This Post-Doc Appreciation Week, the University of Bath is pleased to announce new guidelines designed to empower and support the career development and employment opportunities of our early career researchers.
The new guidance provides a clear and supportive pathway for grade 7 and 8 research staff seeking to be named as Principal Investigator/Project Lead (PI) or Co-Investigator/Project Co-Lead (CI) on externally funded projects. It includes clear eligibility criteria, mandatory conditions, a career readiness assessment, and a simpler approval process.
Associate Pro-Vice Chancellor for Research, Prof. Rachel Arnold said:
Career development is a cornerstone of our approach to research culture at Bath, and these new guidelines offer a transparent pathway for research-only staff who are ready to take the next step in developing their research leadership. I would like to thank the many colleagues who have helped bring this initiative to fruition, reflecting our shared commitment to supporting research careers and developing future research leaders.
What it means for staff
grade 8 research staff no longer require approval to act as a PI or CI as their contract already stipulates research independence, so long as they meet several mandatory conditions
grade 7 research staff can apply to act as a PI or CI if they wish to, subject to gaining approval from their line manager, and completing the career readiness assessment process as outlined in the guidance. It does not change the University’s expectations of a grade 7 research role or responsibilities.
this guidance only applies to research staff (typically postdoctoral research associates and research fellows) at the University of Bath. It does not apply to non-Education & Research staff (e.g. Technical, Teaching-only, or professional services roles). We know there is interest here and separate guidance is being explored for these staff groups.
please leave a minimum of 2 weeks for this process – applicants will need to discuss with their line manager before submission and allow 7 days for the submission to be reviewed.
staff must notify RIS of their likely submission date as soon as possible using the Intention to Submit form. Please refer to the Research Funding Submission Timelines page for details of internal deadlines.
Driving our research culture forward
The University of Bath is committed to developing a positive research culture that puts people at the heart of our research and innovation.
Career Development is one of the six strategic pillars of our Research Culture Action Plan, and our aim is to ensure that everyone with a current research-related post (or who aspires to a research-related post) is supported equitably to identify and pursue their chosen career goals in line with a clear business need/institutional research strategy.
Find out more
For more information, please visit the PI/CI assessment guidelines for research staff (grades 7 & 8) webpage.
If you have any questions, please contact PICIapprovals@bath.ac.uk or speak to your line manager.