New measures to empower research careers and strengthen ERA

In mid-July, the European Commission (EC) presented a set of measures to support one of the objectives of the European Research Area (ERA), namely the promotion of a (financially) attractive, stable and sustainable research pathway.

The measures aim primarily at retaining or attracting early-career researchers in Europe/to Europe and reducing the precarity of their careers in science and research. 

These are:

• A proposal for a Council Recommendation that establishes a new European framework for research careers;
• A new Charter for Researchers, replacing the 2005 Charter and Code for Researchers with new and revised principles;
• The European Competence Framework for Researchers (ResearchComp), to support inter-sectoral mobility of researchers.

The European Framework for Research Careers defines the researcher and the profession and its importance, improves working conditions, addresses researchers capable of cross-sectoral and interdisciplinary mobility, fair career prospects and talent circulation.

The new Charter for Researchers builds on the previous version, but is addressed to researchers, but also to employers, sponsors and politicians (policy makers).

ResearchComp is the first European framework to define competencies that are key for a scientific career in every sector, including academia, corporate and industrial, as well as in public administration or for starting your own start-up. This framework was developed as part of the European Year of Skills. The new website will support the development of researchers through targeted training, including micro-certificates, and will offer the opportunity to track their skills and develop where needed.

Next steps?

As soon as the Commission's Recommendations are adopted, the EC will immediately proceed to the implementation of ResearchComp. however, the EC has already improved existing tools such as Euraxess, ERA Talent Platform, RESAVER and the Research and Innovation Careers Observatory.

However, Science/Business doubts the effectiveness of these measures, all the more so, they took a decade to adopt and only in recent years have they gained momentum thanks to the support of former Commissioner for Research and Innovation Mariya Gabriel and the Portuguese Presidency of the Council of the EU in 2021. But commentators stress that it is nonetheless significant, albeit a political statement. Monitoring of research careers will make it possible to collect data on the number of researchers in Europe and also on their working conditions, because until now more emphasis has been placed on the quality of outputs, but not on those who are supposed to prepare them.

With the departure of Commissioner Gabriel comes a certain uncertainty and it is not yet clear whether this activity will be a priority for the new Commissioner-candidate Ilian Ivanova (more about this candidate in the article Science/Business).

More information on the individual measures, including links to individual key documents and achievements related to ERA research careers, can be found in the Press Release.

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