BU Research Blog

Last week I posted about the INORMS conference I attended this month. Another key presentation I saw came from the EC’s Adeline Kroll; ‘Towards Professionalisation of Research in Europe’ outlined how countries in the EU lack comprehensive provisions for professional development in research beyond PhD level.

The presentation highlighted that there is a lack of comparable research career structures within the EU, that there is no EU-wide guidance for researchers on matters such as whether they can take their grants with them when moving to other institutes within the EU and other matters such as pensions.

In response to this, the presenter announced that a taskforce is working on a European Framework for Research Careers, which aims to have research recognised as a separate professional category. This will address issues such as the quality of doctoral training, gender balance in research careers and employment conditions to clarify the rights and obligations of Europe’s researchers.