Edinburgh Napier has retained its European Commission HR Excellence in Research Award.
The Excellence in Research award recognises the University’s long-term commitment to implementing the Concordat to Support the Career Development of Researchers. This agreement sets out standards aimed to improve the employment and support for researchers from higher education institutions across the UK.
Dr. Gráinne Barkess, Leader of Researcher Development at Edinburgh Napier, said: “It’s great to see the University’s support for our research community being recognised through the award. Developing our researchers and providing opportunities for both research staff and students to come together to learn research skills and share expertise is central to our plans for the award.”
The Excellence in Research Award recognises a number of initiatives at the University that support internationally recognised, innovative research projects, including:
- Additional funding opportunities for researchers, with the Principal’s Research Fellowship programme. This five-year research grant is designed to support researchers seeking to become pioneers in their field. Two fellowships will be awarded in each of the next three years.
- Commitment to equality and diversity through Athena SWAN work. The Equality Challenge Unit’s Athena SWAN Charter was established in 2005 to encourage and recognise commitment to advancing the careers of women in science, technology, engineering, maths and medicine (STEMM) employment in higher education and research.
- Easier access to research outputs through a new Research Management System (RMS). This system is intended to make Edinburgh Napier research outputs easier to discover in order to encourage academic collaboration and enable the creation of knowledge transfer partnerships.
- U!REKA, the Urban Research and Education Knowledge Alliance, contributes to urban innovation across Europe. The Alliance of six institutions – Edinburgh Napier is a founding member - brings together shared research themes, a focus on students' future world of work, and professional development opportunities for research staff.
- Opportunities to showcase our research such as our research conference, and our Leap into Research event which develops research potential among staff and students through a series of interactive workshops over three days covering topics from funding to methods.
These activities comprise a strategy designed to make Edinburgh Napier a centre of research excellence that finds solutions to globally significant challenges – and actively participates in implementing them.