The future of young researchers' mobility and career paths A European context

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The future of young researchers' mobility and
career paths - A European context
Alex Lewis Eurodoc (2002 President)
This presentation is available to
download http//www.eurodoc.net/docs
Presentation for UKCGE, London, 13-03-03
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What is eurodoc ?
Eurodoc is a federation of the national
associations for PhD students and young
researchers in Europe
Members
Associates
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How does eurodoc work ?

• 7 member board
• delegate countries from all over Europe
• workgroups for a number of priority issues
• annual conference
• speakers and representatives for external events
  drawn from overall membership.

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Why was eurodoc founded ?

• Bologna declaration was signed in 1999
• Harmonisation
• competitiveness
• mobility
• PhD student associations met to discuss common
  issues
• Uppsala, Sweden, February 2001
• Girona, Spain, January 2002
• Utrecht, Netherlands, February 2003
• Agreed to continue working on these issues and
  aim to become an official organisation
• Registered as an Association under Spanish Law,
  2002.

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Some pan-European comparisons

• SW/NO/DK/DE most PhD research centrally funded,
  must publish before thesis submission, teaching
  duties integral to position in department. PD
  described as full staff researcher.

• UK/EIRE minority of PhD studentships centrally
  funded, journal publications at late stage,
  teaching duties paid separately. PD salary and
  short term contracts unattractive.

• SK/HU/AB/SV PhD studentships mostly centrally
  funded little dialogue between HE/Industry.
  Academic careers poor PD-stage starts Brain
  Drain to western Europe and U.S.

• SP PhD/PD studentships centrally funded, but
  taxable little social security entitlement.
  Estimated 50 Spanish journal publications
  first-authored by PhD/PD researchers.

Proceedings, Eurodoc 2001,2002,2003
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(No Transcript)
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The Bologna Declaration

• Part of a series of meetings (Sorbonne,
  Bologna, Prague, Berlin, Oslo)
• 63 Action lines
• Easily readable, comparable degrees
• Two main cycles (Bachelors, Masters)
• System of credits
• Promote mobility
• Promote quality assurance
• Promote European dimensions
• Lifelong learning
• HE institutions and students
• Promote an attractive European HE Area

(Bologna)
(Prague)
Jeroen Bartelse, at Eurodoc 2003
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BA - MA

• Adoption of the Bologna action lines in the
  Netherlands, 2002
• Immediate appearance of two-tier education system
• Need for accreditations, assurances, student
  guidance functions
• Overall shortened Bachelors and Masters time
  narrowed/reduced learning?
• Impact on 4-year Researcher/Assistant-in-Training
  (OiO, AiO) system?

Jeroen Bartelse, at Eurodoc 2003
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PhD Structured or unstructured?

• Ambiguity of doctoral study/work leads to unclear
  position within Bologna framework
• Both taught and research masters implicitly
  included in 2nd cycle Berlin meeting to
  define 3rd (doctoral) cycle?
• European doctorate apparent lack of interest

• BUT
• Possible inclusion of taught elements in Doctoral
  training fits with UKs New Route PhD
• Extension of QA to doctoral training!
• Opportunity to legally define new ESR status
  through work linking DG Education and DG Research

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Elements of un/structured PhDs 1. The employed
research assistant

• Product is research output to academic or
  scientific community
• Ongoing publications thesis a gradual collation
  of the experience gained
• Close (or the same) status to a post-doc
  researcher
• Formal training in teaching, research methods,
  grant-writing, group/project management
• Teaching duties may be integral to the job RA is
  an ideal small-group tutor rather than a
  lecturer.
• Career path who assists?

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Elements of un/structured PhDs 2. The
supervised research student

• Product is knowledge mainly to self, some to
  academic or scientific community
• Thesis the main target of a defined time of
  study publications an added extra
• Status is as a student receiver of knowledge,
  in training towards knowledge creation,
  development
• Training, courses should widen the scope of
  knowledge besides the central point of the
  project
• Teaching duties provide understanding of the
  scope of a university career
• Progression to post-doc

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Deficiencies in PhD and PD training case
histories (Europe and U.S.)
UK reluctance to support attendance at UK GRAD
training
Central/Eastern Europe best careers are in the
public sector secondary school teaching better
paid than many academic positions
DE/ITRestrictive (time-limited) programmes for
career progress towards professorships.
US Strong Grad Schools but virtually no support
associations for post-doc researchers career
halt point?
The Eurodoc Exchange Sciences Next Wave
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Where research careers fit in HE/industry sectors
of EU states

• Eurobarometer public understanding of science
  accountability
• Trends of inter-sectorial mobility (or the lack
  of it, e.g. Italy)
• Political recognition of brain drain
• Growing divisions between research and education
  providers?
• Knowledge-based society

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Mobility just a buzzword?

• Between nations, sectors
• Duration from symposia to tenure
• A nice concept?
• An end in itself?
• An essential element of research experience?
• A means towards
• Cross-European cultural understanding
• Better, more collaborative research output
• Achieving a European critical mass to rival
  U.S.
• Is it really valuable to all research areas?

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Achieving a critical mass
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A collaborative survey, 2002. (Eurodoc,
EuroScience, MCFA, p-net)

• EuroScience working group "Future of young
  scientists
• MCFA, Eurodoc, Pi-net collaborate
• "Joint Working Group on Young Scientists"
• Survey to find views on key questions
• PhD and PD training
• Career prospects/desires in a changing European
  labour market.

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Intention towards flexible careers
40,0
35,0
Could you imagine a
30,0
professional reorientation (e.g.
change from university into
25,0
business or from research into
research management) within

20,0
the next five years?
15,0
Could you imagine within the
next five years a scientific
10,0
reorientation (e.g. changing
your subject from physics to
5,0
philosophy or chemistry to
biology)?
0,0
no
yes
Eurodoc, MCFA, PI-net joint working group
for Euroscience initiative on doctoral training.
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A desire for status
Do you think that researchers
50,0
are appreciated by society
45,0
in general?
40,0
35,0
Should there be a special
status of a "European
30,0
researcher" (similar to
25,0
diplomatic status)?
20,0
Should researchers get
15,0
preferential treatment with
10,0
respect to visas, work permits,
etc.?
5,0
0,0
no
Eurodoc, MCFA, PI-net
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Mobility
70,0
60,0
50,0
Would you be prepared to
accept a temporary placement
40,0
for training or work (of a

duration of at least 6 months)
30,0
abroad?
20,0
Would you be prepared to
accept a permanent position
10,0
abroad?
0,0
globally
North
South
Asia
America
America
Europe
Eurodoc, MCFA, PI-net
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Future planning
Eurodoc, MCFA, PI-net
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The Sixth Framework Programme

• FP5 0.9bn FP6 1.6bn of which 10 for
  mobility projects
• Mobility instruments aim to give independence to
  ESR
• Consider the doctoral candidate a full researcher
  (as you would an RA or PD)
• The ESR no age definition, but time spent in
  research
• This fits more with the employed assistant in
  training model of PhD

Raffaele Liberali, at Eurodoc 2003
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Four instruments of mobility the Marie Curie
actions

• Early Stage Training
• Training Networks
• Grants for Excellence
• Marie Curie Chairs

Raffaele Liberali, at Eurodoc 2003
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Political/legislative work in DG-Research, 2003
Communication Challenges and prospects for a
researchers profession/career in the European
Research Area

• Career paths
• Social position
• Legal status

Raffaele Liberali, at Eurodoc 2003
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Unquantifiable challenges

• Does the scientific community perpetuate the
  public misunderstanding of science by remaining
  insular?

• Is there too much pressure to produce
  ground-breaking results, especially when still
  relatively junior?
• Support needed for good, basic research.

• Is there too much flexibility and insecurity in
  early stages of a research career, and too little
  flexibility later?
• (e.g. the perception of falling off the train
  through career breaks for maternity or lengthy
  secondments to industry)

Raffaele Liberali, at Eurodoc 2003
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Brain Drain, third country mobility barriers,
planning for researchers secure futures

• Scientific Visas
• Removal of any social security penalties for
  working in another (EU) country
• Candidate states have contributed financially to
  Framework Programmes now to receive full
  participation and perks of FP6 and ERA

Raffaele Liberali, at Eurodoc 2003
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Eurodoc in 2003

• Three meetings of External Advisory Group on
  Mobility at the EC DG-R
• Series of brainstorming meetings on the planned
  Communication
• Formal submission to the Berlin meeting of Higher
  Education Ministers (September) part of the
  Bologna process
• Conference on mobility, Lisbon, November (jointly
  with MCFA, Euroscience and p-net)

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References (1 of 2)

• Proceedings, Eurodoc 2001,2002,2003
• 2001 paper copies only requests can be made
  through the current Eurodoc Board to the Swedish
  organisers but availability not certain.
• 2002 www.eurodoc.net/docs/Eurodoc_Conclusions.pdf
  
• 2003 yet to be published but will be at
  www.eurodoc.net/docs
• The European level debate on funding
  universities
• http//europa.eu.int/comm/research/consultations/l
  ist_en.html
• The Scientist article on the UKs White Paper.
• http//www.the-scientist.com/images/yr2003/pdfs/ci
  tations_030224.pdf
• Jeroen Bartelse, at Eurodoc 2003
• Prof. Bartelse works for VSNU, the Association of
  Dutch Universities http//www.vsnu.nl, and
  CHEPS, Center for Higher Education Policy
  Studies http//www.utwente.nl/cheps/
• A summary of his talk will be in Eurodoc-2003
  Conference Proceedings www.eurodoc.net/docs

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References (2 of 2)

• The Sixth framework Programme Mobility section
• http//www.cordis.lu/fp6/mobility.htm
• The Eurodoc Exchange Sciences Next Wave
• http//nextwave.sciencemag.org/feature/eurodocexch
  ange.shtml
• World Science Report, UNESCO
• http//www.unesco.org/science/publication/eng_pub/
  wsr98en.htm
• Eurodoc, MCFA, PI-net joint working group
  for Euroscience initiative on doctoral training.
• www.eurodoc.net/docs/Young_scientists_survey.ppt
• EMBO survey of post-docs, 2000
• http//www.embo.org/projects/fellowsnet/survey2000
  .html
• Raffaele Liberali, at Eurodoc 2003
• Mr Liberali is the Director of the Human Factor
  department of the Directorate-General Research
  under Commissioner Philippe Busquin.
• A summary of his talk will be in Eurodoc-2003
  Conference Proceedings www.eurodoc.net/docs