The Global Health Network Annual Report 2019

Developing Careers
The PDS provides a step-by-step process for
all researchers to document their career thus
gathering further points as they gain experience
and vocational research skills. Members assess
their research competencies, are awarded a
membership level and are required every year
to go through a review process to update their
points and progress through the 25 levels of the
scheme. The PDS is an audited and highly robust
system that provides ongoing recognition for
research staff to support and guide their career
development and identify training and skills
gaps.
By collecting and collating the data from all
members of a team this system enables
platforms or groups to showcase their
experience, and monitor and report their team’s
capacity development over time. This facility
provides a reporting system that measures
progress on the development of research
capabilities and allows study managers or
consortia to quickly and easily produce reports
for their specific programme or teams. This
scheme is entirely unique and very powerful
as it provides robust evidence that can be used
to seek investment and funding to address
capacity gaps. Research coordinators, funders
and sponsors can be given access to data on
large networks, individual platforms or specific
staff roles; thus measuring the impact of
capacity development initiatives.
29