The Doctoral College at City St George's encourages a culture of discovery, enterprise and community by providing a range of training, development and networking opportunities for Doctoral Researchers.
We primarily support our Doctoral Researchers through The Doctoral Researcher Development Programme (DRDP), however, we also provide a comprehensive suite of professional development opportunities such as an induction programme upon enrollment, Researchers' Development Days, seminars, the Doctoral College Conference, mentoring scheme and opportunities to present research and develop research skills by participating in a Festival of Research, as well as 3MThesis.
The Vitae Framework
The Doctoral College Researcher Development Programme (DRDP) has been mapped against The Vitae Researcher Development Framework (RDF) and aims to meet your needs at different stages in your research. The Vitae Researcher Development Framework is a widely recognised model that defines the values, knowledge, and behaviours of effective researchers for today’s evolving research landscape.
The Vitae Researcher Development Framework (RDF) has been endorsed by over 30 organisations including UK Research and Innovation as well as the Researcher Development Concordat. The Vitae RDF 2025 provides a roadmap for developing the knowledge, skills, behaviours and professional attributes needed to thrive as a researcher and beyond.
Vitae RDF 2025 in 5 Key Points
- Researchers at the centre – The framework places the researcher at the heart of development, recognising that personal growth underpins research success.
- Develops knowledge, skills and behaviours – It outlines the capabilities needed to be an effective researcher, from disciplinary expertise to professional and transferable skills.
- Designed for today's research environment – It reflects the realities of modern research, including collaboration, interdisciplinarity, innovation and working across sectors.
- Emphasises research culture and integrity – The framework highlights the importance of open research, research integrity, inclusivity, knowledge exchange and positive research cultures.
- Supports career development beyond academia – It helps researchers identify and develop skills that are valuable across academic, industry, public and third-sector careers.
Online training and development opportunities
Please visit our Doctoral Research Manager calendar for bookable sessions.
Training and development with external partners
The Doctoral College is a signatory to the Researcher Development Concordat, embedding our commitment to support the career development of our researchers.
In addition, you can access courses offered by our external partners such as the South East Network for Social Sciences (SeNSS) Virtual Learning Environment and The Bloomsbury Postgraduate Skills Network (BPSN) using their Inkpath platform. If you require further information about this please email the Doctoral College.
Further Training and Support Available at City St George's
At City St George's Doctoral Researchers have access to a range of support services. These include:
City St George's Careers Service
City St George's Wellbeing Services
Library Services
Student Centre
Chaplaincy