When the Society became a supporter, we committed to produce an action plan which is updated periodically. The action plan for the period 2025 - 2028 can be found below.
Visibility
The Society continues to raise the profile and awareness of technicians by advocating for the technical community through the Society’s policy work, and by inviting technicians to be represented on committees and groups such as the Royal Society Research System Community of Interest.
The Society raises the visibility of the technical workforce through activities including a workshop on technical talent which invited technicians from the public and private sector, and a conference on recognising and developing technical talent.
Recognition
The Society supports technicians to gain recognition for their contributions by ensuring that technicians can be listed as authors and contributors in all Royal Society journals and are acknowledged when they review manuscripts.
The Society recognises the contribution of technicians through awards such as the Hauksbee Award which celebrates the outstanding achievements in science by those working mostly ‘behind the scenes’ and the Research Culture Award which recognises outstanding contributions to the wider research community by improving research culture.
Career development
The Society supports career development opportunities by actively encouraging technical professionals to be nominated or apply for Royal Society awards such as the Athena Prize which recognises teams who have contributed to the advancement of diversity in STEM, and the David Attenborough Award and Lecture which rewards individuals for outstanding public engagement with science.
The Society ensures visibility across the different routes into a career in STEM including through the research career roadmap highlighting the different career pathways including research and technical occupations.
Sustainability
The Society encourages those in receipt of grants to embed the four pillars of the Technician Commitment.
The Society advocates for technicians in activities and policy engagement such as through the Royal Society conference on recognising and developing technical talent, and the Science 2040 programme interim report which highlights the importance of clear technical and vocational pathways to support the R&D workforce.