We recognise the different requirements of our researcher community, and therefore our programme services a key audience: PhD students. The RDP offers a broad and comprehensive range of courses, events, resources and opportunities to develop vital transferable skills for your future career. 

Each specific Faculty or department will have a policy in place, therefore please contact your Supervisor for an assessment of your researcher development needs or undertake a self-assessment using the Researcher Development Framework (RDF). Some opportunities may be mandatory, some may be recommended and some may be not be necessary to you due to prior experience.

Please be aware that RCUK recommend a minimum of two weeks skills development and training opportunities for researchers each year.

In today's changing economic times, it is of the utmost importance to acquire a wide range of transferable personal and professional skills which will allow you to pursue a career within or outwith academia. The skills gained from our Researcher Development Programme (RDP) will assist your personal and career development, improve your ability to undertake focused research and help you present your work to a variety of audiences. They will encourage you to reflect on the commercial possibilities of your research, as well as any ethical implications.

The programme offers skills relevant to both your research and to your life and career beyond Strathclyde. The programme also offers postgraduate researchers an opportunity to interact with different departments and Faculties, that you may not otherwise meet in the ordinary course of your research. 

The Researcher Development Framework is a tool for planning, promoting and supporting the personal, professional and career development of researchers in higher education. It describes the knowledge, skills, behaviours and personal qualities of researchers and encourages them to aspire to excellence through achieving higher levels of development.

The framework can be used to support you in personal development planning. For more information, please email the Researcher Development Team or visit the RDF webpage.

The Postgraduate Certificate in Researcher Professional Development (PG Cert RPD) is an academic award that recognises and rewards the wide array of skills and experiences that PGR students achieve during their PhD research. ​​​​​​​The majority of Strathclyde PGRs are required to complete the PG Cert RPD as part of their PhD (exceptions include those in the Business School, in CDTs and doing industrial PhDs) and will automatically be registered for the certificate. Find out more on the dedicated PG Cert RPD webpage.

A lot of opportunities will be available throughout your research, whether from your supervisors, research group or your peers and departmental colleagues. The Researcher Development Programme includes centrally coordinated provision by the Researcher Development Team (based within Research and Knowledge Exchange Services), other Professional Service Departments (Careers Service) and Faculty/departmental opportunities. Many courses are organised by Faculties and departments, and sometimes student-led, so you should contact your Supervisor for more information and visit the Researcher Development webpages.

Starting with your induction day right at the start of your PhD, there are a wide range of courses available designed for different stages in your research career. The programme is flexible, but we recommend you attend courses throughout your PhD at regular intervals, specific to what is required at each milestone.

We have a wide variety of courses for you to attend. Visit the Researcher Development webpages, SharePoint site and the Development and Training Gateway for opportunities if you are doing research or employed by Strathclyde. The courses range from personal effectiveness to presentation skills, academic writing, grant writing, public engagement and career management, and courses are available in all domains of the Researcher Development Framework (RDF). There are a huge number of resources available to you also. 

Firstly identify which course you wish to attend, check you are eligible and book online via the Researcher Development Online Booking System. Some courses are targeted for specific years of your PhD, others may only be suitable once you have completed a previous course. All prerequisites will be identified in the course description on the booking page. Some courses have limited places available so make sure you book early to avoid disappointment. You will be sent a confirmation email to verify your place is secured

Places are limited and most courses are always held at full capacity therefore you must pre-book. If the course is oversubscribed please book a place on the waiting list and you will be notified should there be any cancellations.

Yes, places are fully-funded for University of Strathclyde PGRs.

Each course runs over a specific amount of time (eg half day, full day, two days) and you must be available to attend the duration. If you cannot commit, please cancel your place via the online booking system. Facilitators will note any periods of absence from the course and report back to the team. Please be aware you will be contacted should you fail to attend the full course, and you may not be eligible to receive any credits the course may be worth if you fail to attend for the specified course duration. 

Places are costly and as the workshops have a limited number of available places we ask that you allow other participants the opportunity to attend a course if you no longer can.

If you are no longer able to attend a course you must cancel your place as soon as possible via the online booking system with at least 3 working days notice. You should click on 'My Bookings' at the top of the page to cancel. Last-minute cancellations directly before or during a course will be recorded as a 'no-show' for the course. 

Please note that all non-attendance is recorded within the RDP and failure to attend without sufficient notice and cancellation will result in your Supervisor being contacted to inform them of the situation and necessary steps taken to rectify the situation.

We require you to be prompt to all courses arriving at least five minutes prior to the start time. Tutors have the right to refuse you a place on the course if they feel you have missed too much work to catch up.

Non-attendance is monitored at every course by the team, and we will contact you to clarify why you did not attend. There are substantial costs borne by the university for each place on a course, and therefore if you do not attend without notification your department and Supervisor will be informed, and further steps will be taken to ensure that the situation is rectified. We strongly encourage you to cancel your place via the online booking system should you be unable to attend. Please note that cancellation directly before or after a course start time will be counted as non-attendance. 

When lunch is included we will always have vegetarian options. Any other requirements must be stated when booking and we will try to accommodate these.

These opportunities are specifically developed and funded for postgraduate (doctoral) researchers. If you fall into this category you will be able to attend the courses which are relevant to your career development needs and experience.

Unfortunately, the general rule is that funding is not provided to train students matriculated on a taught programme. However some departments provide training for MSc programmes separately. Please contact your department for more information.