pledge career support for researchers

An updated version of an 11-year-old treaty between researchers at United Kingdom universities and the institutions and government bodies that fund and employ them aims to improve the work-life balance and career development of scientists, writes Chris Woolston for Nature.

The Concordat Strategy Group, a collection of researchers from around the United Kingdom, created the Concordat to Support the Career Development of Researchers, which updates a previous treaty released in 2008. Participation in the agreement is voluntary, but its effects should be far-reaching, says Katie Wheat, head of higher education engagement for Vitae, a scientist-advocacy group based in Cambridge, UK, that provided support for the project.

The concordat targets staff members who are primarily employed to do research, including postdocs, contract researchers and technicians. The update addresses important trends that have affected scientists in the past 11 years, including the surge of fixed-term contracts for researchers and the growing awareness of mental health issues in this group.
Full report on the Nature site