The future ERA Framework - input from the Steering Group for Human Resources and Mobility (SGHRM) to ERAC Hans M Borchgrevink Norwegian SGHRM delegate Chair WG Monitoring and Indicators The Future ERA Framework – strategies and tools for Grand Challenges responding Research in tomorrow’s European Research Landscape NordForsk Conference, Brussels 28 Feb 2012

ERA Steering Group for Human Resources and Mobility (SGHRM) – short history  Established 2002  Re-launched 2009 with adapted mandate to follow-up the Communication «Better careers and more mobility; a European Partnership for Researchers» (Competitive Council Conclusion Sept 2008)  Currently representatives from 27 Member States and 12 Associated Countries with Secretariat provided by the Commission  Chair: Prof Fulvio Esposito, IT  One of 5 groups reporting to ERAC - on researcher career, recruitment and mobility issues

ERA Steering Group for Human Resources and Mobility (SGHRM) – initiatives  The European Charter for Researchers and The Code of Conduct for recruitment of Researchers - «Charter & Code» EU Recommendation (2005) = EURAXESS Rights  «Scientific VISA» - one EU Directive and two Recommendations on «fast-track» Visa procedures for mobile researchers (2005)  EURAXESS JOBS - website for advertisement of researcher positions, linked to other job databases incl «Nature Jobs»; positions advertised 2011  EURAXESS Service Centres (~ 200) and national web portals - for information and assistance for mobile researchers in ~35 countries  EURAXESS Links - contact person for information for - and registry over - European researchers abroad, currently established in USA, Japan, China, India  Pan-European Supplementary Pension Funds for researchers

SGHRM input to ERAC on ERA Framework  SGHRM is actively engaged in policy action towards the implementation of Innovation Union Commitments 1, 4 and 30  SGHRM input to ERAC focuses only on Commitment 4 and on areas where SGHRM can give added value by concrete deliverables Core prerequisites for realising a successful and competitive European Research Area include - a critical mass of skilled researchers - gender balance – also in senior positions and selection committees - improve the attractiveness of the research profession - free mobility of researchers

Current SGHRM focus areas related to development of ERA Framework   i) Doctoral training;  ii) Recruitment in public research institutions;  iii) Research career structure;  iv) Social Security (incl. supplementary pension fund);  v) Portability of grants (the money follows researcher principle). Besides,  SGHRM Working Group Monitoring and indicators proposes related indicators for the Innovation Union Scoreboard for the registration of state-of-play and development of international research collaboration, including co-publication, mobility and gender issues

Report on Doctoral training (1)  SGHRM Working Group SKILLS presents the results of a mapping exercise which provides an overview of recent developments in doctoral training in Europe and USA (2011)  Aims towards a common approach to enhance the quality of doctoral training  Doctoral schools and tailored programmes are increasingly established, including international collaboration  Doctoral training must increasingly meet the needs of an employment market that is wider than academia  Generic/transferable skills are requested  Doctoral candidates should be trained in a context which is international, interdisciplinary and intersectoral - and striving for research excellence

Report on Doctoral training (2) Key stakeholders include  European University Association (EUA) – Salzburg 1 Principles and Salzburg 2 Recommendations based on a bottom-up process  League of European Research Universities (LERU) - position paper on doctoral training beyond 2010  Coimbra Group - essential requirements for doctoral training and PhD degree standards, including transatlantic cooperation  ORPHEUS - towards standards for PhD education in Biomedicine & Health  The Banff Principles on Graduate Education - (USA, Canada, EUA, Australia, China): 9 principles on global career competence and high-quality international programmes

Open recruitment in public research institutions  SGHRM Working group JOBS has made a Strategy to boost the publication of job vacancies on the website EURAXESS JOBS Elements include  Raise awareness of the website (2011: jobs!)  Stress the added value of open transparent and international recruitment of researchers  Stress the added value of synergies by international cooperation and partnership being facilitated by open recruitment via international website

Research career structure - to improve comparability of research careers  SGHRM Working Group SKILLS produced a document “Towards a European Framework for Research Careers” - proposing 4 researcher categories with the following working titles:  R1 First Stage Researcher (up to the point of PhD)  R2 Recognised Researcher (PhD holders or equivalent who are not yet fully independent)  R3 Established Researcher (researchers who have developed a level of independence.)  R4 Leading Researcher ( researchers leading their research area or field)  The Framework is "sector-neutral”. ESF and LERU approved. The system is introduced in EURAXESS JOBS advertisements.

Improved Social Security for mobile researchers - towards a pan-European supplementary pension fund  SGHRM Expert Group on social security and pension rights produced a report including technical and legal issues on setting up a pan-European supplementary pensioin fund for researchers  At present vesting periods and problems with transnational portability of pensions are negative for mobile researchers  To establish cross-border arrangements is relevant and valuable  Multinational companies already establish cross-border pension funds  Preferred legal framework: European Directive on the Institution for Occupational Retirement Provision (IORP  There appear to be no insurmountable barriers to implementation

Cross-cutting issues: relation to Employment and Social Affairs  Many of the issues that influence attractiveness of researcher careers and cross-border mobility are administered by ministries other than research – e.g. Employment, and Social Affairs  SGHRM did an important part of the preparatory work that led to having a number of Research ministers taking part in an EPSCO Council under the Spanish Presidency.

Present SGHRM activities Fall 2011 SGHRM established three new Working Groups addressing:  WG1: Human Resources Strategy for Researchers and other principles to modernize HR management and development;  WG2: Portability of grants - money follows researchers principle;  WG3: National strategies for researchers' training The WG deliverables are due April 2012 and will be transformed into policy issues by SGHRM that will be potential building blocks in the development of the ERA Framework  WG4: Monitoring and indicators is continued and SGHRM approved 25 Jan 2012 its proposed gender indicator for the Innovation Scoreboard: “Number of women at Grade A in academic staff as % of total Grade A academic staff” – the right- most indicator of the SHE-figures “scissors” diagram.