European university associations welcome proposal for Council. Recommendation on research careers – further steps needed
02 November 2023
Representing a large part of the university sector, and as active participants in the ERA Forum,
especially in the context of the European Research Area (ERA) Action 4 on Research Careers,
jointly welcome the European Commission proposal for a Council Recommendation on a European framework to attract and retain talents in Europe.
We welcome the attention given to research careers and the general objectives of the
Commission proposal for a Council Recommendation on careers and talents, which includes
a European Competence Framework for Researchers (ResearchComp), an updated Charter
for Researchers (annexed to the Council Recommendation), and an observatory on research
careers (ReICO). While we recognise that this proposal is moving things forward, we want to
emphasise that the adoption of the Council Recommendations will be a first step in a series
of more active commitments that Member States would need to embark upon to fulfil the
objective of improving research careers in Europe.
1. Sustainable research careers hinge on the presence of enabling framework
conditions for institutions and the stability granted by long-term core funding.
First, we call on national governments that by adopting the proposal at the Council they also
take on the corresponding responsibility of improving framework conditions for higher
education institutions (HEIs) through appropriate legislative changes at national and regional
levels, respecting the principle of subsidiarity, and by providing them with adequate funding.
Second, a shift from the declining trend of public core funding is necessary to prevent
universities from overly relying on variable competitive funding. Hence, a strong balance
between short-term funding (e.g., competitive project grants) versus strategic long-term
funding streams (e.g., non-competitive block funding) is needed at regional, national, and
European levels. Only in close partnership with governments and funders can universities
provide sustainable and attractive research careers.
2. Flexible and multiple career pathways should be envisioned with a holistic and
long-term perspective.
The unique character of doctoral education should be widely recognised and valued. The
expertise and transversal skills that researchers possess are not always acknowledged and
recognised in other sectors, which can lead to misconceptions about the value researchers
bring. This is especially prevalent in the social sciences, arts and humanities (SSAH) fields.
Member States should remove obstacles that hinder researchers in transnational and
intersectoral mobility in science. These range from difficulties and delays in getting academic
qualifications recognised, to the risk of precarious employment conditions, and to the loss of
acquired social security rights.
In the evolving landscape of research careers, it is imperative to cultivate an environment
where individuals can pursue research endeavours seamlessly across countries and diverse
sectors, underpinned by the development of adaptable structures and frameworks.
Intersectoral mobility should be facilitated and embedded within academic careers, and it
should not be presented as the alternative to a career in universities. The promotion of
intersectoral mobility cannot come at the expense of a career in academia, as there is a risk
that universities become a secondary employer of choice for the best research talents in
Europe. Attractive career paths can only be provided if career security comes at an earlier
phase in a researcher’s career, and if the university’s unique environment of academic
freedom is less compromised by administrative and regulatory burdens. If universities are no
longer able to retain the best talent in academia, this will have a detrimental effect on their
ability to create and nurture future talent and to remain competitive in the international
research arena. We must ensure that universities are fully supported to be able to offer better
working conditions for researchers since private sector organisations are likely to be highly
resourced and willing to offer researchers more attractive working conditions than public
universities can.
Furthermore, greater efforts to further advance progress on the reforms of research
assessment need to accompany the pleas for facilitated intersectoral mobility. Even if
researchers want to return to academia, they still face barriers of entry and progression as
research assessment in HEIs still fails to suitably reward experiences and skills acquired in
sectors outside academia.
3. Universities should be empowered to offer stable and more predictable research
careers.
The Recommendation proposes a one third maximum threshold for fixed term contracts at the
level of institutions, but it does not provide clarity on which criteria this threshold is based.
The same target threshold is unlikely to fit all university needs, nor does it respect their
autonomy. Therefore, there is a need to reposition the narrative from targets on fixed-term
contracts to the types of contracts being offered to researchers and the associated eligibility
for social benefits.
On the other hand, offering long-term career avenues is paramount, and demands consistent
and sustainable core funding for universities. If universities cannot offer stable careers, talent
might leave academia permanently. Therefore, tenure track-like systems in Europe should
take into account the diversity of structures of national and regional systems, of
disciplinary/scientific cultures and institutional configurations, and be accompanied by
adequate core funding.
4. The evidence base for monitoring research careers should be developed in an
open and sustainable manner.
We fully support the creation of a Research and Innovation Careers Observatory (ReICO), as
there is a need for a reliable evidence base upon which to monitor and evaluate all features
related to sustainable research careers. We believe that for the purposes of developing a
sound base of relevant data and indicators at a sufficient level of granularity, a sustainably
open and transparent participatory process for collecting the data would be highly beneficial.
The ReICO should include data related to the research funding landscape and enable
comparisons over time as well as geographical areas and different disciplines. The ReICO
should also ensure synergies with other initiatives like the Coalition for Advancing Research Assesment (CoARA)
Concluding remarks
Given the voluntary nature of the Council Recommendation, we caution against the risk of
further divergence in career pathway and talent retainment strategies between countries
already having mechanisms in place versus countries not implementing the
recommendations. Striking a balance between encouraging progress and ensuring equitable
opportunities for researchers remains a crucial challenge in our pursuit of fostering a European
Research Area.
The attractiveness of research careers depends also on the protection of academic core
values (e.g. academic freedom, institutional autonomy) and the availability of high-quality
research and innovation support offices in universities (enabling the researchers to focus on
their research).
The Charter for Researchers, the ResearchComp framework, the human resource strategy
for researchers (HRS4R) label and the Agreement on Reforming Research Assessment are
incentives that should remain voluntary and inspirational.
It is important that while Member States are discussing and adopting these Council
Recommendations, they reflect on the need for proactive measures and accountability in
ensuring appropriate resources and efforts are dedicated to the implementation of these
recommendations.
