This document summarizes a workshop on developing researcher careers in Europe. It discusses establishing structured, sustainable, and lifelong career development services for researchers. Better training researchers in transferable skills could improve academia and intersectoral mobility. Stakeholders discussed the state of research career development and recommendations. They agreed development is still in early stages and focused on early careers. Recommendations included developing a roadmap, framework, and encouraging funding and participation from the European Commission, member states, research organizations, and EURAXESS. The overall goal is improving research careers and evaluation systems across Europe.

1. Demo workshop
Madrid, 15-16 Feb 2016
PIPERS: Policy into Practice: EURAXESS
Researcher Career Skills for Career
Development. THE POLICY SIDE

2. WHO ARE WE
Citizens
LINES OF ACTION
Fostering scientific
culture
Increasing social
participation in
science
Science and
Innovation
indicators
Services supporting
R&D system (WoS,
Scopus…)
Supporting
internationalitation
of Science
Researchers
FUNDACIÓN ESPAÑOLA PARA LA CIENCIA Y LA TECNOLOGÍA
BENEFICIARIES
FECYT is a foundation
depending on the
Ministry of Economy
and Competitiveness

3. High-level policy discussion
What needs to be done to roll out researcher
career development services in Europe that are:
• STRUCTURED
• SUSTAINABLE
• LIFE LONG LASTING
• ADAPTED TO RESEARCHERS NEEDS
RESEARCHER CAREER DEVELOPMENT “A structured approach to the continuous
development of researcher´s knowledge, expertise and attributes”
BETTER TRAINED RESEARCHERS IN TRANSFERABLE SKILLS:
• Better academia
• More intersectorial mobility
?

4. High-level policy workshop (Madrid 8th July 2015)
 28 participants (21 organizations)
 Stakeholders with an expertise on
researcher career development
What is the state of the
art of research career
development in Europe?
What could stakeholders do to
support the uptake of research
career development in
Europe? (EC, MS, RFOs, RPOs,
EURAXESS, researchers
2QUESTIONS

5. Research career development in Europe: state of the art
 Research career development is in its infancy in Europe
 RCD, if any, is mainly focused in R1 researchers
 R2-R4 researchers don’t usually get any structured support to develop
their skills and competencies
 There is not a common approach/common language to support the
uptake of research career development strategies
 RCD strategies require solid funding
 RCD should facilitate inter-sectorial mobility of researchers

6. Recommendations for the European Commission
 GATHER AND SHARE DATA ON RESEARCHER CAREER TO SUPPORT
EVIDENCE-BASED POLICY MAKING
 DEVELOP A RESEARCHER CAREER DEVELOPMENT ROADMAP FOR
EUROPE (COVERING R1-R4 RESEARCHERS)
 DEVELOP A EUROPEAN RESEARCHER DEVELOPMENT FRAMEWORK (RDF)
 SUPPORT THE UPTAKE OF RESEARCHER CAREER DEVELOPMENT
AWARENESS THROUGH HORIZON2020

7. Recommendations for Researchers
 ACTIVELY SUPPORT AND REQUEST MORE FLEXIBLE AND
HARMONIZED RESEARCH PERFORMANCE EVALUATION SYSTEMS
 ACTIVELY PARTICIPATE IN DECISION MAKING BODIES OF THEIR
INSTITUTIONS
 SUPPORT THE UPTAKE OF MENTORING ACTIVITIES AS A KEY
GUIDDANCE ON RESEARCHER CAREER DEVELOPMENT FOR YOUNG
RESEARCHERS

8. Recommendations for Member States and RFOs
 ENDORSE AND COMMIT RESOURCES TO RESEARCHER CAREER
DEVELOPMENT
 IMPROVE RESEARCHERS CAREERS IN ALL ITS ASPECTS
 REFLECT ON THE CURRENT RESEARCHERS EVALUATION SYSTEMS

9. Recommendations for RPOs
 DEVELOP RESEARCHER CAREER DEVELOPMENT STRATEGIES
 CONTRIBUTE TO THE REFLECTION ON CURRENT RESEARCH
EVALUATION SYSTEMS
 CONTRIBUTE TO AND USE THE EUROPEAN RESEARCH
DEVELOPMENT FRAMEWORK WITH AUTONOMY

10. Recommendations for EURAXESS
 BECOME ONE OF THE COMMUNICATION BRIDGES BETWEEN
DIFFERENT STAKEHOLDERS IN RESEARCHER CAREER
DEVELOPMENT
 BECOME AN OPEN ON-LINE PLATFORM FOR DATA AND PROJECTS
OF RESEARCHER CAREER DEVELOPMENT
 CONTINUE TO EXPLORE THE ROLE OF EURAXESS IN RCD SUPPORT
IN EUROPE WITHIN PIPERS, REFLEX AND TOP III

11. THANK YOU
xavier.eekhout@fecyt.es
izaskun.lacunza@fecyt.es
Fundación Española para la Ciencia y la Tecnología
C/ Pedro Teixeira, 8 (planta 2)
28020 Madrid
Tlf: + 34 914250909