A roadmap of strategies to support cardiovascular researchers: from policy to practice

Cardiovascular disease remains the leading cause of death worldwide. Cardiovascular research has therefore never been more crucial. Cardiovascular researchers must be provided with a research environment that enables them to perform at their highest level, maximizing their opportunities to work effectively with key stakeholders to address this global issue. At present, cardiovascular researchers face a range of challenges and barriers, including a decline in funding, job insecurity and a lack of diversity at senior leadership levels. Indeed, many cardiovascular researchers, particularly women, have considered leaving the sector, highlighting a crucial need to develop strategies to support and retain researchers working in the cardiovascular field. In this Roadmap article, we present solutions to problems relevant to cardiovascular researchers worldwide that are broadly classified across three key areas: capacity building, research funding and fostering diversity and equity. This Roadmap provides opportunities for research institutions, as well as governments and funding bodies, to implement changes from policy to practice, to address the most important factors restricting the career progression of cardiovascular researchers. Cardiovascular researchers face a range of challenges, including reduced grant funding, job insecurity and a lack of diversity in leadership roles. In this Roadmap article, Marques and colleagues propose strategies to overcome these challenges, focusing on three key areas: capacity building, research funding and fostering diversity and equity. Key points Diversity is key to innovation, but the current system and culture of the cardiovascular research sector are driving researchers, particularly those from under-represented groups, out of the sector. Our team conducted research to identify the key short-term, medium-term and long-term solutions to addressing issues faced by early-career and mid-career researchers, focusing on three key areas: capacity building, research funding and fostering diversity and equity. Capacity building needs to support collaboration and team-based research, improve and incentivize mentorship, and provide training to cardiovascular researchers to develop management, financial and communication skills. Research funding needs to be used to improve job security and the assessment of career disruptions and opportunities and to support early-career and mid-career cardiovascular researchers to prepare for leadershi