Research Careers in Europe Landscape and Horizons - www.esf.org - MEMBER ORGANISATION FORUM
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MEMBER ORGANISATION FORUM
Research Careers in Europe
Landscape and Horizons
A report by the ESF Member Organisation Forum
on Research Careers
www.esf.org
European Science Foundation Member Organisation Fora
The European Science Foundation (ESF) is an inde- An ESF Member Organisation Forum is an out-
pendent, non-governmental organisation, the members put-oriented, issue-related venue for the Member
of which are 80 national funding agencies, research- Organisations, involving other organisations as ap-
performing agencies, academies and learned societies propriate, to exchange information and experiences
from 30 countries. and develop joint actions in science policy.
The strength of ESF lies in the influential member- Typical subjects areas discussed in the Fora are
ship and in its ability to bring together the different related to:
domains of European science in order to meet the • Joint strategy development and strategic coopera-
challenges of the future. tion with regard to research issues of a European
Since its establishment in 1974, ESF, which has its nature.
headquarters in Strasbourg with offices in Brussels • Development of best practices and exchange of
and Ostend, has assembled a host of organisations practices on science management, to benefit all
that span all disciplines of science, to create a common European organisations and especially newly estab-
platform for cross-border cooperation in Europe. lished research organisations.
ESF is dedicated to promote collaboration in scien- • Harmonisation of coordination by MOs of national
tific research, funding of research and science policy programmes and policies in a European context.
across Europe. Through its activities and instruments
ESF has made major contributions to science in a glo-
bal context. The ESF covers the following scientific
domains:
• Humanities
• Life, Earth and Environmental Sciences
• Medical Sciences
• Physical and Engineering Sciences
• Social Sciences
• Marine Sciences
• Materials Science
• Nuclear Physics
• Polar Sciences
• Radio Astronomy
• Space Sciences
www.esf.org
Authors:
Beate Scholz
Eero Vuorio
Susanne Matuschek
Iain Cameron
Acknowledgements
This report has been written by the Chairs with
the support of the Forum and the working groups.
ESF is grateful to the Chairs of the working groups
for authoring the report on behalf of the Forum.
The MO Forum has been coordinated by Neil Williams
and Laura Marin, ESF.
Cover: © Shutterstock
Contents Preface 2 1. Introduction 3 1.1 Executive summary 3 1.2 Declaration 3 1.3 Motivation of the Research Careers Forum 5 1.4 Mission and objectives 6 1.5 Scope and structure 6 1.6 Methodology 7 1.7 Conclusions, recommendations and actions 8 2. Working Group 1: Conditions of a Research Career in Europe Subgroup 1A: Research Career Structure and Development 16 2.1 Goals of Subgroup 1A 16 2.2 Methodology 16 2.3 A four-stage research career structure 16 2.4 Academic and non-academic research careers 16 2.5 Attempts to group the different European research career structures and policies 17 2.6 Compilation of the findings of Subgroup 1A 19 2.7 Mobility between industry and academia 26 2.8 Important areas of development and Subgroup 1A recommendations 27 Annex 2.1 29 3. Working Group 1: Conditions of a Research Career in Europe 30 Subgroup 1B: Gender Issues 3.1 Introduction 30 3.2 Methodology and milestones 30 3.3 Topics and analysis 30 3.4 Results 33 3.5 Conclusions 37 3.6 Recommendations 37 Annex 3.1 38 Annex 3.2 38 4. Working Group 2: Human Resources Development 46 Transferable skills 4.1 Introduction 46 4.2 Modus operandi of Working Group 2 46 4.3 Questionnaire results and discussion 47 4.4 Conclusion 51 Annex 4.1 51 Annex 4.2 52 Annex 4.3 53 Annex A. Participating organisations and nominated representatives 59
Preface Launched in November 2007, the ESF Member I wish to thank the hosts of the workshops and all Organisation Forum on Research Careers has served the members of the working groups. On behalf of the as a joint platform for the exchange of views and expe- ESF the Forum was coordinated in a professional and rience and for the development of strategy concepts dedicated manner by Neil Williams and subsequently by to be applied at national and supranational level. The Laura Marin. Last, but not least, the material presented Forum has provided an interface for ESF Member in this report is due to the special engagement of the Organisations (MOs), the European Commission and Chairs of the working groups; Beate Scholz (Scholz – universities in Europe represented by the European consulting training coaching, formerly German Research University Association and the League of European Foundation, Germany), Eero Vuorio (University of Turku), Research Universities. The Forum main objectives has Susanne Matuschek (Swiss National Science Foundation) been to: and Iain Cameron (Research Councils UK), who together • develop a roadmap for research career development invested a lot of work and fruitful energy. in Europe and by this means The work of the ESF MO Forum, the conclusions • create new and improve existing European-level and and recommendations of which are documented in coordinate national policies and programmes aimed this report, can be regarded as a milestone. Its future at promoting different career stages, and perspectives are included in the EUROHORCs and ESF • raise the international visibility of the ERA as a com- Vision on a Globally Competitive ERA and their Road mon labour market for researchers. Map for Actions in a dedicated chapter on the promotion The idea to establish the Forum stemmed from building of European research careers. We hope and wish that on existing experience and previous successful inter- the cooperation will continue in order to provide shape actions between MOs. The initiative to start the Forum to the Forum recommendations. was taken by members of the international Management Committee of the European Young Investigator (EURYI) Dr. Marc Heppener Award and the informal European Network on Research Director of Science and Strategy Development, Careers (ENRC). It also built on the observation that the European Science Foundation promotion of research careers is key to the activities of all ESF Member Organisations, research-funding as well as -performing. However, research career policy in Europe is largely determined at national, regional and even single university level, therefore fragmentation remains widespread. In order to address the complexity and breadth of this topic the Forum organised its work between different working groups, each of which defined its own focus areas, developing differentiated workshops, meetings, surveys, etc. The outcomes of the mapping exercises and identification of good practices are built around those subgroups. The Forum has developed an imple- mentation plan which will form the backbone of its future activities, in particular, it has recommended a set of joint actions to be taken: • structuring of research careers; • improving the attractiveness and competitiveness of European research careers; • providing “equal playing fields” for researchers of all backgrounds; • supporting the development of “portfolio careers”; • developing and implementing European policies for research career development. 2 | Research Careers in Europe – Landscape and Horizons
1. Introduction
1.1 Executive summary • supporting the development of ‘portfolio careers’;
• developing and implementing European policies
• Rationale of the Member Organisation Forum for research career development.
on Research Careers: The promotion of research
careers is key to the activities of research-funding
and -performing organisations in Europe. However, for 1.2 Declaration
the European Research Area to remain competitive in
qualifying, retaining and recruiting the brightest and • Structuring of research careers with the help of
most creative researchers there is an urgent need a joint taxonomy: Extreme heterogeneity of career
to adopt a common strategy to ensure the attrac- steps and confusion about terminology are major
tiveness of research careers. Currently, research factors distracting researchers from a career in the
career policy in Europe is very largely determined public research sector. The Member Organisation
at national, regional and even single university level Forum on Research Careers has thus developed
– fragmentation remains widespread. Neither just a taxonomy for research careers with the aim of
overcoming fragmentation, nor merely creating uni- describing the academic research career structure
formly structured career paths are sufficient to ensure in Europe. This concern is shared by the League
the attractiveness of research careers. Creativity and of European Research Universities (LERU) and the
originality in approaches, taking account of specific European Commission’s Steering Group on Human
needs, are required, allowing capable scientists to Resources and Mobility who have set up their own
pursue their careers in a variety of ways. working groups to this end. It will be to the benefit of
• Aims: Launched in November 2007, the ESF Member researchers that in the future, research organisations,
Organisation Forum on Research Careers serves as universities and the EC speak with one voice.
a joint platform for the exchange of views and experi- Knowledge about the career paths of researchers
ence and for the development of strategy concepts in non-academic R&D professions is still very limited.
to be applied at national and supranational level. It It will therefore be an important next step to identify
provides an interface for ESF Member Organisations, appropriate partners from the private sector who could
the European Commission and universities in Europe help to complete the picture of research career des-
represented by the European University Association tinations and to identify good practice examples for
and the League of European Research universities. intersectoral mobility.
• Objectives: The ESF Member Organisation Forum
Recommended action:
on Research Careers seeks:
• We advocate the formation of a working group
• to develop a roadmap for research career develop-
by the Research Careers Forum incorporating
ment in Europe and by this means
representatives from universities, the European
• to create new and improve existing European-
Commission and businesses to work out a joint
level, including coordinated national, policies and
taxonomy for research careers in the public
programmes aimed at promoting different career
and the private research sector.
stages, and
• eventually to raise the international visibility of the European added value:
ERA as a common labour market for researchers. • Realising the European Partnership for
• Actions: In order to address the complexity and Researchers.
breadth of the topic most effectively the Forum organ-
ised its work between two working groups each of • Improving the attractiveness and competitive-
which defined its own focus areas. The outcomes of ness of European research careers: Although an
the mapping exercises and identification of good prac- increasing number of organisations in Europe have
tices are built around those subgroups. The Forum managed to introduce new funding schemes which
has worked out an implementation plan which will offer salaried positions or stipends with social secu-
form the backbone of its future activities. We have rity benefits, this issue still needs to be addressed in
identified five fields in which we think joint actions many European countries. In addition, any remaining
have to be taken: financial obstacles preventing the intersectoral mobil-
• structuring of research careers; ity of researchers need to be studied.
• improving the attractiveness and competitiveness Several research organisations in Europe have
of European research careers; developed programmes to support research career
• providing ‘equal playing fields’ for researchers of development. However, not all of them meet the
all backgrounds;
Research Careers in Europe – Landscape and Horizons | 3
1. Introduction
demands of their respective target groups in terms strategy) to be built on firm scientific quality
of reliable career prospects, scientific independence standards. Notably, it should create transpar-
and flexibility, especially when it comes to cross-bor- ency, e.g. on the share and success rates of
der mobility. In order to realise the ‘European Grant women in research funding.
Union’ and to offer highly effective programmes it will
be important for research organisations in Europe to European added value:
learn from the research community’s feedback and • Benchmarking for ESF and its Member Organi-
to build on existing good practice. sations; Enhancing the quality of European
research by feeding into the strategies of ESF
Recommended actions: Member Organisations.
• The issue of ‘flexicurity’ is addressed by
working groups at the level of the European • Supporting the development of ‘portfolio careers’
Commission (EC). We suggest that the EC by introducing a joint skills statement: In order
include experts from the Research Careers to give orientation to researchers qualifying for a
Forum in order to benefit from the joint knowl- successful career in the public or private sector we
edge and experience of research organisations propose a joint skills statement. It includes the fol-
in Europe. lowing definition and an agreed list of transferable
• In addition, we suggest the formation of a work- skills:
ing group by the Research Careers Forum with
the aim of revisiting and advancing Member Definition of transferable skills in a research con-
Organisations’ programmes for research career text:
development. It should involve representatives “Transferable skills are skills learned in one context
of the ESF Member Organisation Forum on (for example research) that are useful in another
Programme Evaluation and researchers from (for example future employment whether that is in
the public and the private sector. research, business etc). They enable subject- and
research-related skills to be applied and developed
European added value: effectively. Transferable skills may be acquired
• Realising the European Partnership for through training or through work experience”.
Researchers and the EUROHORCs / ESF ERA
Roadmap. Yet we still lack knowledge as to which kinds of
skills are especially beneficial for the career devel-
• Providing ‘equal playing fields’ for researchers opment of researchers at a given stage and which
of all backgrounds through a new ‘scientific attributes are asked for on the employers’ side. A
quality’ approach: Inherent or hidden biases in the coherent policy on continuous professional develop-
peer-review system potentially create obstacles to the ment therefore needs to be evidence-based.
career advancement of researchers who have left the Recommended actions:
(European) academic research system, e.g. for family • We invite the ESF and its Member Organisa-
reasons, to work in industry or to go abroad, and to tions to adopt the joint skills statement and
researchers with especially risk-taking and innovative to provide the (financial) means for continu-
approaches. ous professional development addressing
Almost all obstacles and bottlenecks identified dur- researchers at all career stages.
ing a research career affect the careers of women • We stipulate the formation of a working group
scientists more severely than those of men. Therefore, by the Research Careers Forum in cooperation
the gender issue has to be kept in mind in all aspects with the ESF Member Organisation Forum on
of research career development in Europe, especially Evaluation of Funding Schemes and Research
when it comes to mobility, working arrangements and Programmes with the twofold aim of conduct-
peer review. ing a training-needs analysis and to study the
Recommended action: impact of transferable skills on researchers’
• We propose the formation of a working group career development in the public and the pri-
by the Research Careers Forum in coopera- vate sectors.
tion with the ESF Member Organisation Fora European added value:
on Peer Review, and Evaluation of Funding • ESF Member Organisations can demon-
Schemes and Research Programmes with strate the value of investing in continuous
the aim of preparing a new scientific qual- professional development (e.g. vis-à-vis their
ity approach (integrating a gender equality governments).
4 | Research Careers in Europe – Landscape and Horizons• Developing and implementing European policies To achieve this goal, the European Council agreed a
for research career development by establishing a spending target approaching 3% of GDP on European
European Alliance for Research Career Develop- research and development (R&D) by 2010. As a conse-
ment: The increasing complexity of research career quence, the European Commission stated that Europe
development in the era of globalisation and the accel- would need to make strong efforts to build additional
erating dynamics in the global competition for talent research capacity in the near future:
demands immediate concerted action by the key play- ‘Increased investment in research will raise the demand
ers in Europe. In order to develop joint strategies for for researchers: about 1.2 million additional research
career development and to implement corresponding personnel, including 700 000 additional researchers, are
activities we see the necessity for ongoing exchange deemed necessary to attain the objective’ 4
and interaction between research organisations 1,
universities, the European Commission and the private Despite the aspirations of governments and businesses
enterprise sector. The Research Careers Forum has alike, the outcome of investment in research careers in
laid the foundations and will prepare the ground for this new world of mobility and opportunity are poorly
setting up a ‘European Alliance for Research Career understood. The mechanisms by which graduates decide
Development’. for, or against, a research career (whether in academia,
business, the public sector etc.) are not well studied
Recommended action: across Europe and the appropriateness and impact of
• We encourage ESF and EUROHORCs to policy instruments is not systematically analysed.
establish and take ownership of the European Individual research councils have designed strategies
Alliance for Research Career Development to develop research careers and have set up appropriate
which should build on the competence and mechanisms and funding instruments within their own
experience of the ESF Member Organisation countries. However, considering the global competition
Forum on Research Careers. for researchers, the approach has to encompass Europe
European added value: as a whole and should accommodate both new measures
• Strengthening the cohesion and thereby the and those which have proven their validity with respect
competitive position of the ERA. to the challenges. It is not necessary to reinvent the
wheel. Since some of the solutions are already existent
they just need to be recombined, others still wait to be
discovered. To quote the American economist, Paul M.
1.3 Motivation of the Research Romer, “Possibilities do not add up. They multiply.” 5
Careers Forum The ESF Member Organisation Forum could indeed
build on existing experience and previous successful
‘… the XXI st… will be the century of science and interaction of its founders: The initiative to start the Forum
technology. More than ever, investing in research and was taken by members of the international Management
technological development offers the most prom- Committee of the European Young Investigator (EURYI)
ise for the future. In Europe, however, the situation Award 6 and the informal European Network on Research
concerning research is worrying. Without concerted Careers (ENRC) 7. The EURYI Management Committee
action to rectify this, the current trend could lead to a has been responsible for developing and handling the
loss of growth and competitiveness in an increasingly EURYI Award Programme which has been jointly carried
global economy’ 2 out by around twenty research organisations8 in Europe
(Philippe Busquin, 2001)
under the umbrella of the European Heads of Research
It is vital that we realise that the world has entered a Councils (EUROHORCs) and the ESF. The ENRC, estab-
post-industrial era. The characteristics of this new era, lished in 2003 from an initiative by the German Research
referred to as the ‘Knowledge Society’, are quite different Foundation (DFG), likewise consists of experts in the
to those in the earlier cycles of economic growth and field of research career development.
change. In this context, Europe has set itself the ambi-
tious goal to become ‘the most dynamic and competitive 4. COM(2003) 226 final/2, Communication from the Commission,
Investing in research: an action plan for Europe
knowledge economy in the world’ (Lisbon, March 2000)3. 5. Paul Romer: Economic Growth, The Concise Encyclopedia of
Economics: Library of Economics and Liberty.
1. I.e. research funding and non-university research-performing 6. For more information on the EURYI Award, cf. www.esf.org/ac-
organisations. tivities/euryi.html.
2. Brussels, 18.1.2000. COM(2000) 6 final, Communication from the 7. Cf. http://www.dfg.de/en/research_careers/focus/european_net-
Commission, Towards a European Research Area. work_12/index.html.
3. Brussels, 11.9.2002, COM(2002) 499 final, Communication from 8. I.e. research funding and non-university research-performing
the Commission. More research for Europe. Towards 3% ofGDP. organisations.
Research Careers in Europe – Landscape and Horizons | 51. Introduction
1.4 Mission and objectives • to develop a roadmap for research career develop-
ment in Europe and by this means
The promotion of research careers is key to the activi- • to create or improve European-level, included coor-
ties of research-funding and -performing organisations dinated national, policies and programmes aimed at
in Europe. However, for the European Research Area to promoting different career stages and
remain competitive in qualifying, retaining and recruiting • eventually to raise the international visibility of the
the brightest and most creative researchers there is an ERA as a common labour market for researchers.
urgent need to adopt a common strategy to ensure the
attractiveness of research careers. Currently, research-
career policy in Europe is very largely determined at 1.5 Scope and structure
national, regional and even single university level – frag-
mentation remains widespread. The work of the Research Careers Forum was directed
The ESF Member Organisation Forum on Research by the chair (Beate Scholz) together with the ESF coor-
Careers serves as a joint platform for the exchange dinator (Neil Williams, succeeded by Laura Marin in April
of views and experience and for the development of 2009), in cooperation with the Steering Group, see the
strategy concepts to be applied at national and supra- organisational chart of the Member Organisation Forum,
national level. It provides an interface for ESF Member Figure 1.1. The Steering Group encompassed the sub-
Organisations (i.e. national research-funding and group chairs (Eero Vuorio, Susanne Matuschek and Iain
-performing agencies and academies), the European Cameron), two advisers (Martin Hynes and Zsolt Kajcsos)
Commission and universities in Europe represented and permanent guests (Massimo Serpieri, European
by the European University Association (EUA) and the Commission; Lidia Borrell Damian and John Smith, both
League of European Research universities (LERU). from EUA).
The importance and relevance of the Research Careers The Research Careers Forum started its activities at
Forum is underlined by two recent documents: its Launch Conference in Brussels on 9 November 2007.
• In their ‘Vision on a Globally Competitive ERA and In order to address the complexity and breadth of the
their Road Map for Actions’ EUROHORCs and ESF topic most effectively the Forum identified three main
attribute the ESF Member Organisation Forum on topics and organised its work between two groups, one
Research Careers a key role in of which further divided into two subgroups. Each has
– ‘Developing a common vision on the research defined its own focus areas:
career structure for the ERA;
– Ensuring ongoing career development for the Working Group 1:
individual researcher, including international or Conditions of a Research Career in Europe
intersectoral mobility;
– Creating attractive conditions for a research Subgroup 1A: Research Career Structure and
career; Development (Chair: Eero Vuorio)
– Creating equal opportunities for male and female Considering the confusing variety of career paths and
researchers from all backgrounds; the unpredictability of a research career in Europe many
– Ensuring that transferable skills are developed.’ 9 young researchers are led to either opt for a different
• The strategy paper concerning a ‘European partner- career choice or to seek better conditions in a differ-
ship to improve the attractiveness of R&D careers and ent research system. However, looking at the different
the conditions for mobility of researchers in Europe’ national research environments many similarities and
written by the research ministers of Luxembourg examples of good practice can be found.
and Portugal, François Biltgen and José Mariano It was thus central to ask:
Gago. 10 • How could a common research career structure for
the ERA be defined?
In line with these visions and action plans the long-
• How to ensure ongoing career development for the
term goals of the Forum are:
individual researcher including international or inter-
sectoral mobility? How to allow for flexibility and
security in this respect?
9. EUROHORCs and ESF’s ‘Vision on a Globally Competitive ERA
and their Road Map for Actions, 2009’.
• How to create appealing (e.g. social, economic or
10. A European partnership to improve the attractiveness of RTD funding) conditions for a research career?
careers and the conditions for mobility of researchers in Europe.
Proposed Priority Actions, by François Biltgen and José Mariano As a number of these issues transcend the scope of
Gago, 30 April 2009. research organisations and have to be tackled both at
6 | Research Careers in Europe – Landscape and HorizonsWorking Group 2:
Steering Group Human Resources Development
MO Forum Chair, ESF Coordinator, SG Chairs, (Chair: Iain Cameron): Transferable skills
external advisers & guests
As only a small fraction of doctoral candidates choose
an academic career and given the fact that research-
ers in academia also require competencies beyond
i i i being a good researcher, it is essential for researchers
WG 1 WG 2 throughout their careers to acquire transferable skills.
SG 1A SG 1B Understanding how these skills for researchers are
Chair Chair Chair developed in different countries and with what effects,
Members Members Members has therefore been a central aim.
Key questions in this respect are:
i i i • Which policies on transferable-skill provision are in
place in the different European countries and how
Assembly are they implemented? Which aspects of transferable
skills are included?
• Which organisations are responsible for delivering
Figure 1.1: Organisational structure of the ESF Member
Organisation Forum on Research Careers
the agenda in each country and how do they interact
with each other and the research base?
• What is the particular policy and role of the respective
the political level and at the level of universities, close research-funding or -performing organisation in this
interaction has been taking place with the European regard?
Commission especially in view of its recommendation
on ‘Realising a Single Labour Market for Researchers’
and the ‘Partnership for Researchers’ strategy as well The Steering Group of the Forum held nine meetings
as with the EUA and LERU in view of their respective on a bi-monthly basis assessing the overall progress,
recommendations and ongoing activities. the initiatives and results of the subgroups and ongoing
developments outside the Forum (e.g. at the level of the
Subgroup 1B: Gender Issues European Commission or within the EUA).
(Chair: Susanne Matuschek) After its launch conference in November 2007,
In order to meet its ever increasing demand, the knowl- the Research Careers Forum organised two Annual
edge-based economy of Europe has to have access to Assemblies, the first in November 2008, the second
the full potential of human capital, especially by attracting in September 2009. The first Assembly aimed at pre-
more women to the top jobs in research. Although the senting the preliminary findings of the Forum. Selected
number of women entering universities and achieving stakeholders were invited to provide feedback on the
academic degrees has exceeded the number of men in achievements and input to the further work. The second
many European countries during recent years, there is Assembly formally concluded the first phase of work
still a significant gender gap as far as career advance- of the Forum by adopting this report and submitting a
ment and the higher level of the research career ladder renewal proposal to the ESF Governing Council which
are concerned. was adopted on 1 October 2009.
Therefore, it was crucial to analyse:
• What can be done to avoid negative effects on a
woman research career after career breaks due to 1.6 Methodology
family reasons?
• How to provide adequate organisational structures (a) Joint selection of topics: In their first meetings the
in order to embed paternity or maternity leave as respective working groups/subgroups defined common
one measure to increase gender equality? points of interest and thereby developed an agenda
• How to encounter inherent or hidden gender biases for their future work. Some working groups/subgroups
and thus to provide ‘equal playing field’ 11 for women’s dropped or changed individual topics, e.g. if abundant
research careers? evidence was already available.
• Subgroup 1A on Research Career Structure and
11. A state of equal opportunities for women and men in respect of Development focused on six topics:
a career in science and research – Attractiveness of a research career;
Research Careers in Europe – Landscape and Horizons | 71. Introduction
– Harmonisation of career steps; • Working Group 2 on Human Resources Development
– Job status (fellowships versus salaries, open-ended conducted a survey addressing all ESF Member
versus fixed-term contracts); Organisations represented in the Research Careers
– Career breaks due to intersectoral mobility Forum. In total 18 questionnaires were returned to
(academia ↔ industry ↔ public sector); the Working Group. Respondents had in many cases
– Predictability of research career (tenure track sys- consulted other experts so that the answers did not
tem) and necessarily represent only the Member Organisation’s
– Independency/autonomy. view, but allowed for a broader national perspective.
• Subgroup 1B on Gender Issues identified four top-
ics: (c) Preparation of the report: The subgroup/working
– Leaky pipeline; group chairs worked out reports for their respective
– Maternity/paternity/parental leave; group. These reports served as basis for working out
– Career breaks due to family reasons; the cross-cutting conclusions and recommendations.
– Equal playing fields. They were written by the Forum’s chair in cooperation
with the members of the Steering Group.
• Working Group 2 on Human Resources Development
elaborated the following key points with a special
focus on the provision of transferable skills: (d) Way forward: The Research Careers Forum has
– Government or other policy in each country, when worked out a set of conclusions and recommended
it started, what is expected and how it is imple- actions together with an implementation plan. As a
mented; next step it will develop a proposal to the ESF and
– Which aspects of transferable skills are included; EUROHORCs for renewing the Research Careers Forum
– Which organisations are responsible for delivering in the shape of the European Alliance for Research
the agenda in each country and how they interact Career Development. It will serve as a joint platform for
with each other and the research base (universities, interaction, exchange and (joint) policy development of
research organisations etc.); its stakeholders.
– The particular policy and role of the research coun-
cils or other ESF Member Organisation.
1.7 Conclusions, recommendations
(b) Mapping: As a second step the respective sub-
groups/working groups conducted a mapping exercise and actions
which was based on surveys involving ESF Member Beate Scholz, Chair of the Research Careers Forum
Organisations and/or on the analyses of national and
international surveys, policy papers and statistics. The The ESF Member Organisation Forum on Research
analyses of the mapping results were undertaken by the Careers has based its work on the assumption that the
respective subgroups or working group and the structure mechanisms by which graduates decide for, or against,
of the groups’ reports jointly approved. a research career (whether in academia, business, the
• Subgroup 1A on Research Career Structure and public sector etc.) are not well studied across Europe
Development carried out a survey among the mem- and that the appropriateness and impact of policy instru-
ber organisations represented in the subgroup (see ments is not systematically understood. Even though
Annex 4.3). Although the geographic coverage of the individual organisations, ministries or advisory groups
nine replies was very limited, it was possible to identify have designed strategies to develop research careers
a number of common trends and examples of good and set up corresponding funding instruments within
practice. Additional information has been obtained their own countries, an approach which encompasses
from members of the subgroup and from meetings Europe on a broader scale is still missing.12 Given the
with stakeholders, as well as from earlier surveys con- global competition for talent, Europe needs to remain
ducted in the EU. competitive in attracting the brightest and most creative
researchers as well as in training and developing the next
• Subgroup 1B on Gender Issues analysed the gender
policies and measures in 19 countries in a mapping 12. To name just a few: in the UK the reports by Sir Gareth Roberts
exercise based on published reports, own knowledge ‘SET for success’ of 2002 and by Nigel Thrift ‘Research Careers in
and enquiries performed via the Internet as well as the UK’ of 2009, in Sweden the ‘Karriär för qvalitet’ report by Ann
by personal contacts. Based on the preliminary find- Numhauser-Hennig of 2007, in Germany the ‘Bundesbericht für den
wissenschaftlichen Nachwuchs’ published by the Federal Ministry
ings, six countries (Germany, Ireland, Norway, Spain,
of Education and Research in 2008, in Ireland the report ‘Towards
Switzerland and UK) of special interest were identified a Framework for Researcher Careers’ published by the Advisory
for a deeper analysis. Council for Science, Technology and Innovation in 2008.
8 | Research Careers in Europe – Landscape and Horizonsgeneration of researchers. Therefore, we see an urgent
Stage I Stage II Stage III Stage IV
need to adopt a common strategy to ensure the attrac-
tiveness of research careers in Europe as a whole.
In the course of its activities the Research Careers
Forum was able to identify a number of challenges, gaps
and bottlenecks within the research system which might
induce researchers to leave. Taking into account recent
findings and ongoing research on the ‘future of work’ 13
we did not confine ourselves to academic research
careers in a narrow sense. We tried to enlarge our scope
by analysing individual needs and organisational con-
straints which would have to be addressed in order to Stage I Doctoral training stage
Stage II Postdoctoral stage
keep qualified knowledge workers in the research system Stage III Independent researcher stage
– even beyond academia. In this regard we did not limit Stage IV Established researchers (professors, research
ourselves to the entry stage of a research career, the professors, directors, senior scientists, etc)
doctoral phase, but considered career development in
research all along the line. Figure 1.2. Schematic presentation of a four-stage research career
It has been our aim to go beyond exploring the cur-
rent status of research career development. We also
tried to identify policies and programmes which have in Europe. The details of the model, including for each
proven their validity in responding to current challenges stage such features as the specific taxonomy, the job
and needs which research-funding and -performing status, career perspectives, bottlenecks and examples of
organisations should tackle in the future. Yet, we are good practice, are described in the report by Subgroup
aware that our mapping of existing (good) practices and 1A on Research Career Structure and Development (see
our analysis of earlier reports and recommendations Section 2).
has to remain limited. Based on the expert knowledge
of Member Organisation Forum participants and their Issues to be addressed
collaborators we still believe that we can offer a set of • The concern of providing orientation to researchers by
recommendations and pinpoint future issues to ESF, its working out a research career taxonomy is shared by
Member Organisations and other (political) actors who the League of European Research universities (LERU)
may be able to pave the way for more attractive research and the European Commission’s Steering Group on
careers in Europe. Human Resources and Mobility who have set up their
own working groups to this end. It will be to the benefit
Structuring of research careers with of researchers that, in the future, research organisa-
the help of a joint taxonomy tions, universities and the EC speak with one voice.
• Knowledge about the career paths of researchers in
Conclusions
non-academic R&D professions is still very limited.
Extreme heterogeneity of career steps and confusion It will therefore be an important next step to identify
about terminology are major factors to distract research- appropriate partners from the private sector who could
ers from a career in the public research sector. The help to complete the picture of research career des-
Member Organisation Forum on Research Careers has tinations and to identify good practice examples for
thus developed a taxonomy for research careers with intersectoral mobility.
the aim of describing the academic research career
structure in Europe. Our intention is to allow orientation Defining a research career structure is clearly an
and comparability, not to achieve uniformity. Hence, the important goal in itself. In order to provide orientation
attributes of each stage have to be seen as descriptors and guidance to the individual researcher, we see the
and not as determinants. need to get the message across by finding adequate
communication channels. One of the end products
Figure 1.2 shows the four-stage model of an aca- of the process initiated by the Forum could be thus a
demic research career, as it has been developed by ‘Handbook for Researchers’. It could be a web-based
Working Group 1 on Conditions of a Research Career resource which includes the requirements and criteria
of the different phases of a research career, an outlook
13. Research projects on the‚’future of work’ are carried out in a
number of countries. To name just a few: e.g. http://www.leeds. on what happens after each phase and information on
ac.uk/esrcfutureofwork/index.html, http://www.iza.org/ the roles, rights and responsibilities as well as the legal
Research Careers in Europe – Landscape and Horizons | 91. Introduction
and ethical framework of a research career with refer- their part in creating more attractive social, economic or
ence to The European Charter for Researchers and the funding conditions for research careers, e.g. by
Code of Conduct for Recruitment of Researchers of the • Offering salaried positions or stipends supplemented
European Commission.14 by social security benefits,
Recommended actions: • Enabling early scientific independence through tar-
• We advocate the formation of a working group geted funding schemes and career development
by the Research Careers Forum incorporating programmes,
representatives from universities, the European • Achieving supranational agreement on entry con-
Commission and businesses to work out a joint ditions for similar programmes supporting different
taxonomy for research careers in the public and stages of research careers,
the private research sector. • Allowing more mobility within the ERA by enabling
• We invite the EURAXESS network under the aus- the portability of grants and social security benefits
pices of the European Commission to produce across national boundaries and between sectors,
the proposed ‘Handbook for Researchers’. • Providing reliable career prospects through tenure
track offers and transparent criteria for career pro-
European added value: gression,
• Realising the European Partnership for Research- • Encouraging the interaction of peer groups of
ers. researchers at an early stage,
• Supporting gender equality measures, e.g. flexible
Improving the attractiveness and research career models especially for women with
competitiveness of European research children.
careers
Issues to be addressed
Conclusions
• Although an increasing number of organisations in
Even if research organisations and universities in Europe
Europe have managed to introduce new funding
manage to define a career structure for researchers we
schemes which offer salaried positions or stipends
see a number of challenges remaining for research
with social security supplements, this issue still
careers tracks in the European Research Area. Many
needs to be addressed in many European countries.
of these refer to salary and job-security issues. We
In addition, remaining financial obstacles preventing
found that some national systems offer open-ended
the intersectoral mobility of researchers need to be
contracts already at an early stage sometimes coin-
studied.
ciding with limited mobility and competition. In other
• In order to avoid very short-term contracts for
systems short-term contracts prevail. In this case the
researchers we invite Member Organisations to revisit
very limited availability of permanent positions can lead
the funding periods of their projects and make long-
to fierce competition and a high level of (social) inse-
term funding (e.g. for three years or more) more easily
curity which particularly induces women to leave the
available.
system. In addition, we can see a wide variation regard-
• Several research organisations in Europe have
ing the demand for and supply of researchers in different
developed programmes to support research career
fields of research: Whereas some disciplines struggle
development. However, not all of them meet the
to attract enough highly skilled applicants others – e.g.
demand of their respective target groups in terms of
some humanities – have to cope with an oversupply of
reliable career prospects, scientific independence and
qualified personnel for too few positions in academia.
flexibility, especially when it comes to cross-border
This again underlines the need to endorse intersectoral
mobility. In order to realise the ‘European Grant Union’
mobility and to actively inform researchers about the
and to offer highly effective programmes it will be
range of their career options.
important for research organisations in Europe to take
Of course we are aware that not all of these challenges continuous account of the research community’s feed-
can be solved at the level of research organisations and back and to build on existing good practice.
universities. Most of these call for concerted political • Especially for early career researchers the interac-
action. In this regard we see the European Partnership tion in peer networks for the purpose of mentoring
for Researchers as in important step in the right direc- and research collaboration seems to be an impor-
tion. However, ESF Member Organisations could play tant steptowards achieving scientific independence.
Usually, such networks need only a little funding to
14. European Commission: The European Charter for Researchers
get started and to subsist. We therefore encourage
and The Code of Conduct for the Recruitment (2005) 32 pp.
Luxembourg, ISBN 92-894-9311-9. the ESF and its Member Organisations to provide
10 | Research Careers in Europe – Landscape and Horizonsthe necessary seed funding to enable such networks numbers of women in science (different career stages),
and thereby to foster international and intersectoral applying for and receiving funding are needed to give
collaboration. a sound picture on measures and results for having
more women at the top of research.
Recommended actions:
• The issue of ‘flexicurity’ is addressed by working • Given that women still bear the majority of childcare
groups at the level of the European Commission responsibilities, women’s demand for well-aimed sup-
(EC). We propose that the EC include experts port in developing a research career is surely greater
from the Research Careers Forum in order to than that of men. The value of individual career devel-
benefit from the joint knowledge and experience opment plans and role models which become tangible,
of research organisations in Europe. e.g. in the framework of mentoring programmes can-
• In addition, we suggest the formation of a work- not be underestimated in this respect.
ing group by the Research Careers Forum with • Mobility is often seen as an indicator of success in
the aim of analysing and advancing ESF Member research careers. However, this mobility expectation
Organisations’ programmes for research career is clearly ambivalent for women’s research careers:
development. It should involve representatives Either they tend to follow their partners to other des-
of the ESF MO Forum on Evaluation of Fund- tinations which might result in a career break and/or
ing Schemes and Research Programmes and fewer publications, or they stay where they are which
researchers of different career stages from the is consequently interpreted as a sign of immobility.
public and the private sector. • Especially in research careers which are so much
associated with the idea of vocation, the concepts
European added value:
of working and private life are often seen as mutually
• Realising the European Partnership for Research-
exclusive. By contrast, we advocate the concept of
ers and the EUROHORCs/ESF ERA Roadmap.
inclusion, in terms of a research policy which includes
Work-Life Balance. Such policy could be operation-
Providing ‘equal playing fields’
alised, e.g. through part-time positions available to
for researchers of all backgrounds
women and men at all different career stages and/or
(a) The ‘rush hour of life’ through programme offers which are geared to the
needs of Dual Career Couples.
Conclusions
Research systems around the world and more specifi- Issues to be addressed
cally in Europe face the paradoxical situation that the We recommend to ESF and its Member Organisations
share of women entering the higher education system to
increasingly exceeds the share of men, but women are • introduce gender equality targets and measures in
still outnumbered by men in top research positions. The their peer-review criteria as part of a ‘new scientific
main reason behind this paradox is the increasing drop-
quality approach’;
out rate of women as they climb higher on the research
• establish permanent and public monitoring based on
career ladder which often coincides with the phase of
gender-segregated statistics over all applications,
having children, the so-called ‘rush hour of life’. Almost
allocation of funding and application behaviour at the
all obstacles and bottlenecks identified in the research
different career stages;
career affect the careers of women scientists more
• implement measures for an increase of applications
severely than those of men. Therefore the gender issue
from women researchers, e.g. by support through
has to be kept in mind in all aspects of research career
networking as well as of mentoring by peers;
development in Europe, especially when it comes to
mobility, working arrangements and peer review. • think of an alternative concept of mobility which offers
not only stays abroad, but includes international work-
The analysis of abundant literature, surveys and in-
ing relations and the option of ‘virtual’ mobility;
depth studies of good practice examples at national
• implement funding possibilities for early mobility as
and international level has led to the following conclu-
part of doctoral education, meaning before the ‘rush
sions and recommendations which are described more
hour’, and this to be accepted as equivalent to mobility
in detail in the report by Subgroup 1B on Gender Issues
at the postdoc level in peer-review processes;
(see Section 3):
• urge for more flexible and affordable childcare facili-
• It is well known that women tend to drop out of a ties especially at universities.
research career especially at the transition between
the different career stages. Permanent statistics on
Research Careers in Europe – Landscape and Horizons | 111. Introduction
(b) Towards a new scientific quality approach Issues to be addressed
Conclusions • We invite the ESF and its Member Organisations to
revisit their review practices for the purpose of realis-
Inherent or hidden biases in the peer review system
ing a new ‘scientific quality’ approach.
potentially create obstacles to the career advancement
• We recommend highlighting existing good practice in
of researchers who have left the (European) academic
the support of researchers who would like to re-enter
research system, e.g. for family reasons, to work in indus-
an R&D profession after a career break. The integra-
try or to go abroad, and to researchers with especially
tion of Human Resources specialists, especially from
risk-taking and innovative approaches15. It is of course
the private sector, will be essential at this point.
not our intention to question or replace ‘scientific qual-
ity’ as the prevalent selection criterion in peer review Recommended action:
or recruitment. We propose a couple of additional fea- We propose the formation of a working group by
tures which might help to assure more openness and the Research Careers Forum in cooperation with
flexibility: the ESF Member Organisation Fora on Peer Review
• In reviewing scientific achievements these should be and Evaluation of Funding Schemes and Research
normalised to the actual research experience which Programmes with the aim of preparing a new scien-
an applicant has gained. This would allow taking into tific quality approach (integrating a gender equality
account individual circumstances such as career strategy) to be built on firm scientific quality stand-
breaks, e.g. due to family reasons or intersectoral ards. Notably, it should create transparency, e.g. on
mobility. the share and success rates of women in research
• Researchers working in industry often do not have funding.
the right to publish their results to the same extent as European added value:
researchers in public research institutions. Adequate • Benchmarking for ESF and its Member Organisa-
criteria to assess their achievements still need to be tions.
developed. In this respect it might help to focus on a • Enhancing the quality of European research
researcher’s project proposal rather than to concen- by feeding into the strategies of ESF Member
trate on his or her past scientific performance. Organisations.
• In general, quantitative aspects should count less
when it comes to analysing a researcher’s publica- Supporting the development of ‘portfolio
tion or track record. It should rather be left to the
careers’ by introducing a joint skills
researcher’s discretion to list a very limited number
of relevant publications or grants.
statement
• In dealing with proposals from ‘first applicants’ or with Conclusions
high-risk projects it might be pertinent to attach more
Research careers nowadays tend to be less path-
importance to the qualified ex-post evaluation of the
dependent and to develop more and more into ‘portfolio
results rather than to the detailed a priori assessment
of the initial proposal. careers’. In consequence, the traditional career pipeline
• Especially in programmes aiming at researchers’ model is increasingly replaced by the model of a ‘career
career development further information (e.g. on an tree’. It symbolises the decreasing linearity of career
applicant’s potential) might be gained through inter- paths which is accompanied by the trend to combine
views in addition to written peer review procedures. several part-time roles building up to one full-time role,
• Recruitment and hiring procedures in universities and e.g. by working part-time in different fields of employ-
research institutions need to be transparent and made ment. In addition, globalised labour market developments
public. As a principle, positions should be announced demand increasing flexibility and (intersectoral) mobility
through open calls. Sometimes targeted hiring might of highly-skilled knowledge workers.
be equally appropriate or even more feasible. In this We have based our work on the assumption that only a
case quality standards should be assured, e.g. through small fraction of doctoral candidates decide on a career
external review statements as has been suggested by in academia. Given the fact that not only professionals
the European Charter for Researchers16. working outside R&D, but also researchers in academia
or the private sector require competencies beyond
15. Cf. Liv Langfeldt, Nils Henrik Solum: The 2nd evaluation of the being a good researcher, it is essential for researchers
European Young Investigator Award Scheme (EURYI), Oslo 2007. to acquire transferable skills throughout their careers.
16. Cf. European Commission: The European Charter for
Researchers and The Code of Conduct for the Recruitment of Understanding how these skills are developed in different
Researchers, Brussels 2005, p. 21. countries and with what effects was therefore a central
12 | Research Careers in Europe – Landscape and Horizonsaim. In particular, we tried to analyse in the framework – Communication/dialogue with non-technical
of a survey/questionnaire (see Annex 4.3): audiences (public engagement)
• which policies on transferable skill provision are in – Project and time management skills
place in different European countries and how are – Research management – research leadership
they implemented, – Creativity and the ability for abstract thought
• which aspects of transferable skills are included, – Knowledge of research methods and technolo-
• which organisations are responsible for delivering the gies beyond the doctoral project
agenda in each country, and – Teaching skills
• how they interact with the policy and role of the – Mentoring and supervisory skills
respective research funding or performing organisa- – Enterprise skills (entrepreneurship, commercial-
tion. isation, innovation, patenting and knowledge
transfer)
Our survey needs to be seen as a snapshot of the cur-
– Research ethics and research integrity
rent situation in a limited number of European countries.
– Use of science in policy making
However, it has confirmed an increasing awareness in
– Problem solving
ESF Member Organisations of the need to provide trans-
– Negotiation skills
ferable skills in the framework of the research qualification
– Networking skills
process. We still find a wide spectrum of approaches
– Grant application writing skills
regarding the delivery and funding of transferable skills,
– Career planning skills
but a strong consistency when it comes to the sets of
skills which are provided. Currently, transferable skills • In our analysis of transferable skills in Europe we found
training mainly takes place during the doctoral training that only a few ESF Member Organisations base their
phase or earlier as part of Bachelor or Master studies. programmes to support transferable skills provision
In line with the demand for lifelong learning we see the on a systematic training needs analysis. The same
need for the continuous provision of transferable skills holds true for the quality assurance of transferable
as part of ongoing individual career development. skills programmes. Thus, we still lack knowledge of
what kinds of skills are especially beneficial to the
career development of researchers at a given stage
Issues to be addressed
and which attributes are asked for on the employ-
• In order to give orientation to researchers qualifying ers’ side. We are convinced that a coherent policy
for a successful career in the public or private sector on continuous professional development needs to
we propose a joint skills statement to be adopted by be evidence-based.
ESF Member Organisations. It includes the following
• We also share the view that deciding on a career
definitions and an agreed list of transferable skills:
outside the rather narrow academic track should not
a) Research-oriented definition of transferable skills be considered a failure. Therefore we suggest that
Transferable skills are skills learned in one context ESF prepare a publication which illustrates success-
(for example research) that are useful in another ful (research and related) careers inside and outside
(for example future employment whether that is in academia and presents role models for the next gen-
research, business etc). They enable subject- and eration.
research-related skills to be applied and developed
effectively. Transferable skills may be acquired Recommended actions:
through training or through work experience. • We invite the ESF and its Member Organisations
to adopt the joint skills statement and to provide
b) Generic definition of transferable skills
the (financial) means for continuous professional
Transferable skills are necessary for effective per-
development addressing researchers at all career
formance by individuals in a workplace. They are
stages.
skills that all types of study, work and career have
• We stipulate the formation of a working group
in common and they can serve as a bridge from
by the Research Careers Forum in cooperation
study to work and from one career to another. They
may be acquired through work experience or by with the ESF Member Organisation Forum on
training. Evaluation of Funding Schemes and Research
Programmes with the twofold aim of conducting a
c) Transferable skills encompass: training-needs analysis and to study the impact of
– Working with others/team working
transferable skills on researchers’ career devel-
– Communication/presentation skills, both written
opment in the public and the private sector.
and oral
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