A CRUCIAL PART of the mission of all research councils is to invest in people, to maintain the flow of excellent new minds and sustain the momentum of advances in science, the arts and humanities. Funders are aware that to maintain a vibrant research base, there must be sufficient support for career advancement, flexibility and change.

A range of personal award schemes are available for every stage in the career cycle, from studentships for postgraduate degrees and doctorates (PhDs), to research fellowships and professorships. Information on studentships, including the levels of spend and allocations for the previous academic year, can be found on the website of the relevant research council. Many research vacancies and studentships are also advertised on the Internet, at Jobs.ac.uk, the official recruitment website for HE staffing.

Research workers may work full-time on a particular project or on a range of research activities. They may also work part-time, or in conjunction with teaching, clinical practice or other professional duties. Often, researchers work in collaboration with others in the UK or increasingly with specialists in other countries. In the UK there are in excess of 20,000 people engaged in research. The exact location, discipline and activity can be obtained from individual higher education institutions and the research council websites or from databases.

In addition, the research councils, universities, the health service, government bodies, pharmaceutical companies and a great many other organisations employ qualified staff to undertake a range of research-related duties including management, policy advice and formulation, technical design, project planning, health and safety support services.

A Research Careers Initiative has produced a concordat on contract research staff, agreed by the research councils, the Royal Society, the British Academy, and Universities UK (formerly the Committee of Vice-Chancellors and Principals). This came into effect on 1 September 1996, with the following key objectives:

• To secure terms and conditions of employment for contract researchers which are in line with those for established staff
  
• To improve the quality and quantity of provision of career guidance and personal development opportunities for contract researchers, whether they will pursue careers inside or outside the university system
  
• To improve opportunities for potential research leaders to develop careers within their field

To secure better conditions for the career and salary progression of individual researchers, consistent with the needs of the funded research

The Good Management Practices for Contract Research Staff (CRS) project is a HEFCE funded project supporting initiatives to improve the career management and development of Contract Research Staff (CRS) and has been setup in direct response to the Research Careers Initiative. The project is being led by the University of Sheffield in collaboration with the Universities of Manchester and Loughborough.

In 1995 the Scottish Higher Education Funding Council (now the Scottish Funding Council) established the Contract Research Staff Initiative to address concerns about the career development and management of contract research staff. Since then the SHEFC initiative has developed a range of activities to improve the management of contract researchers in Scottish Higher Education Institutions and to enhance their opportunities for career development.

The Nottinghamshire Research Observatory, is a partnership of local agencies, councils, colleges and universities, whose research is undertaken primarily in the field of the labour market and economics.