The longer my postdoc takes, the more time I get to spend on the beach. My research involves collecting and analysing seaweed on the shores of Plymouth, in England's sunny southwest. But I eventually want to become an independent investigator and, as seaweed research is hardly 'big science' and my institution is small, there are few visible career options. No postdoc from my institute has landed a tenured position for over five years.

Only about a quarter of UK postdocs get those sought-after jobs, I've found, and there's a real shortage of information, especially for young investigators trying to establish themselves after postdocs.

Concerned about this, I set off to look for the British equivalent of the US National Postdoctoral Association (NPA), which pushes for better pay and benefits, and identifies problems through regular surveys. To my surprise, I discovered that no such organization exists in Britain.

Last year, I chatted with one of the NPA's executive officers, Chris Blagden, about how to start a UK association. On Chris's advice, I contacted colleagues at other institutions to form an ad hoc steering committee. Our efforts bore fruit this month, when the UK Research Councils agreed to fund an inaugural meeting of the UK National Research Staff Association at University College London on 22 June. About 30 postdocs will attend, representing institutes from Sussex to Dundee and disciplines from computing to midwifery.

UK postdocs need a national voice. The government is under pressure to retain young scientists, to compete with the emerging economies of China and India, but no one has asked us what it would take to keep us working in science. Although our welfare state makes healthcare and benefit worries less acute than in the United States, postdocs are often treated as temporary technicians, not as trainee principal investigators. The resulting emphasis on short-term productivity means no clear career structure exists.

We aim to found an association to advance UK research by fostering the creativity and independence of postdocs. To do this we need to gather information about working conditions and aspirations, and bring together postdocs, mentors and potential employers at workshops and conferences.

Our trickiest objective may simply be to create a self-sustaining structure. But with a potential membership of some of the smartest and most motivated 25–35-year-olds in the country, we're confident that we can establish a lasting, productive organization.