Career Development Days and EDR

About the project

All research staff (AC1-AC3) at Queen’s University Belfast, including postdoctoral researchers, are entitled to up to 10 Career Development Days per year (or a pro-rata allowance for part-time staff) to invest in their professional and career development. This University-wide policy applies to all research staff, regardless of their funding source or contract type . It reflects Queen’s commitment to supporting career progression and fostering a positive research culture.

What is the purpose of this policy?

Career Development Days provide protected time for research staff to engage in activities that enhance their long-term career prospects, whether they plan to progress within academia or beyond. These activities can strengthen your CV, provide evidence for fellowship or job applications, and demonstrate your active engagement in professional growth. As a member of research staff at Queen’s, you are encouraged to take ownership of your learning and development.

You can use these days at times that best suit your development needs, provided they do not clash with core project commitments (e.g. key meetings or deadlines). You should however discuss their use with your line manager and ensure that your contracted work remains up to agreed standards.

Career Development Days are intended to help you:

What activities can I use my Career Development Days for?

Career Development Days are designed to be flexible and should reflect your individual goals and aspirations. Examples include:

These examples are not exhaustive – the most effective use of your Career Development Days will depend on your stage, discipline, and career aspirations. For examples of how other postdoctoral researchers at Queen's have used their days, browse our Career Development Case Study Series .

What Career Development Days are not for

Career Development Days are not intended for activities that form part of your contracted research duties, such as:

It is important to note that the distinction between role-related and career development activities can vary depending on your project and position – there is no ‘one-size-fits-all’.

Browse some FAQs about Career Development Days

The following FAQs address some of the questions raised in responses to the Career Development Day Survey conducted by the PDC in June 2025. If you have questions which are not covered here, contact us at pdc@qub.ac.uk

How research staff use their Career Development Days will vary depending on their stage, discipline, and aspirations. Explore real examples in our Case Study Collection, which showcases how postdocs at Queen’s have used their CDDs to build confidence, develop research independence, and contribute to the wider research community.

Make the most of your Career Development Days with these quick tips designed to help you plan effectively, stay organised, and gain maximum benefit from your protected development time.

✔ Plan ahead Talk to your line manager or PI early in the year to plan how you’ll use your Career Development Days. Align your plans with both your project responsibilities and your longer-term career goals.

✔ Use your EDR to your advantage Your Employee Development and Review (EDR) is a great opportunity to plan how you’ll use your 10 days and reflect on what you’ve gained from previous development activities. The EDR conversation is also an excellent way to ask your PI for support with your career development. Aim to keep these conversations going informally throughout the year.

✔ Seek advice and inspiration Ask mentors, colleagues, or the PDC team for ideas on how to make the most of your time. Exploring others’ experiences can spark valuable opportunities for your own development. Browse our Career Development Case Study Series to hear real-life examples of how postdocs at Queen's have been using their days.

✔ Keep track of your progress Record how you use your days, for example, by using the Career Development Days Recording Form . This will help you stay organised and demonstrate your ongoing development when completing your EDR or updating your CV.

✔ Be proactive Career Development Days can’t be carried over into the next year, so plan early and use them proactively. Even small steps add up to long-term progress.

✔ Check your entitlement If you’re on a part-time contract or a contract shorter than one year, your entitlement will be pro-rata (e.g. 5 days for a 0.5 FTE role).

All staff at Queen’s undertake an Employee Development and Review (EDR) once a year with their line manager. EDR replaces the process previously known as Personal Development Review (PDR).

The EDR is an opportunity to have a conversation with your PI about your professional and career development. While a short part of the discussion is dedicated to reviewing progress and setting objectives for the year ahead, the EDR should not focus primarily on your research project, but rather on your development, skills, experience and career goals.

It is also an opportunity to reflect on how you have used your development days in the past year, and how you plan to use them in the year ahead.

You are expected to complete an EDR form and share it with your line manager at least one week before your meeting. The purpose of the form is to support self-reflection, structure the discussion, and provide a record of the review. However, the conversation itself is the most important element of the process.

How Were the Bespoke EDR Resources for Research Staff Designed?

The current EDR form and supporting guidance for research staff were originally developed as part of the Personal Development Review (PDR) process (now EDR) and rolled out in summer 2024. They were designed to:

The resources were developed by the Postdoctoral Development Centre (PDC) in 2023, following feedback and survey data indicating that engagement with the previous process was low, and that many researchers found it insufficiently focused on development and career progression.

PDC representatives, along with PROG, contributed to the development of the resources. They were piloted in summer 2023 with a group of volunteer postdoctoral researchers and their PIs from across Faculties. Feedback was gathered through surveys and focus groups.

Outcomes of the Pilot

Overall, research staff participating in the pilot:

Line managers reported that:

Survey Findings

Example Feedback

" I really found it beneficial to have a dedicated time slot to discuss career options and opportunities. These are topics that my line manager and I make regular reference to, although it was useful to work through things in a more formal setting. The guidance provided was great, especially the prompts that helped to guide our discussions. " - Research Staff pilot participant

" The guidance and the form itself was extremely helpful in guiding conversation and also allowing a focus on training and career goals, very important in particular in the context for PDRAs. It also provided structure around conversations on other career options, contracts etc ." - PI/Line Manager pilot participant

Further Information

Visit the People and Culture EDR page

Frequently Asked Questions (specific situations)

The FAQs below are meant to help navigate situations in which the timing of the EDR is not ideal (e.g. close to the start or end of a contract), as well as the transition from using the form designed for professional services (used for research staff until 2023) to the 'EDR Form for Postdocs and Research Staff' introduced in 2024.

• Build new skills and experiences
• Address gaps in your CV to strengthen future applications
• Take time to reflect on career direction and progression
• Broaden your networks and visibility
• Develop research independence and leadership
• Contribute to the wider research ecosystem
• Attending PDC, School, or external training courses and events
• Engaging in online learning (e.g. Nature Masterclasses, LinkedIn Learning)
• Participating in mentoring programmes (as mentor or mentee)
• Contributing to committees, networks, or professional societies
• Organising or supporting events and conferences
• Undertaking a short placement, work shadowing, or secondment
• Generating preliminary data or developing collaborations for a fellowship or grant proposal
• Writing fellowship or job applications
• Engaging in Patient and Public Involvement (PPI) or public engagement activities
• Gaining teaching or supervision experience
• Preparing for and attending interviews
• Applying for research or career development funding
• Project-specific data collection, analysis, or technical training
• Conferences, seminars, or meetings directly related to your project
• Activities that your PI has already identified as part of your core role
• My project is funded by an external body; am I still eligible? All research staff on grades AC1–AC3, including postdocs, are entitled to use up to 10 Career Development Days per year. This applies regardless of your funding source , contract length (contracts for less than 1 year receive a pro-rate allowance), or Faculty. This policy forms part of the University’s commitment to the Researcher Development Concordat.
• How can I document and report how I’m using my Career Development Days? You should record how you use your days throughout the year as this will help you keep track and will be useful when it is time to fill out your EDR form or update your CV. You can do so using the PDC’s Recording Form or a form or spreadsheet of your own. Documenting and planning the use of your Career Development Days also forms an important part of the Employee Development and Review (EDR) form for Research Staff. More information on EDR can be found later on this page.
• Which activities are role-related development and which are considered career development? Role-related development includes tasks and training that are required to complete your research, align closely with your job description or fit the profile of a research staff role. Examples include: Attending conferences or meetings linked to your funded project Completing mandatory or technical training (e.g. training to obtain a home office license required to carry out your project) Undertaking visits or collaborations to deliver project objectives (e.g. being trained in a specific methodology in another institution) Contributing to public engagement activities required for your project Activities which contribute to your research environment (e.g. running a journal club for your research group, managing shared equipment, health and safety administration etc.) Career development activities , by contrast, are primarily aimed at your future career and may include developing new skills, exploring options, or gaining experiences beyond your current project. These activities might take place “at work” but are not part of your contracted duties. See above (‘Examples of how CDDs can be used’) for a list of examples, or explore the Case Study Series. Some activities, such as developing a fellowship proposal, may require more than 10 days but your CDD allocation can provide a valuable starting point. You can also find some further clarification about role-related and career development in the EDR Guidance for Reviewees .
• Attending conferences or meetings linked to your funded project
• Completing mandatory or technical training (e.g. training to obtain a home office license required to carry out your project)
• Undertaking visits or collaborations to deliver project objectives (e.g. being trained in a specific methodology in another institution)
• Contributing to public engagement activities required for your project
• Activities which contribute to your research environment (e.g. running a journal club for your research group, managing shared equipment, health and safety administration etc.)
• How can I get support with using my Career Development Days? If you need support with understanding the Career Development Days policy, contact pdc@qub.ac.uk and we’d be happy to provide support or clarification where we can. To explore real-life examples of how Queen’s postdocs across a range of career stages have used their Career Development Days, browse our Career Development Case Study Collection. The PDC offers a range of workshops and events on the topic of career development, view our Workshops and Events page to browse upcoming opportunities. You can also visit the Researcher Training and Development page or browse the Queen's Research Online Learning Hub on the Queen’s Research Sharepoint Site . The PDC also offers 1-1 career support , which can include career exploration conversations, CV review, help with job applications, mock interviews etc. Contact pdc@qub.ac.uk if you wish to avail of this service.
• How was this policy established? The CDD policy was originally developed in the Faculty of Medicine, Health and Life Sciences in 2017 and extended to all research staff (AC1–AC3) and faculties by the University Executive Board in September 2019. You can read the full policy document on P&C's Planning your Learning and Development page.
• Bespoke EDR Resources for Research Staff Dedicated resources are available to support research staff in preparing for and engaging with the EDR process: EDR Form for Research Staff EDR for Research Staff: Guidance for Reviewees EDR for Research Staff: Guidance for Reviewers Research staff with permanent appointments or those on an established academic career track (e.g. Illuminate fellows) may find it more beneficial to use alternative EDR forms designed for Professional Services Staff or Academic Staff respectively. These can be found on the People and Culture intranet .
• EDR Form for Research Staff
• EDR for Research Staff: Guidance for Reviewees
• EDR for Research Staff: Guidance for Reviewers
• Embed planning and reporting on the use of 10 development days
• Shift the focus away from research planning
• Improve the overall value of the process for research staff, with greater emphasis on career development
• Welcomed the opportunity to reflect on their career and development
• Felt better prepared to raise topics with their managers
• Found that the revised form helped to focus the conversation on areas that were most relevant and useful to them
• Benefited from clearer instructions, prompts, and examples provided in the guidance
• Research staff were better prepared for discussions
• The process was more structured and useful
• The guidance and examples helped clarify expectations and supported more productive conversations
• 11 postdoctoral participants reported a better experience than with the previous form (1 reported a similar experience; none reported a worse experience)
• Line managers similarly reported improved (13) or comparable (6) experiences
• Of 23 postdoctoral researchers: 16 found the self-reflection process very useful, and 5 found it useful 18 found the resulting conversation very useful, and 4 found it useful
• 16 found the self-reflection process very useful, and 5 found it useful
• 18 found the resulting conversation very useful, and 4 found it useful
• Of 22 line managers: 17 found the self-reflection process very useful, and 4 found it useful 19 found the resulting conversation very useful, and 2 found it useful
• 17 found the self-reflection process very useful, and 4 found it useful
• 19 found the resulting conversation very useful, and 2 found it useful
• How do I transition to using the form previously used for professional services and research staff to the bespoke research staff form introduced in 2024? The sections of the new form don't always match those of the previous one, so the content from last year won't perfectly fit in this years' form; this is okay! Try to keep the essence of the plans you made last year, but don't overthink it. Some areas of the new form were not covered before, so you likely won't have made plans in this space last year; just reflect on what you have actually done when filling the form. Section 1 (new form): It is new and short and doesn't really relate to any part of the previous form. Section 2 (new form): It is new and doesn't really relate to any part of the previous form. If you have developed an Individual Development Plan (IDP), it will likely be useful to complete this section. If not, you may have to spend a bit of time reflecting on your career goals the first time you use the form (the following years will be quicker). If you don't know which types of careers to pursue, you way want to add 'career exploration' as an option now, and use the planning section to list actions to find suitable career options for you, instead of spending time identifying options when preparing for your EDR. Section 3 (new form): It replaces what was covered in sections 1 and 2 of the previous form, but in a different way and with additional considerations. Transfer of information: Transfer the 5 priorities set in section 4 of the previous form to the 'role-related priority or objective' column of the new form. Transfer the 4 development goals set in section 4 of the previous form to the new form, either in the 'Associated development / learning activity' of the role-related development section, or in the 'development goal / action undertaken' in the additional career development section, depending on where it best fits. You will likely have to add activities that you carried out but had not been planned/captured the previous year, for example some development / learning activities related to some of your role-related objectives and/or some development goals and actions relevant to the 'additional development' section. Section 4 (new form): It replaces what was covered in section 4 of the previous form, but in a different way and with additional considerations. There is no need to transfer anything as this is new planning. Section 5 (new form): It replaces what was covered in section 3 of the previous form, with slightly different content (e.g. work-life balance reflections) and additional considerations, such as likely next steps. Refer to the form and guidance document for content.
• Transfer the 5 priorities set in section 4 of the previous form to the 'role-related priority or objective' column of the new form.
• Transfer the 4 development goals set in section 4 of the previous form to the new form, either in the 'Associated development / learning activity' of the role-related development section, or in the 'development goal / action undertaken' in the additional career development section, depending on where it best fits.
• You will likely have to add activities that you carried out but had not been planned/captured the previous year, for example some development / learning activities related to some of your role-related objectives and/or some development goals and actions relevant to the 'additional development' section.
• What should I do if I'm in the early stages of my contract, including still in probation (e.g. in post < 6 months) You'll mention this in section 1 ('specific considerations having impacted the review period') and will focus your preparation and discussion on planning for the future (sections 2 and 4). You should have set some initial objectives at the start of your contract (including as part of the probation process if you are new to Queen's). These can be replicated in section 4 and would most likely correspond to role-related priorities or objectives. You will have to complete these with associated development activities, which may also have been identified at initial meetings with your manager, and additional development unrelated to your role. It is OK to leave section 3 blank. Depending on how long you are into your contracts, you may have completed some short-term objectives that could go in it, but there's no pressure to do so. It is also OK to leave the summary in section 5 blank. You could however use it to reflect on your experience so far and introduce any issue or concern you have to be able to discuss solutions with your manager early.
• What should I do if I'm in the final stages of my contract, including if I know I'm leaving soon? If you are leaving soon, completing an EDR may feel like a waste of time. It can however be useful to you in some circumstances, and you could use the process to have a discussion around what would benefit you. Normally, you would focus on the reporting aspects (sections 3 and 5), which enable summarising and finalising your work, instead of planning. It is OK to leave section 4 blank; depending on the amount of time you have left, you may still want to include a few short-term goals (e.g. related to finishing outputs, passing over to someone else, ensuring the data is saved properly, applying for another role etc.). It's up to you to let your manager know what you'd like to focus the discussion on. For example, you may want to get additional feedback on your overall progress to your career goal (section 2), or discuss 'next steps' in section 5 if you haven't yet secured further employment and would like to know more about upcoming opportunities in the department etc.
• I took part in the 2023 pilot of the new resources; what has changed in the final 2024 form? First, THANK YOU for participating in the pilot, the feedback we received was invaluable to improve the form and guidance prior to the full roll-out in 2024! Very little has changed on the form, and it should be easy for you to use what you provided on the 2023 pilot EDR form to prepare for your 2024 EDR with the new form. Changes are as follows: The instructions on the form have been slightly simplified, clarified and updated based on feedback to make it easier to fill. In the table to capture additional career development activities in sections 3 and 4, the columns 'Development goal' and 'Action' have been merged into one, as the difference between the two wasn't always understood. When filling the section 3 using the new form, simply bring together in the same cell the goal and related actions planned in section 4 of the pilot form. The actions relevant to the line manager are now captured separately. A table is available in section 3 for the manager to input on progress on their actions (when filling the section 3 using the new form, simply identify the actions listed in section 4 of the pilot form that were directed at your line manager, and place them in the first column, 'agreed manager action'). Now that you are using the new form, such actions will be captured as bullet-points in section 4 during planning. The content for the summary in section 5 has been adapted and no longer directly refer to the institutional core values and staff charter, but directly mention work/life balance and your experience at work. The guidance documents, including examples, have been updated to reflect these changes, and include additional details (notably around funding for development and information about careers outside academia).
• The instructions on the form have been slightly simplified, clarified and updated based on feedback to make it easier to fill.
• In the table to capture additional career development activities in sections 3 and 4, the columns 'Development goal' and 'Action' have been merged into one, as the difference between the two wasn't always understood. When filling the section 3 using the new form, simply bring together in the same cell the goal and related actions planned in section 4 of the pilot form.
• The actions relevant to the line manager are now captured separately. A table is available in section 3 for the manager to input on progress on their actions (when filling the section 3 using the new form, simply identify the actions listed in section 4 of the pilot form that were directed at your line manager, and place them in the first column, 'agreed manager action'). Now that you are using the new form, such actions will be captured as bullet-points in section 4 during planning.
• The content for the summary in section 5 has been adapted and no longer directly refer to the institutional core values and staff charter, but directly mention work/life balance and your experience at work.

Research areas