Research Australia has worked with our EMCR Working Group to identify the the measures offered by early and mid career researchers’ (EMCRs’) workplaces to support their professional and career development.
While there are no hard and fast rules, early career researchers (ECRs) are typically up to 6 years post the completion of their PhD and mid career researchers in the subsequent 10 or so years. Completion of a PhD has typically taken 4 to 5 years and follows undergraduate study of 3 to 4 years, so if they commence their research training immediately after their undergraduate studies an early career researcher is typically in their late twenties or thirties, and mid career researchers are in their 30s and 40s.
Not all researchers remain in academic/not for profit research; many move into careers in industry or government. The skills and experience required of researchers in these careers can be very different and the transition can be difficult; an early career researcher in an academic research team typically has little exposure to these roles and limited opportunity to develop the skills or gain the experience they need for such roles.
So what is being done to support EMCRs’ professional development in academia and these other areas to advance their careers? The purpose of this survey was to identify the support and opportunities being provided to EMCRs in their current workplaces and to share information about what is available and what works.
It is clear from the survey that there are measures to support EMCRs’ well being and their career progression, with the survey identifying a wide range of policies and initiatives in place in many workplaces.
Unsurprisingly, there is significant variation in the programs and support offered by different organisations. Information about opportunities can be difficult to find and access to programs and be restricted by limited funding in some cases.
Ideally the full suite of measures covered in this report would be available to very EMCR. This report provides an opportunity for all research organisations to work with their senior staff, EMCRs and support staff to identify where the gaps are in their own organisations.
We believe there are other organisations that must also participate if we are to succeed. This includes Research Australia. The NHMRC has also participated in this endeavour, most recently through the development of the draft Good Institutional Practice Guide, and further involvement by the NHMRC and other research funding bodies is going to be essential if we are to achieve sector-wide improvements.
Read the report of the survey here.