Environment submissions database

The impact of COVID-19 and subsequent closures of our campus has had a direct impact on our research environment. COVID-19 has also resulted in long periods of staff illness in our central Research and KE Development Unit (RKEDU) at a critical period in the REF 2021 submission development. As a small institution, with limited staff resource, this has presented particular challenges with 50% of QMU's REF 2021 professional services team being absent in this period due to COVID-19. As a result there has been limited staff resource for submission support and co-ordination and delays to key initiatives such as the review and launch of new mentoring initiatives. QMU is a leading provider of education and research in Health Sciences. Academic teams in these areas have experienced unprecedented challenges in supporting the NHS and responding to the emergency of the pandemic, the consequences of which have been felt across the institution. Despite the challenges we have progressed the roll out of a new Concordat for Researcher Development Action Plan 2020-22 to specifically introduce interventions to enhance and support our research culture in response to COVID-19. These include: PGR Specific Activity Shared external policy development around extensions and other PGR support, to produce a set of guiding principles for Scottish Universities. Input into a Universities Scotland short life Working Group to look at ongoing monitoring as it is acknowledged that impacts will be far reaching and not limited to final year PGRs. Postdoctoral Researcher Activity Collaboration with other Scottish Universities on shared approaches to supporting postdoctoral researchers recognising that they are increasingly vulnerable due to recruitment freezes, suspension of some fellowship schemes and also lack of visibility and informal mentoring opportunities. Recognising that there is a need for increased support for careers and for mental health and wellbeing (particularly coping with uncertainty as we move in and out of lockdown), we have contributed to a Universities Scotland Policy Forum UKRI and SFC in December 2020, to collaboratively address challenges via our shared commitment to the Concordat for Researcher Development. Specific research environment interventions introduced in response to COVID-19 have included: dedicated researcher communication channels to tackle research staff isolation, including a bespoke COVID-19 intranet page and webinars to accommodate home working and caring responsibilities; plans to establish a new Researcher Society to ensure views and experiences are shared; promotion of shared sector webinars and pop-ups on wellbeing via collaboration with other Scottish HEIs; a new collaborative COVID-19 rapid response mentoring scheme for PGRs with Edinburgh Napier University and enhancement of self paced courses to work around childcare and lab/access rotas.