I argued at the East Midlands Nottingham event that in a research intensive University a significant fraction of staff will be non faculty researchers. Yet there is still no proper career structure within Universities to cater for their needs and best utilise their contributions. The introduction of open ended contracts has helped in some ways yet in practice you find yourself as exposed to the vagaries of research funding as ever before. Many feel marginalised from the real decision making in their research groups, even where they have been retained for many years on the basis of e.g. project management or other skills which may be in short supply among Faculty members with less experience, aptitude or indeed interest in these increasingly important aspects of the modern, international research team. While the idea of a job for life may fade from many a Faculty in time, we have to better provide for the lifeblood of the research process than at present.

It was pleasing at the meeting that in some subject areas where impact has already been used previously in assessing quality of research, other factors than mere citation counts can be valued in e.g. appointing Faculty members themselves – and perhaps the new REF will improve further on this across the board given the new guidelines on acknowledgement of impact. To inspire future generations we need to value the communicators and enablers as well as the most prolific.