Postdoctoral Research Careers Project

1. Postdoctoral Research Careers Project Researchers in Europe without Barriers, Aprilth 2009

2. LERU League of European Research Universities • 20 European research intensive universities • Mission is to further the cause of research intensive universities, formulating policy recommendations, interact with stakeholders and share best practices • Not all leading research intensives are members • Produce papers on major issues: EIT, European Research Area,… • Founded in 2002

3. A Role for LERU • The attractiveness of our research career paths • is critical to our success as leading • research universities • LERU institutions are active : • contributing to the public debate (nationally & EU) • developing new types of research position (tenure-track etc) • providing support for post-doctoral researchers (career advice, soft skills training) • BUT - local initiatives are often uncoordinated with developments in partner institutions • - structural restrictions and over-regulation impede our room for manoeuvre • A COORDINATED RESPONSE – A LERU STRATEGY FOR RESEARCH CAREERS

4. Early Research Careers • Recognition that our institutions rely and can nuture a steady stream of new researchers. • They refresh our institutions with new ideas and energy. • They are a channel for our ideas as they move to other institutions or businesses. • We as institutions do not always provide realistic expectations, transparency or the best career development. • We don’t have a good handle on career flow.

5. LERU’s Study of Research Careers • Project organised by LERU Working Group on Research Careers • Builds on LERU surveys in 2005-6 • Purpose: to better understand Research Career Frameworks in our institutions • Clarifying terminology • Exploring main issues • Identifying best practices • Networking stakeholders

6. Post-doctoral Career Project • Project running since March 2008 • Site visits to thirteen LERU institutions • In-depth interviews with over 150 stakeholders: Academic leaders Senior administrators Research group leaders and department heads Human resources personnel and careers advisors Post-doctoral researchers (in all fields, particularly the life sciences)

7. LERU Case Studies Focus Areas: • structuring of research positions (contract type, funding sources, employment arrangements) • career progression and ‘flow-through’ (length of contract, key bottlenecks, exit points) • hiring and promotion procedures • career development activities

8. Research Career Framework • Sharing and communicating common values and principles • Providing transparency in career structures • Informing funding strategy with a consideration of impact on careers • Sharing career development activities • Forming a network for policy and practice

9. Overarching Consideration: Diversity • Diversity in practice, motivation, legal framework, terminology… • …which meant results from the 2005 survey were difficult to interpret. • No aspiration for consistency (except terminology) but aspiration to understand diversity both for our benefit in formulating policy, and for the benefit of those in research careers.

10. Common Values and Principles • Responsibility to early career researchers • It is not failure to leave the institution • The experience of being in the institution should be an enhancement to future career • Statements should not replicate Charter but rather compliment it.

11. Transparency in career structures • Give clear guidance and expectation within an institution (duty to the researcher) • Help those who might consider moving between institutions (enhance mobility) • Understand differences between our institutions (aid policy formulation, share practice, contribute to funding discussions) • If flow rates are known can measure other aspects (e.g. career development)

12. Mapping Career Paths • Overview of academic employment structures • Developing comparable “Career Maps”

13. Consideration of Funding Impact • Funding initiatives designed to support early career researchers should be informed by actual practice. • The initiatives must be concerned with the long term benefit to researchers. • Understanding problem of portability of social benefit.

14. Sharing best practice in career development • There is a great deal of good practice in our institutions, but these are largely recent initiatives • No formal way of sharing it and learning • Funding career development for researchers should be part of the full economic cost of research

15. Research Career Network • Research career workshop held in March 2009 in Leuven • 40 participants, senior academics, human resource directors, career development professionals, young researchers • Feedback on many of the ideas and some new ones emerging • Valuable community, recognition of the key value of early career researchers • Hope to build network from this.

16. Near Future • Reporting to LERU Rectors in May • If recommendations approved, internal actions – e.g. mapping exercise, setting and resource network – take place immediately • Position paper later in the year