Transcript TRSA - UCC

Trinity Research Staff Association
Cumann na dTaighdeoirí Coláiste na Tríonóide
TRSA
Alison Donnelly,
UCC, 6 December 2006
Postdoc training and
careers in the knowledge
economy
Presentation outline
• Brief introduction to TRSA
• Issues of most concern to contract
researchers in TCD
• Reality of research careers in a
knowledge economy
• Transferable skills
• What are the solutions?
TRSA history
• Established June 2005
• Represent & promote interests of
Contract Researcher (CRs)
• First association of its kind in
Ireland
Achievements
• First time CR elected to the
governing Board & management
committees of Trinity
– Research committee, WiSER committee
Statutes Review Working Party, Titles
committee
Achievements
• Ran workshops and attended
conferences– to increase awareness
– IUQB
– University of London
– IRCSET – workshops & NCRA
• Surveyed CRs to determine their terms
and conditions of employment
• Position paper
– UCD particularly interested
Contract Researchers in
Trinity:
A Frontline Perspective
• Completed questionnaires from 162
(50%)
• 93% “satisfied or very satisfied” with
the research they were conducting.
• 81% “dissatisfied or very dissatisfied”
with job security
• 69% were dissatisfied with their career
prospects
• 46% were dissatisfied with their current
salary
Issues from survey….
• Lack of career structure - short term
contracts, titles
• Salary not in line with experience
• Pensions
• Career development advice
• Opportunities for transferable skills
• Recognition - not seen as professional!
• FTWA – redundancy, benefits etc
Transferable skills
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Project management
IP
Entrepreneurship
Science communication
Leadership and team work
Business administration
IT
Technology commercialisation
Self-promotion and marketing
Negotiation and networking
Elsewhere….
• UK universities/funders are ahead of
Ireland in addressing the issue of careers
for CRs, with the publication of a
Concordat in 1996
– This aims to have more effective career
management, improved funding for and
greater recognition of the professional role of
CRs.
• 7/10 of the top Universities in the world
have postdoc associations and postdoc
offices
UK universities instigating
positive change
• Cambridge University introduced a Career
Management Scheme for CRs.
• Cardiff University has a Contract Research
Staff Office deals mainly with contractual issues
and training and career development issues.
• Bristol University has been a forerunner in
acknowledging the vital role that CRs play and is
committed to improving the working conditions
for CRs. CRs may be offered a permanent
contract after 5 years employment
The reality of research careers
in a knowledge economy?
• Evolving the Irish Research
Infrastructure / Populating the
Knowledge Economy
• Measures for the Development of
Research Skills and Researcher Mobility
in Ireland
• The Institutional, Financial and Other
Factors influencing Research career
Formation in Ireland
• Career Paths in Industry –feast or
famine!
Evolving the Irish Research
Infrastructure / Populating the
Knowledge Economy
• Lack of continuity in funding
• HEIs are employers but CRs salaries largely
paid by a third party
• Industry need to be a partner in design &
delivery but should not set the research
agenda
• While research plays an important role in
university rankings, it is more likely to be the
PIs rather than the researchers that receive
credit for the research output
• Problems with turnover and loss of
knowledge/expertise
Measures for the Development
of Research Skills and
Researcher Mobility in Ireland
• Key actions
– Increase the number of research teams
– Enhance postgrad skills
– Develop sustainable career paths
– Enhance mobility of researchers
The Institutional, Financial and Other
Factors influencing Research career
Formation in Ireland
• Institutional
‘Bizarre how we think we can build
a knowledge-based economy on short term contracts’
• No alignment between:
– National policy: assembly line production of PhDs
with the focus on economic output
– Reality: where actually very few jobs in industry
• 'Status and inclusion within the University is
considered very important to CRs.
– Are we staff or not?
– Are we academics or not?
– 'Is a Postdoc a period of training/study or an
academic position?
Institutional - careers
• Lack of support measures for CRs within Universities.
• Lack of career structure causes problems with family,
mortgages etc.
• Short term – provide support to plan, gain transferable skills
• Longer term – some tenure track positions to provide
security
• Would be willing to undergo performance-based review if led
to longer term posts
• Academic scenario evolving into teaching and research
streams. Funding needs to be reformulated for careers in
universities to reflect this.
Career Paths in Industry –Feast
or famine
• Limiting factors
– Work experience
– Lack of recognition of
skills
– Mobility – moving to
market
– Writing skills
/communication
• Solutions
– Placements/partnership
– Accreditation,
entrepreneurial skills
– Incentives to bring
companies here
– Provide courses
Strategy for Science, Technology
& Innovation (SSTI)
• “People are at the heart of the knowledge
society”
• “In addition, the development of career
paths which will make science more
attractive and has the potential to give
Ireland a competitive advantage in the
international market for top researchers
will have to be examined”.
• “Emphasis placed on sustainable career
development rather than only focusing
at early stage careers”
Strategy for Science,
Technology Innovation (SSTI)
• “To double the output of PhDs by 2013 – a
total output of 6,546 PhD graduates over the
period 2006 -2013”
• “Growing the number of Postdoctoral
researchers by 1,050- in the same period
1,815 additional Postdocs will have undertaken
four years of study in supported research
teams”
• “Growing the numbers of PIs by 350 over the
period to 2013”
• “The Advisory Science Council requested to
examine, & present proposals to the IDC on
this key issue”.
So what are the solutions?
• Cannot build a sustainable
career on short term
contracts
• Serious commitment to
research careers is required
– Stability of funding for
individual researchers
over the longer term
– Clear research career
path with salaries in line
with experience
– Acknowledgement by
universities of
researchers as
professional academics