The Research Staff Forum aims to help research staff play an active role in the decision making processes of the University. The Forum provides for an exchange of information between research staff and the relevant bodies of the University.

The Research Staff Forum is there for all research staff (ie. those on Research and Analogous Staff salary scales) within the University. Involvement with activities of the RSF is purely voluntary and requires no financial commitment.

An Executive Committee (internal access only) operates as a formal channel of communication between research staff and various University committees and officers, for example UREC (internal access only). Research staff are almost as numerous as academic staff.

The RSF is the only body able to make representations purely from the point of view of research staff in the University committee structure. Some argue that our views are represented adequately by the academic staff, but there is often a conflict of interests and research staff need their own voice.

Research News: Researchers' survival guide available from UCU (523kb, PDF)

Research News: Research Concordat finally launched alongside Career Development initiative (25 June 2008)

Research News: Aberdeen researcher wins landmark legal battle over permanency (THES, 5 June 2008). Click on this link to download the full judgement (PDF)

Research News: UUK issue revised concordat (PDF) (RCUK, 25 April 2008)

Research News: RCUK publishes responses to concordat (RCUK, 1 February 2008)

Research News: RCUK stops at 800 Fellowships - no more planned (RCUK, 14 December 2007)

Research News: Fewer than 4% of new academic research jobs are permanent (UCU, 22 November 2007)

Research News: Council for Science and Technology publish Pathways to the future: the early careers of researchers in the UK (CST, 9 October 2007)

Research News: £15m to support researcher development Find out more (RCUK, 24 August 2007). See, also, CRAC

Research News: Researchers: What is the situation? Annual Report of RCUK Find out more (RCUK, 2 August 2007)

Research News: UCU launch help kit for fixed term and hourly-paid contract staff Find out more (UCU, 1 February 2007)

Research News: RCUK strategy to promote research careers Find out more (RCUK , 19 January 2007)

Research News: Research councils UK announce new strategy to promote research careers Find out more (RCUK, 10 January 2007)

Research News: Research councils UK announce plan for new framework for management of research staff Find out more (RCUK, 10 January 2007)

Research News: After 4 years of contracts, are you permanent? Find out more about the importance of 10 July 2006 (UCU, 10 July 2006)

Research News: UK Higher Education Researchers' Development (HERD) conference on Research Careers Paths to be held in London, 6 September 2006.

Research News: Researchers in higher education institutions: scoping study of career development and human resource management (HEFCE, 15 August 2005)

Research News: One year and counting for fixed term staff (AUT / THES, 10 July 2005)