Faculty of Science and Technology

The RDP is a training programme that is designed to enhance your research skills and capacity during your postgraduate studies, providing you with vital transferable skills for when you have graduated.

This is increasingly important in a competitive market place for those seeking jobs both within Higher Education (HE) and beyond.

All of the courses we provide enable the development of skills that are highlighted as vital for researchers in the Researcher Development Statement (RDS) - this is the key reference statement for the development of researchers as endorsed by Research Councils UK.

Four domains encompass what researchers need, to be effective in their research, when working with others, and in contributing to the wider society and environment. Information on what skills you can expect to develop from each course is detailed in the RDP course list.

Domain A: Knowledge and intellectual abilities

e.g. Scientific Research Methods

Domain B: personal Effectiveness

e.g. Managing your PhD

Domain C: research Governance and organisation

e.g. Writing grant proposals and getting funding

Domain D: Engagement, influence and impact

e.g. Communicating your research to non-specialists

We also offer specific courses for international students such as the International Student Writing group and Writing Skills for International Students.

The Researcher Development framework (RDF) provides more detail on the Four Domains and is a major new approach for researcher development. It is a tool for planning, promoting and supporting the personal, professional and career development of researchers undertaking postgraduate level research through to postdoctoral research and early-career research.

As a Faculty we are using it to ensure our research training meets the needs of Research Councils in the UK, as well as the needs of the wider society. We hope that as individuals you will also engage with the RDF as it articulates the knowledge, behaviours and attributes of researchers and encourages everyone to aspire to excellence through achieving higher levels of development.

For more information on the RDF and how it can help you as a researcher, got to http://www.vitae.ac.uk/researchers/

Why bother?

We offer courses that will enable you to get the best out of your PhD, and provide you with extra skills that you will need in the future. We offer courses in a flexible style (including self-learning) so even if you have a lot of lab commitments you should still have time to attend courses.

All research councils now expect PhD students to achieve at least 20 training credits each year in recognition that there is more to being an effective researcher than simply knowing your subject matter.

How to book

To book a place on a course please follow the link from the course you would like to attend and click on 'Book your place'. When prompted, please use your Lancaster username and password and fill in the relevant sections of the form.

Once completed, you should receive an automated email confirming your place on the course, or if you have been added to the waiting list. Information on courses you attend are directly linked to the online PhD appraisal documents so that your supervisors can see what training you have completed.

Please note that if you register for a self-learning course, your access on LUVLE will be activated within 24 hours of booking and you will be notified of this by email.

What do I do if I can't attend a course that I have booked onto?

• Cancel your booking online – details on how to do this are included with the booking confirmation
• Contact the Graduate School Administrator as soon as possible

By cancelling in advance we can reallocate your place to someone on the waiting list, and amend catering accordingly (where applicable).