TRSA

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Trinity Research Staff Association
Cumann na dTaighdeoirí Coláiste na Tríonóide
TRSA
Alison Donnelly, UCC, 6 December 2006
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Postdoc training and careers in the knowledge
economy
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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?

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TRSA history

• Established June 2005
• Represent promote interests of Contract
  Researcher (CRs)
  
• First association of its kind in Ireland

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Achievements

• First time CR elected to the governing Board
  management committees of Trinity
  
• Research committee, WiSER committee Statutes
  Review Working Party, Titles committee

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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

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Contract Researchers in TrinityA 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

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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

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Transferable skills

• Project management
• IP
• Entrepreneurship
• Science communication
• Leadership and team work
• Business administration
• IT
• Technology commercialisation
• Self-promotion and marketing
• Negotiation and networking

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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

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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

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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!

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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

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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

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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?

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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.

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Career Paths in Industry Feast or famine

• Solutions
• Placements/partnership
• Accreditation, entrepreneurial skills
• Incentives to bring companies here
• Provide courses

• Limiting factors
• Work experience
• Lack of recognition of skills
• Mobility moving to market
• Writing skills /communication

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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

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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.
  

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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