Research and development

Scientific Research and Development (R&D) presents the opportunity to push forward scientific knowledge by applying your technical skills and subject knowledge to a specific problem. “Research” and “Development” each have a different focus:

  • Do you enjoy designing experiments, observing and analysing results, drawing conclusions and testing them out? This is scientific research.
  • Do you like taking knowledge gained from scientific research and applying it to improve or create new products, processes and services? This may also involve designing and running experiments, but your ultimate aim would be to design a better product, process or service, rather than uncover new scientific principles. This is scientific development.

Explore job roles

Scientific research and development take place in most large, research-intensive universities, in government or charity-funded research centres and in industry. Where you want to work will govern your next step, as the entry requirements and application processes for each differ. Consider what is important to you: what technologies are you interested in? Are you interested in academic research or industry? Is it a large organisation or a small specialist company?

Government or charity-funded research centres employing research scientists examples include:

  • The John Innes Centre (crop science)
  • Cancer Research UK Manchester Institute (cancer biology)
  • Sci-Tech Daresbury Laboratory (a range of sciences)
  • DSTL, the Defence Science and Technology Lab (a range of sciences).

Some organisations recruit graduates annually (e.g. DSTL) and others on an on-going basis. Some instead sponsor PhD research projects within universities, with a view to training future employees. Others recruit PhD graduates ("postdocs") rather than sponsor projects. Some institutions also offer summer research studentships for undergraduate students.

Industries employing R&D scientists include:

  • Large pharmaceuticals such as AstraZeneca, Pfizer and GSK
  • Specialty chemicals such as AkzoNobel and BASF
  • Technology companies such as Philips and Siemens
  • Fast moving consumer goods companies such as Unilever, Coca Cola, Reckitt, P&G and Nestle
  • Defence, aerospace and security such as Qinetiq and Leonardo
  • Contract research organisations, which undertake all or part of the scientific research process on behalf of a client, such as IQVIA, Covance and PAREXEL and LGC, who also host the function of ‘Government Chemist’
  • Scientific start-up or spin-out companies. Increasingly, cutting edge science is being carried out in small high-tech companies typically based in science parks and “incubator” units (where new companies get extra support) www.ukspa.org.uk
  • Knowledge Transfer Partnerships (KTPs) link industry and academic research and development. KTP associates are employed by the university partner, but work with the industrial partner to apply the university's research.

Use the job profiles below to find out about, skills, entry routes and experience

Building skills and experience

Use the job profiles above to check which skills are normally needed for the roles you are interested in.

Use our transferable skills pages to explore ways to gain the top skills employers are looking for

  • Undertake an industrial placement year (valued highly by employers). Some organisations do not offer shorter, lab based work placements, preferring to recruit students for 9-12 months in research and development roles.
  • Gain industrial/research laboratory experience in vacation time – apply for advertised work experience but also make direct “speculative” approaches to organisations that interest you.
  • Look for a vacation studentship in a university laboratory or research institute, particularly if you are not doing a placement year (some of these come with funding, too).
  • Join a professional body or a learned society where you can learn about potential work experience opportunities, e.g. Royal Society of Biology, The Society of Chemical Industry NW or Royal Society of Chemistry.
  • A good final year project can also convince an employer or postgraduate degree provider that you understand the nature of scientific work and have the ability to tackle scientific research or development.
  • Across all sectors in the UK, over 90% of companies employ fewer than 250 people. This means that though some Manchester scientists will work for large companies, most won’t. Your job search strategy needs to take this into account, searching for companies doing the work that interests you – and seeing if they have any jobs – rather than just scanning graduate job sites. If you aspire to work for a large company, gaining work experience with them whilst a student (e.g. a 12-month placement or summer internship) can give you an edge.
  • Find out more about working in a smaller business.

Finding and applying for jobs

For scientific research roles a research degree is commonly required – a PhD, MRes or MPhil helps develop research skills. A PhD is expected for academic scientific research and also can be beneficial to progress into management roles in industry. For scientific development a research degree may be advantageous, but graduates may still progress with a good undergraduate degree and good lab/technical skills.

For both industry and academia, gaining relevant work experience outside of your university course confers a huge advantage. Undertaking a placement year as part of your degree and/or completing a summer internship or research studentship will make your application stand out – and provide you with valuable insight into the work itself.

It is also possible to enter scientific research and development as a technician, although in some research areas it can be difficult to move to more senior research-related roles without a higher degree. This also varies between different organisations so research possible employers to confirm their preference. Another entry point for new graduates is working in QC and QA – quality control and quality assurance.

  • The ABPI Careers website lists different roles in R&D in pharmaceuticals, from Archiving to Genetics.

Scientific research and development involve using your technical subject-based skills, so good research/technical skills are essential. List specific lab skills and techniques on your CV, and highlight practical research experience, experimental design and data handling courses. Employers want to be confident you can apply these at workplace, demonstrating Good Laboratory Practice, an understanding of health and safety, and that you can work with precision and accuracy.

Find vacancies

Further resources

Next steps

When planning your next steps, you may have additional questions or want to explore certain aspects in more detail: