Supporting early career researchers: next steps

As part of our 80th anniversary programme, we’ve launched the Nuffield Foundation Emerging Researchers Network to support the research leaders of the future. We’re involving early career researchers (ECRs) each step of the way.

The Foundation’s mission is to fund research with the potential to change lives. As we look ahead to tomorrow’s research challenges, we want to invest in the research community of the future.

We want to support ECRs to develop successful careers and build skills in achieving impact so their findings can influence real-world change.

Read on to find out about the five types of support ECRs want, the action we’ll be taking, and how you can join the network.

Understanding the challenges early career researchers face

This year, we’ve spent time getting to know ECRs working on Nuffield-funded projects – a talented group with diverse career backgrounds including journalism, teaching, medicine and international development.

But uncertainty and isolation can be common experiences for ECRs, and we want to work towards helping with this.

The Nuffield Foundation Emerging Researchers Network

In October, we welcomed ECRs on our projects to a skills and networking day at our offices in London. It was a great day, with close to 100 attendees and a real atmosphere of energy and enthusiasm in the room.

The event was superbly co-chaired by two ECRs, Dr Aisha Abubakar and Dr Imogen Lambert, who work closely together on our Links between cognitive impairment and exploitation in England project.

Attendees heard about:

• conducting meaningful participatory research and achieving policy impact from Professor Ruth Patrick, as well as reflections on her own career journey
• routes to research impact from Jo Ralling, Head of Campaigns at the Food Foundation, Donna Ward, Director of Strategy at the Department for Education, and Dr Clare Lally, Social Science Lead Adviser at the Parliamentary Office for Science and Technology, in conversation with Carey Oppenheim
• what ECRs have learned through working on our Strategic Fund projects, with thought-provoking presentations from Dr Jonathan Clarke, Heidi Karjalainen, Charlie McCurdy and Dr Caitlin Shaughnessy.

In the afternoon, attendees took part in roundtable discussions to feed into the Foundation’s new strategy and our future support for researchers at this career stage.

The types of support early career researchers would welcome

We gathered ECRs’ insights from the roundtables and collated them under five themes.

1. Opportunities to connect with other ECRs
   ECRs want to meet others at the same career stage to share expertise, knowledge and experiences. They also told us how valuable they find in-person events like the one we held in October.
   
2. Skills training
   As well as workshops on how to apply for funding, ECRs would like training in skills that will enable them to become principal investigators for their own grants, including leadership, project management, achieving impact and engaging with policymakers.
   
3. Working towards better conditions for ECRs
   ECRs suggest the Foundation could consider how we might work with other organisations to improve conditions for ECRs, relieving some of the uncertainty and precarity associated with research careers.
   
4. Encouraging Principal Investigators to support ECRs
   ECRs want us to encourage Principal Investigators to name ECRs on grants and project outputs.
   
5. Grant funding for ECRs
   ECRs said they would like to see funding calls specifically for ECRs, so they can get their first grant without having to compete with highly experienced researchers. They also said it would be helpful to have extra funding at the end of a project to work on impact and dissemination.

The action we’re taking to support early career researchers

We’re devising a programme of support and opportunities for ECRs informed by their feedback.

Our current plans include:

• Establishing the Nuffield Foundation Emerging Researchers Network.
  The network will offer ECRs on our projects online and in-person networking opportunities, as well as access to skills training, events and more.
• Building support for ECRs into our grants.
  Our application form now requires applicants to set out how they plan to support and develop ECRs over the life of their project. We will check how Principal Investigators are supporting ECRs as part of regular progress reports.
• Working to support researchers from diverse backgrounds.
  We know that ECRs from minoritised groups face specific challenges, and we aim to ensure that our support reaches those who would benefit most.
• Co-producing our support for ECRs.
  It’s important that the ECR network is built with ECRs. Several ECRs have volunteered to coordinate future events and activities and we’re excited to work with them. We’ll keep asking ECRs what they want to see from us and how we’re doing.

Photos by Will Strange.