"By 2025, we will provide sector- leading support to attract and retain talent in immunology."
Survey numbers for Championing Careers - high level
52.7%...
...of respondents answered 4 or 5 when asked:
'how clear is this core aim and description, where 5 = very clear?'
36.8% answered scored this at 3.
89.5%...
...of respondents answered 4 or 5 when asked:
'how important is this core aim, where 5 = very important?'
Survey feedback for text
Click each title to view the written feedback.
Survey question: what does this core aim mean to you?
Survey question: how could the text of the core aim be improved?
Workshop results
What should or could be changed about the core area?
The groups were asked to work together and add their comments to a google form.
The feedback is below, grouped into similar areas.
Don't know what 'sector-leading' means?
Don't like 'sector-leading'. Rather attract, develop and retain immunologists throughout their career.
How do we know what "sector-leading" is?
What does attract, retain, sector leading mean?
The word "develop" is important - links to mentoring.
Not ambitious enough - need to develop and nurture people, the development opportunities will attract and ultimately retain.
Use of more ambitious language - dominating, expanding etc reflecting the underpinning of immunology in disease
Immunology is an exciting career - we should reflect this
Is "championing" clear enough? Intended to show BSI prioritising this type of support.
Can BSI more visibly support a wider range of career paths?
Need to support careers through all stages. Careers can be lonely at all stages and BSI can help to overcome this and give community.
At all career stages, retaining knowledge, institutional memory
Needs to include 'developing' talent.
Lifelong learning.
Include people later in their career as also need support
Members in different career stages have different needs, adapting support accordingly
How do we measure retention?
Don't say to retain talent - as BSI cannot. Should be more 'showcasing Immunology as an attractive/important field'
Retaining talent is more an institution aim than a societ
Careers are more fluid now between sectors. But need to be aware of threats too - particularly to clinical academics
To make immunology the leading area of career expansion for scientists
Needs to mention the diversity of different skills needed in immunology ie we're not just training academics, but skilled technicians, communicators, educators etc
Advancing the discipline - ensure more people like it and know about it
By 2030 we will continue to support members throughout their different career stages
Any type of sector will be supported.
Workshop results: vote on evolving the text
The group was asked to vote on the importance of potential changes. The results are as follow:
Championing Careers commitments
We will do this by:
• Up-skilling and training more of our members than ever before
• Creating a more inclusive and supportive research culture and community, assisting our members and providing opportunities for a career in immunology
• Recognising and promoting outstanding achievements and performance from BSI members
Survey feedback for individual commitments
Click each title to view the feedback on each commitment.
Up-skilling and training more of our members than ever before
Creating a more inclusive and supportive research culture and community, assisting our members and providing opportunities for a career in immunology
Recognising and promoting outstanding achievements and performance from BSI members
Workshop 'balloon' exercise
Attendees were asked to add comments as follows:
For the balloon - positive impacts or results so far from this commitment
For the basket - anything they would add or take away.
The images below show the completed balloon sheets.
Discussion notes
From balloon exercise on individual commitments
Survey results for commitments taken together, as a whole
31.6%...
...of respondents would add an additional commitment.
Suggestions summary:
- Supporting educators in Immunology at PE, school and University levels.
- Awards such as career enhancement and public outreach.
- Influencing funders and employers to the benefit of our members' careers.
- Something related to supporting access to funding.
- Put more of a specific emphasis on early career researchers.
21.1%...
...of respondents believe one or more of the commitments is not vital.
Summary of feedback:
Recognising and promoting achievements - not vital
Order of importance
The respondents voted for the following order of importance, in terms of the commitments' impact on the core area of Championing Careers:
- Up-skilling and training more of our members than ever before
- Creating a more inclusive and supportive research culture and community, assisting our members and providing opportunities for a career in immunology
- Recognising and promoting outstanding achievements and performance from BSI
Workshop results for commitments together
Groups were asked, "TAKING THE COMMITMENTS TOGETHER, WHAT SHOULD BE ADDED, TAKEN AWAY, MOVED ELSEWHERE OR REJIGGED?"
The responses are below, grouped into similar areas.
Recognise and promote mentorship.
Support senior-junior buddy system.
Reverse mentorship.
Recognise positive behaviours eg mentorship and align these with our values and behaviours.
Post doc and academia roles can be lonely, more support on grant applications
Members supporting each other sharing their experience/expertise (Leveraging the combined experience)
The way we provide training will need to better match the way our members, in particular in a social media world, have changed the way we learn and take in information (8 pm news versus news online throughout the day).
Needs to be more dramatic and capitalise on the ‘boost’ to immunology since pandemic
This needs to be re-jigged torefelct the post-pandemic era and the requirement for team science.
These commitments feel somewhat low on ambition and specificity.
Provide visbility for different career routes; demystifying options.
Case studies for wide range of options, perhaps make use of mentors' profiles which ideally cover wider range than new immunologists may be aware of (especially industry/ biotech where websites provide no useful info!).
Advocacy for immunology careers.
Flexibility and creativity to create alternative and individualised career paths.
Getting an idea of how immunology fits into the curriculum for all careers that use immunology and advocating appropriately.
How is upskilling different from training?
More clear on meaning of training and up-skilling
Better pointing out the connection between what upskilling may result in - how impactful can adding specific training help / facilitate your career.
Rephrase the second commitment to only include the first half.
Providing career opportunities should be the first point, training would be after, than recognition.
Keep them all EDI and career opportunity on second point could be divided in two points, one as community and one as individual
Awards - should be broad and cover different skills that go towards immunology career
Broadening reach of awards.
Flexible and efficacious learning in micro-credential based modules.
Look at regional disparities and advocate for equal access to immunology teaching throughout country.
Access to clinical samples.
Facilitating expansion in tenured posts both within and outside academia.
Can BSI advocate/ influence funders to promote more supportive policies?
The BSI could do some work to understand bottlenecks and barriers to diversity in immunology careers and all the biological sciences, at all stages from entry to senior levels. Could be done in collaboration with other societies, universities, funders etc
Championing Careers aims
- Conduct a major new immunology careers review to gain in depth insights into the challenges and facilitators of a career in immunology
- Deliver and grow our new significantly enhanced career support offer, providing more grant support than ever before to members at all career stages and from different sectors
- Demonstrate a more inclusive and supportive in research culture through BSI activities and influence
- Recognise excellence by launching a major BSI awards programme
to celebrate outstanding achievements and service to immunology
- Conduct a major new immunology careers review to gain in depth insights into the challenges and facilitators of a career in immunology
Survey results for aims
Ranking of aims in terms of impact so far
- Deliver and grow our new significantly enhanced career support offer, providing more grant support than ever before to members at all career stages and from different sectors
- Conduct a major new immunology careers review to gain in depth insights into the challenges and facilitators of a career in immunology
- Demonstrate a more inclusive and supportive in research culture through BSI activities and influence
- Recognise excellence by launching a major BSI awards programmeto celebrate outstanding achievements and service to immunology
Ranking in terms of potential impact
- Deliver and grow our new significantly enhanced career support offer, providing more grant support than ever before to members at all career stages and from different sectors
- Conduct a major new immunology careers review to gain in depth insights into the challenges and facilitators of a career in immunology
- Demonstrate a more inclusive and supportive in research culture through BSI activities and influence
- Recognise excellence by launching a major BSI awards programmeto celebrate outstanding achievements and service to immunology
- Deliver and grow our new significantly enhanced career support offer, providing more grant support than ever before to members at all career stages and from different sectors
Survey feedback for aims
Click each title to view the written feedback.
Summary of suggestions for the aims
General feedback for aims
Workshop exercise on aims
Attendees were asked to add stickers to each aim, accorinding to whether they thought the aim had a positive impact and they want to keep it (smile), they weren't sure or were neutral, or they did not like the aim or didn't feel it should be continued (frown).
Smiley faces
AIMS with majority green
"Deliver and grow.."
(additional notes: 'encourage badging of career pathways')
"Demonstrate a more inclusive..."
(additional notes: 'we're doing well but can't be complacent')
Neutral
AIMS with majority yellow
"Conduct a major new careers review..."
(additional notes: 'do we need to repeat? or better to continue to focus on the points raised last time')
Frowns
AIMS with majority red:
"Recognise excellence by launching a major BSI awards programme to celebrate outstanding achievements and service to immunology"
(notes: feedback was about how the awards were executed, rather than the fact of having awards.)
Workshop exercise - additional aims
Attendees were asked to think about whether additional aims should be added to this core area.
The grouped comments are below.
Workshop exercise - aims challenges
Attendees were asked to think about challenges for particular aims.
The comments, grouped into similar areas, are below.
