C-DICE evaluation foreword 

The report shows that the work of C-DICE has provided a timely, impactful and transformative approach to postdoctoral development, with the thematic lens of net zero. It has also brought a wide range of benefits to individuals, the higher education sector, industry, research and innovation, and provides strong evidence of good practice, further developments and future recommendations.

Postdoctoral researchers are highly skilled experts, holding the highest qualification of a doctorate, they are experts in their field and the driving force behind research and innovation. However, they are often an overlooked and underserved community. Postdoctoral researchers are often at an early stage in their careers, typically employed on fixed-term projects and under significant pressure to demonstrate productivity – primarily through journal publications.

They frequently face uncertain career prospects and are often ineligible to apply for research funding independently. Time for personal development may be limited or discouraged, and many must navigate a ‘hidden’ curriculum of funding mechanisms and sector norms that can be opaque and exclusionary. Due to their transient roles and the way they are funded, postdocs can be difficult to locate within institutions, leaving them particularly vulnerable to poor practices. They may not receive regular developmental appraisals or mentoring, they may be excluded from promotion or employer benefits due to fixed-term contracts and can be on international visas and with the inherent costs and uncertainty that can create. They possess a wide range of qualities, skills and attributes that are in demand – but due to systemic barriers they may not recognise these qualities in themselves or may not be supported in furthering their professional, personal and career development due to the high pressure ‘publish or perish’ culture and lack of independence that is typical at this career stage. Because they are nearly always a temporary resource, investing in their skills and providing good line management support is not prioritised by employers. This is not a new problem, and indeed the Concordat to Support the Career Development of Researchers has been in place to address this for around three decades, having been refined and reworked a number of times. Furthermore, whilst industry is crying out for skilled people, there is a mismatch between industry awareness of the potential of postdocs to fill these gaps, and employers of researchers to support their development to be fully equipped to tackle a range of careers beyond academia.

C-DICE has had postdoctoral researchers at its heart, although often benefiting the wider community including doctoral researchers (the research pipeline). In keeping postdoctoral researchers front and centre of our work, this has gone some way to alleviate gaps that exist in development support, funding opportunities, and appreciation for this vital part of the workforce. Whilst C-DICE has had an impact there is still much to do by the sector; universities and employers of postdocs, funders, policymakers and industry should take note of what can be achieved by supporting this community, and should consider the cost of not providing better support and enabling more opportunity and security to some of the brightest talent we have. There is value in investing in these people and we need to change some of the systemic barriers that have proven intransigent in our system. So whilst this report sets out the impact of C-DICE and the researchers who have participated, the main take-away is that there is so much more we can do, and so much value if we build on and extend the work of C-DICE into the future.

Finally, this work would not have been possible without a wide range of people and I would like to take the opportunity to thank all of those who have engaged, especially the researchers who have joined in, with open minds, without whom these outcomes would not have been possible. Thanks to Dr Elizabeth Adams, the author of the report, who quickly grasped the essence of C-DICE and captured it so well here, and to the Advisory Board, admirably chaired by Katherine Jackson, who has championed C-DICE from the very beginning. A big thanks to the amazing C-DICE team who have worked so hard to deliver a high-quality programme, and of course to Research England whose funding and faith in the project made this possible.