Abstract

The problem: Early career researchers (ECRs) in Australia find it hard to attract research funding and navigate their careers. Direct university support for ECRs is limited, and research professional services are asked to do more with less. We are a small pre-award team in a large university-based medical research institute. We have low capacity for one-to-one support but >300 ECRs.

What we did: We introduced an ECR Committee led by ECRs and guided by us. Over 7 years, with ECRs, we developed a suite of grant and career development activities. In 2017, we began with a seminar series. In 2024, we have a yearly workshop program, an annual mentoring program, a biennial symposium and monthly ECR seminars.

How we did it: ECRs drive the initiatives, generate the ideas and coordinate the activities. This ensures the program meets their needs and substantially reduces our time commitment. Our role has kept shifting as the program has evolved. We now provide guidance on effective governance, and ethical and inclusive practices. We help leverage resources within our organisation: e.g. we connect ECRs to experts in our networks. We provide training and support to improve communication and relationship and project management. While the committee members change annually, we provide stability to the program and have upskilled 7Committee Chairs and >120 committee members.

What we found: Our ECR cohort benefits from the knowledge and skills developed throughout the program. In addition, our ECR committee members benefit from understanding how our organisation makes decisions, how a successful committee operates and how to manage a small team. They also have increased confidence to apply their knowledge and skills in the wider research environment.

Conclusion: We have shown that research professionals with limited time can make a difference by working with ECR colleagues to grow researcher development activities. We think this is possible for those with limited experience in researcher development. This poster will highlight what we have learned and provide practical tips to implement such an approach. This approach makes for sustainable practice and can lead to great outcomes where there would otherwise be a gap in service.