Research Careers
02INTRODUCTION
ERA Policy Agenda Action 4 deals with promoting attractive and sustainable research careers, balanced talent circulation and international, transdisciplinary and inter-sectoral mobility across the ERA. Providing researchers with attractive working conditions, and with adequate instruments and services in support of their careers is of utmost importance to make sure that they are able to undertake excellent research and take up the research and innovation challenges of European society, contributing to an effective and fully functioning European Research Area (ERA). In particular, making research careers more attractive for young talents is a fundamental condition for long-term excellence and competitiveness of the ERA.
The objective of Action 4 is therefore to develop a toolbox of measures to promote attractive and sustainable research careers, diverse career paths, balanced talent circulation, and international, transdisciplinary and inter-sectoral mobility across the ERA, in order to improve the functioning of the European single market for researchers and to strengthen research careers across the EU. In particular, the aim is to stimulate researchers’ careers beyond academia in light of the limited opportunities existing in academia; to fight the precarity that too often characterises research careers consequent, among other things, to the lack of sustainable investments in higher education institutions and research organisations; to attract more talent, with a particular focus on women, towards research careers; to equip researchers with all the skills needed for a successful career within and beyond academia, including through the implementation of the European Competence Framework for Researchers; to foster researchers’ entrepreneurship and innovation; and to make Europe an appealing destination for the best world talents. This action and its components are at the intersection between the policies on research and innovation, employment and social policy, internal market as well as education policies.
Action 4 will consist of 3 main sets of activities:
- The development of a comprehensive European framework for research careers, addressing the existing challenges linked to research careers in academia and beyond.
- Exchange of best practices and mutual learning to support the development of researchers’ skills, inter-sectoral mobility and balanced talent circulation.
- Support measures to improve the attractiveness of research careers in academia and beyond, including an observatory on research careers, and an ERA Talent Platform (reinforcement of EURAXESS).
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