Intergenerational Fairness and its role in Research Culture
The Royal Society has led the way on research culture in recent years, establishing  the following definition, which is now widely adopted:
Research culture encompasses behaviours, values, expectations, attitudes and norms of our research communities. It influences researchers’ career paths and determines the way that research is conducted and communicated.
You can find out more about the Society’s activities in this area. Recently they produced a video illustrating what research culture is and why it is important:
The University of Edinburgh published its own Research Culture Action Plan, and supporting Delivery Plan in 2023.
Both within the University and more widely much of the focus of research culture development is on early career researchers. In contrast, there has been less attention paid to those towards the end of their career and the role that they can play in creating a vibrant and inclusive research environment. In 2022 Professor Veronica van Heyningen, who has held leadership positions at UCL and the University of Edinburgh, led a Royal Society project on Changing Working Lives, which particularly looked at the roles and opportunities for researchers at different career stages. The project took into consideration general changes in the research environment and the impact of the pandemic on working practices.
We are all aware of demographic changes that are taking place in society, with rising numbers of older people and a falling birth rate. This project sought to understand the implications of these changes within academia, and in particular, on research culture. A key outcome of the project was the need for explicit consideration of  the responsibilities of older researchers and intergenerational fairness.
In the last decades there have been several changes that have led to longer active careers for older researchers such as the fact that there is now no fixed retirement age in most universities, flexible and part-time working has become more accepted and readily available for all, and the benefits of people staying healthy and active for longer are widely recognised. In the academic setting the continued participation of  experienced researchers has considerable benefits for the scientific community and our shared endeavours.
Nevertheless, sensitivity and awareness are needed to ensure that this “older” generation is supporting and generating opportunities for the “younger” generation, rather than becoming a block on their careers. This is particularly true when, as now, universities are working under situations of limited resource. Funding, PhD students, working space and positions of responsibility are all vital for early and mid-career researchers to establish themselves, but they may not have the credentials to compete directly with late career researchers.
The Royal Society Changing Working Lives project highlighted these issues and suggested that intergenerational fairness called for action from different stakeholders in research. Researchers themselves should consider how best to advance science. Particularly for those later in their career, this wider consideration should start to take precedence over advancing their own career. Funders should consider selection processes and the role of track record in funding decisions. Universities should consider special support systems and resources for mid-career researchers to enable them to step up to the demands of senior leadership roles, then creating opportunities for early career researchers too.
Diverse teams have been shown to be more effective and creative in many circumstances, and diversity should include consideration of age and experience. But it should not become the default that the most senior member of the team should be the leader. These team members are likely to bring invaluable skills and experience, but in the long term these skills may be best used to focus on technical aspects of the problem whilst mentoring and supporting a less experienced colleague in the position of leader. It is essential that we maintain a flow of talent and provide sufficient resource for those in their early and mid-career for that talent to grow and flourish.
