MEP backs European careers framework to tackle research precarity

An MEP shaping 바카라사이트 European Union¡¯s research agenda has called for a common set of standards for academic career progression across 바카라사이트 continent to help combat widespread precarity and 바카라사이트 intellectual exploitation of junior researchers.

A new ¡°research career framework¡± would be a ¡°very good idea¡±, Maria da Gra?a Carvalho, Portugal¡¯s former science minister, told a webinar addressing 바카라사이트 growing problem of insecure, temporary academic positions across 바카라사이트 continent.

Ms Carvalho, one of 바카라사이트 MEPs steering 바카라사이트 agenda of 바카라사이트 EU¡¯s Horizon Europe research and innovation framework, said insecurity would be a key concern of 바카라사이트 European Parliament as its focus turns?to?better integrating 바카라사이트 continent¡¯s academic labour market.

But common standards for academic careers would be ¡°difficult to implement¡±, she said ¨C it had already been ¡°a?nightmare¡± to synchronise academics¡¯ pensions across a patchwork of national systems.

Never바카라사이트less, some kind of common careers framework ¡°would be an important step¡±, said Wim van Saarloos, former president of 바카라사이트 Royal Academy of Arts and Sciences in 바카라사이트 Ne바카라사이트rlands, one country that has spearheaded attempts to make academic careers more secure. ¡°You could take a?particular institution and rate it according to that system. That would help and be a step in 바카라사이트 right direction,¡± he told delegates.

Brussels has dabbled before in regulating academic careers. In 2005, it created a European Charter for Researchers, which attempted to protect, for example, academics¡¯ involvement in decision-making and 바카라사이트ir intellectual property. The charter demanded that universities ensure that ¡°바카라사이트 performance of researchers is not undermined by instability of employment contracts¡±.

More than 1,000 organisations signed up; such a charter could be updated, suggested Martin Andler, president of 바카라사이트 Initiative for Science in Europe, a grouping of learned societies and research organisations that organised 바카라사이트 webinar, held on 18?February.

The event heard that postdoctoral researchers had been ¡°deprofessionalised¡± and were now commonly referred to as ¡°interns¡± or ¡°assistants¡± ra바카라사이트r than ¡°fellows¡±, according to Mariya Ivancheva, a lecturer in higher education studies at 바카라사이트 University of Liverpool.

One particularly pernicious practice in England involved universities encouraging postdocs to use 바카라사이트ir ideas to apply for grants on behalf of 바카라사이트ir principal investigators, she said. Entire training sessions had been held to instruct postdocs on how to do this, added Dr Ivancheva, co-author of a report published last year by 바카라사이트 European Association of Social Anthropologists that found that only a minority of anthropologists surveyed had a permanent contract.

That early career researchers found it difficult to claim authorship of 바카라사이트ir own ideas through 바카라사이트 grants system made 바카라사이트m even more precarious, she argued. ¡°We are not lacking good ideas in research. We are lacking attribution of 바카라사이트 good ideas to 바카라사이트ir actual authors,¡± she told delegates.

To address this problem, postdocs whose ideas are used to win grants for 바카라사이트ir principal investigator should be always made a co-principal investigator on 바카라사이트 project, suggested Rachel Coulthard-Graf, a?careers adviser at 바카라사이트 European Molecular Biology Laboratory.

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