The value of your PhD – KULeuven

1. The value of your PhD – KULeuven Karen Haegemans

2. Contents • Contents • Department of Economy, Science and Innovation (EWI) • Personal experience • Researchers in the Flemish government? • What do we do for researchers?

3. Department of Economy, Science and Innovation (EWI)

4. Attribution of competences • Prime responsibility in the field of scientific research is assigned to the Communities and Regions: • Communities: support of research carried out in highereducationinstitutions • Regions: support of industrial and technological research and innovation • FederalAuthority: • Research required for the fulfilment of its own assignments • Federalscientificinstitutions • Space research conducted in an international context • Data transfer networks between scientific institutions • Concertationstructures: dialogue and co-operationmechanismsbetween the variousfederal and federatedauthorities

5. Objective of the EWI policy area " Integrating Economy, Science and Innovation in the policy area, we resolutely choose for the development of a knowledge-intensive economy in Flanders. " 5

6. Mission EWI Department • The Department of Economy, Science and Innovation (EWI Department) prepares, monitors and evaluates policy in the economy, science and innovation policy area. • Our main aim is to develop Flanders into one of the most advanced and prosperous regions in the world. • Our driving forces are the promotion of: • excellence in scientific research; • an attractive and sustainable business climate; • a creative, innovative and entrepreneurial society. • We are developing the EWI Department into the Flemish government’s knowledge centre on the economy, science and innovation.

7. Organisation chart

8. Personal experience

9. Before • Academic background • K.U.Leuven • 1999-2005: Research assistant (AAP) • Roman history • Career prospects? • Academic career or not? • No negative choice • Preparation during my PhD: formation and job applications • Interest in public sector

10. Profile “Senior researcher” • Technical competences: • Knowledge of the Flemish, Belgian and European government structures • Knowledge of the domains of economy, science and innovation • Good language skills • Personal competences (<Flemish government competence book) • Improvingcontinuously • Customerfriendliness • Team work • Reliability • Loyalty • Persuasiveness • Networkingcapacities • Conceptual thinking • Beingresult-oriented

11. Looking for a job?  Key elements: 1° Know which direction you want to take 2° You yourself should consider your PhD period as a professional period, equal to any other professional experience you would have had in the non academic world 3° You should be convinced of the fact that you acquired skills that are useful for many employers. 4° Make sure you know very well what your potential employer wants from you and sell yourself.

12. PhD’s in the administration

13. PhD’s in government? • Notthatmany jobs available at PhD level • Someexamples…. • Flemishscientificinstitutions • Instituut voor Landbouw- & Visserijonderzoek (ILVO) • Instituut voor Natuur- en Bosonderzoek (INBO) • Koninklijk Museum voor Schone Kunsten Antwerpen (KMSKA) • Vlaams Instituut voor het Onroerend Erfgoed (VIOE) 13

14. PhD’s in government? • Administration • EWI Departement :prepares, monitors, and evaluates public policy in the field of economic support, science and innovation • EducationDepartment : educationpolicy • Agencies (implementation of policy) • IWT: one-stop-shop for R&D and innovation support • FWO: funding basic research • Hercules: funding medium-scale and large-scale infrastructure • Policy advice • VRWI: advisory body for science and innovation policy | www.vrwi.be

15. PhD’s in government? • What does a senior researcher do at EWI? • each responsible for a specific field: e.g. discipline related (biotechnology, ICT, nanotech, marine biology, …) or more horizontal domains (human capital, knowledge transfer, fundamental research, …) • main tasks: • Prepare policy actions and follow up policy (subsidies, regulation, administration, …) • representations at Flemish, federal, European or supra-European level • knowledge building • policy evaluations • dialogue with stakeholders (coordination of input, gaining bearing for policy, provide information, …)

16. Policy for researchers

17. Illustrations of financing programmes • Research Foundation – Flanders: fellowships and projects • Agency for Innovation by Science and Technology : fellowships and projects • Funding directly to university: Special Research Fund • junior professors (BOF-ZAP) • Methusalem • provide experienced Flemish researchers with structural long-term financing • Tenure track

18. Enhancing research careers • European Community : ‘partnership for researchers’ • Four priorities were selected for the formulation of : • the systematic use of open recruiting; • the development of an effective solution for the social insurance and supplementary pension entitlements of mobile researchers • the creation of attractive working environments and conditions • the further strengthening of the training, skills and experience of researchers. national action plans presidency conference in Brussels 9-10 november 2010

19. Introduction

20. Policy objectives • Research and Development must offer attractive prospects for young people, and research personnel must feel supported and appreciated in their professional careers; • A sufficient number of top-quality candidates must opt for a career in R&D in both the academic world and the world of business; • Flanders needs to play an active role – both in terms of attracting foreign researchers and sending its own research personnel abroad – in the development of an open international research community, within which researchers can move freely from place to place, thereby promoting the efficient exchange of knowledge.

21. Examples of actions • Encourage institutions to subscribe to the European Charter for Researchers and to join the HR Strategy System. • Within the Research Foundation - Flanders, an inter-university workgroup is developing a proposal for an accurate and objective evaluation of aspiring candidates from Flanders and abroad. • A new Flemish section was added to the Belgian Euraxess website (www.euraxess.be/flanders) • A workshop was organised to discuss ways in which Flanders can be made more attractive as an environment for foreign researchers. • The financing for tenure track mandates in Flanders will remain at a stable level and the tenure track system will be further implemented. • Stakeholders consultation will be organised on skills needed for different research profiles • A working group on researchers status will be set up beginning 2011. • A working group on obstacles for mobility will be set up beginning 2011.

22. Innovation union Flagship • To reach the goals of the EU 2020 strategy • By end 2011, MS should have strategies in place • To train enough researchers to meet their national R&D targets • To promote attractive working conditions • By 2012 • Commission propose an ERA framework and supporting measures to remove obstacles to mobility and cross-border cooperation • Quality of doctoral training, attractive employment conditions, gender balance • Mobility of researchers across countries and sectors: open recruitment, comparable research career structures, European supplementary pension funds

23. Information • Karen Haegemans • Department of Economy, Science and Innovation • Email: karen.haegemans@ewi.vlaanderen.be

24. Thank you Department of Economy, Science and Innovation (EWI)Koning Albert II-laan 35 box 10, 1030 Brussels www.ewi-vlaanderen.be | info@ewi.vlaanderen.be