Concordats and Commitments

Concordats (e.g. Researcher Development Concordat), and Charters (e.g. the Technicians Commitment), are external standards and principles frameworks that we commit to as part of our Research Culture. They are a substantial part of the research landscape as drivers for sector change. They contribute to research culture and institutional environments by highlighting key sector issues, such as precarity, career development, and integrity. They can direct and deliver change by leveraging commitments to actions that support specific communities, such as early career academics, professional support staff, post-graduate researchers and technicians.

To find out more about each Concordat and Commitment, please click on the titles below.

Concordat to Support Research Integrity

The Concordat to Support Research Integrity provides the principles and commitments to ensure that research produced by, or in collaboration with, UK universities, research institutes, and other undertaking research is underpinned by the highest standards of rigour and integrity. To find out more about how the University engages with the Concordat visit our ethics and integrity webpages.

Link to Concordat to Support Research Integrity

Concordat to Support the Career Development of Researchers

The Concordat to Support the Career Development of Researchers, commonly known as the Researcher Development Concordat, is an agreement between stakeholders to improve the employment and support for researchers and researcher careers in higher education in the UK.

The Researcher Development Concordat sets out three clear principles of environment and culture, employment, and professional and career development that it expects signatories to adhere to. The principles are underpinned by obligations for the four key stakeholder groups, funders, institutions, researchers and managers of researchers, to realise the aims of the Concordat.

The HR Excellence in Research Award is a voluntary initiative which recognises the University’s commitment to improving working conditions and providing career development opportunities for research staff. The initiative is an important mechanism for implementing the principles of the Concordat to Support the Career Development of Researchers and enhance Research Culture at Northumbria.

Find out more about our commitment to Researcher Development.

San Francisco Declaration on Research Assessment

Northumbria University has been a signatory of the San Francisco Declaration on Research Assessment (DORA) since July 2021, supporting its aims of improving the ways in which the outputs of scholarly research are evaluated.

DORA’s mission is to advance practical and robust approaches to research assessment across all disciplines, making recommendations on how to responsibly use metrics and promote consistency and transparency in decision-making. Recommendations include recognising the value and impact of all research outputs, not just journal articles, and considering a wide range of indicators beyond quantitative bibliometric indicators that are often flawed as proxies of quality. At Northumbria, our commitment to DORA is closely linked to our work to promote understanding of responsible researchassessment.

Link to San Francisco Declaration on Research Assessment (DORA)

Technician Commitment

The Technician Commitment is a sector wide higher education initiative which aims to ensure visibility, recognition, career development and sustainability for technicians working in higher education and research, across all disciplines.

Over 120 UK universities, research institutes and funders have signed up to the commitment and documented their pledges through their Technician Commitment action plans. Northumbria University have been proud signatories since 2021.

To find out more about our Technician Commitment work at Northumbria University, please visit our web page.