Suzanne Miller-Delaney, Miguel Jorge GPC, Brussels, 19 May 2014

1. ‘Barriers to the Realisation of the ERA & Possible Solutions’ Suzanne Miller-Delaney, Miguel Jorge GPC, Brussels, 19 May 2014 A presentation informed by: “Raising Researchers’ Voices – Opinions on Jobs, Careers & Rights” & the VoR Forum.

2. Raising Researchers’ VoicesOpinions on Jobs, Careers and Rights AIMS OF THE CONFERENCE: • To identify the biggest issues affecting researchers & their careers in Europe. • To facilitate identification of solutions to these issues by researchers themselves. 240 participants of all ages, nationalities &disciplines, working within 40 European countries

3. Raising Researchers’ VoicesOpinions on Jobs, Careers and Rights 20 influential stakeholder representatives also in attendance including representatives from: • International Consortium of Research Staff Associations (ICoRSA) • European Trade Union Committee for Education (ETUCE) • Marie Curie Fellow Association (MCFA) • Initiative for Science in Europe (ISE) • Young Academy of Europe (YAE) • Global Young Academy (GYA) • EURODOC • EuroScience

4. Barriers to the Realisation of the ERA & Possible Solutions

5. Barriers to the Realisation of the ERA & Possible Solutions • Open recruitment does not lead to excellence on its own. • There is no positive correlation between excellence in research & professional success. • Impact should not be a major funding criterion. Funding Excellence

6. Barriers to the Realisation of the ERA & Possible Solutions Funding Excellence • 85% felt that there is a need for increased collaboration between the arts, humanities & social sciences & the life sciences. • 81% felt that a clear lack of mechanisms to allow & reward inter-disciplinary & inter-sectorial research exists in the EU

7. Barriers to the Realisation of the ERA & Possible Solutions • Funding mechanisms should focus on individuals & not on research projects. • Grants should be more flexible, & should be portable across EU member states. • Researchers should be encouraged to take more accountability for how they put their funding to use. • Funding programmes should encourage increased collaboration between the arts, humanities & social sciences & the life sciences. Funding Excellence – Recommendations:

8. Barriers to the Realisation of the ERA & Possible Solutions • Adequate longer-term funding opportunities required at every career stage • Geographic mobility comes at a cost with many researchers stating that mobility harms their ability to achieve a sustained career (30% according to the MORE2 Study) • Loss of capable individuals from research careers in Europe • Forms of mobility other than geographic mobility are not adequately valued Sustainable Research Careers

9. Barriers to the Realisation of the ERA & Possible Solutions Sustainable Research Careers – Recommendations: • Longer-term research positions should be funded subject to frequent evaluations (e.g. co-funded ‘tenure track’ positions). • A change of focus is necessary in funding mechanisms, moving away from an exclusive focus on geographic mobility to career consolidation.

10. Barriers to the Realisation of the ERA & Possible Solutions • Despite significant progress, 67% of attendees felt that current PhD training is not effective in preparing researchers for multiple research career choices. • Sufficient training of postdoctoral researchers in transferable skills is lacking. • Further measures & provisions for postdoctoral researchers are required. Career Development

11. Barriers to the Realisation of the ERA & Possible Solutions • Effective career development & training opportunities for transferable skills must be promoted throughout Europe at both the doctoral & postdoctoral researcher level through funding programs. Career Development – Recommendation:

12. Barriers to the Realisation of the ERA & Possible Solutions • Support mechanisms for the families of mobile researchers are lacking in many countries • HR Excellence in Research logo has contributed to the recognition of academic institutions with good work-life balance practices including support mechanisms for researchers’ families, but additional measures are necessary. Supporting the personal life of researchers

13. Barriers to the Realisation of the ERA & Possible Solutions Supporting the personal life of researchers – Recommendations: • Greater support mechanisms for the families of mobile researchers are needed & should be promoted through funding mechanisms. • Academic institutions which promote good work-life balance practices must be recognised in a meaningful way.

14. Barriers to the Realisation of the ERA & Possible Solutions • 78% of attendees believed that current recruitment procedures are not sufficiently open, fair & merit-based. • Researchers are particularly concerned about the lack of transparent and fair recruitment in long-term/permanent academic positions. • Recognising academic institutions with good selection & recruitment principles, requires feedback from researchers themselves confirming the practical implementation of the Charter & Code.  Open Recruitment

15. Barriers to the Realisation of the ERA & Possible Solutions • All selection criteria should be made public when positions are advertised with feedback provided to applicants following the selection process. • Charter & Code core principles should be implemented across institutions & not just for EU funded positions. • Academic institutions with good selection & recruitment practices must be recognised in a meaningful way which incorporates feedback from researchers. Open Recruitment – Recommendations:

16. Barriers to the Realisation of the ERA & Possible Solutions Social Security & Pensions • 86% of conference participants felt that researchers would benefit from European-wide pensions & social security systems. • The provision of such facilities would make transitions between European member states smoother, thus promoting mobility & bolstering the ERA as an attractive destination for researchers.

17. Barriers to the Realisation of the ERA & Possible Solutions Social Security & Pensions - Recommendation • Pan-European pension & social security facilities for researchers need continued development.

18. Join the VoR forum at http://voice.euraxess.org

19. Comments from the VoR Forum Open Calls: “The details of what is being done are still a bit vague to me. How much of the calls will be driven by large, predefined topics ?” “If topics are decided by a science policy committee, it will be based on expert advice given to them by senior researchers. .. (but) there is a delay….by the time this information has trickled up through the committees, it is no longer cutting edge, but significantly out of date” “Open calls are vital. Super vital. Anything else severely slows down research!” Sven Sewitz Information Seeking: “To apply for European money is either a nightmare to execute or seems like one.” “…some work on user interface for the researcher mind (rather than a dedicated researcher contracts and funding manager mind)” is required. “I think an interface with an ‘A4 page per call’ with links to more advanced details embedded would enable ‘shopping’ to make the right bids at the right times.” Helen Lees

20. Take Home Messages for Funding Programmes: • Shift from mobility funding to long-term career consolidation funding • Increased mechanisms for collaboration between the arts, humanities & social sciences & the life sciences • Focus on life-long professional development • Measures to support the personal life of researchers • Open recruitment is not a reality • Social security & pension provision need continued development

21. @ VoiceOfTheResearchers @ Research_Voice

22. VoR ‘multipliers’ • Panagiotis Batakidis; Mathematics; Cyprus • Diana Beech; Political Sciences; UK • Martin Dominik; Astronomy; UK • Maria-Christina Georgiadou; Engineering; UK • Maria Gonzalez-Aguado; Sociology; Spain • Bruno Gonzalez-Zorn; Medical Sciences; Spain • Jasmien Herssens; Architecture; Belgium • Carmen Hubbard; Agriculture; UK • Miguel Jorge; Engineering; Scotland • João Lopes; Chemistry; Portugal • Diana Adela Martin; Philosophy and Visual Arts; Romania • Suzanne Miller-Delaney; Cancer Genetics; Ireland • Audrey Osler; Educational Sciences; UK • Bernhard Paetzold; Biological Sciences; Spain • Triantafillia Papazioga; Educational Sciences; Greece • Marco Pautasso; Environment; France • Esther Rodriguez-Villegas; Engineering; UK • Kritika Samsi; Health and Social Sciences; UK • Thomas Schäfer; Engineering; Spain New Multipliers (since Apr 2014): • Miguel Carrion Alvarez; Physics; Spain • Paulo Jesus; Philosophy; Portugal • Martina Marin Dobrincic; Astronomy; Spain • Federica Migliardo; Physics; Italy • Andre Mischke; Physics; Netherlands • Valentina Pomazan; Engineering; Romania • KaterynaShalayeva; Sociology; France