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Researcher Mobility and Careers:

Update on Recent EU Policy Initiatives

Dr. Dagmar MeyerEuropean Commission

DG Research and Innovation Unit B2 - “Skills”

Seminar “How to attract and retain excellent

researchers?” Oslo, 19 January 2011

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Europe 2020 and the Innovation Union

• COM Communication (2010) “Europe 2020 - A strategy for smart, sustainable and inclusive growth” Big Societal Challenges - Climate, Energy, Health,

Security, Resource Efficiency… Need an integrated and strategic approach 7 Flagship Initiatives: Innovation Union, Agenda for

New Skills and Jobs, Digital Agenda, Youth on the Move, etc.

• COM Communication (2010) “Europe 2020 Flagship Initiative - Innovation Union” Innovation overarching policy objective Main obstacles: unfavorable framework

conditions & fragmentation of effort

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The Innovation UnionCommitments (I)

• Over 30 Action Points (“Commitments”) proposing initiatives in key areas, including: #1: By end 2011, MS to have strategies in

place to train enough researchers to meet their national R&D targets and to promote attractive employment conditions in public research institutions.

#2: In 2011, COM will support an independent multi-dimensional international ranking system allowing the best performing European universities to be identified. Further steps to be proposed in 2011 in a Communication on modernisation of higher education.

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The Innovation UnionCommitments (II)

#4: Completing the ERA: In 2012, COM will propose an ERA framework and supporting measures to remove obstacles to mobility and cross-border cooperation (to be in force by end 2014), addressing among others:

- quality of doctoral training, attractive employment conditions and gender balance in research careers;

- mobility of researchers across countries and sectors, including through open recruitment in public research institutions and comparable research career structures and by facilitating the creation of European supplementary pension funds.

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The Innovation UnionCommitments (III)

#30: By 2012, EU and MSs to put into place integrated policies - to ensure that leading academics,

researchers and innovators reside and work in Europe and

- to attract a sufficient number of highly skilled third country nationals to stay in Europe.

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Five dossiers related to these Commitments:

• Charter & Code – HR Strategy for Researchers• Supplementary Pensions for Researchers• Quality of Doctoral Training• European Framework for Research Careers• Monitoring of Progress

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Charter & Code – HR Strategy for Researchers

• Continuation and intensification of ongoing activities

• Operational support and evaluation of impact through external contractor

• Preparations for an ERA framework and supporting measures (IU Commitment #4) related to “Researchers” topic strongly based on “Charter and Code logic”

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Supplementary Pensions for Researchers

• Feasibility Study on setting up of pan-European Pension Funds for Researchers (Report 2010)

• Support for the creation of such funds (pilot schemes) by employers of researchers (e.g. Universities)

• Info Days 2011 – Guidance for setting up such schemes

More broadly:• Expert Group on Social Security and

Supplementary Pensions for mobile researchers (Report 2010)

• Green Paper on Pensions (2011) addressing mobility as a key issue

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Quality of Doctoral Training

• Work on Doctoral Training coordinated by ERA Steering Group Human Resources and Mobility (WG “Skills” with Stakeholder involvement).

• Aim: Coherent set of Principles for Doctoral Training (including adherence to Principles of Charter & Code, critical mass, “triple I”: international, innovative, intersectoral)

• Based on mapping exercise of existing practice (to be completed within next two months), followed by a feasibility study

• Possible take-up in future EU and MS funding schemes (FP8, LLL, Structural Funds…? Pilots in FP7?)

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European Framework for Research Careers

• Work coordinated by SGHRM WG “Skills” • Aim: Provide researcher competency

classification independent of a particular career path or sector

• Expected impact: facilitate communication across sectors and countries of competencies that a researcher has and an employer expects

• Benchmarking tool for career management within institutions

• Voluntary transparency tool to improve comparability of career structures

• Consultation ongoing – feedback requested by end of February 2011

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Monitoring of Progress

• Steering Group Report on implementation of the EPR (2009/update 2010 ongoing)

• EPR Monitoring Tender, including:Annual Integrated Reports on the

Researcher Profession in Europe (2011 – 2013);

Assessment of implementation and impact of the “Scientific Visa Package” (2011)

Support to and monitoring of HR Strategy implementation (2011 – 2013); and

Support to and monitoring of the implementation of pan-European Pension funds (2011 – 2013)

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Thank you for your attention!

dagmar.meyer@ec.europa.eu