1. SPANISH DOCTORAL STUDIES AND PhD STUDENTS SITUATION. Toni Gabaldón Estevan and Pastora Martínez Samper “Federación de Jóvenes Investigadores / Precarios” (Young Researchers Federation) SPAIN ADVANCED STUDIES DEGREE SPECIFIC DOCTORAL PROGRAM offered by Universities and Public Research Organisations Required courses in the chosen research area Original research work THESIS Required courses Original research work THESIS DOCTORAL DEGREE DOCTORALSTUDIESSYSTEM DOCTORAL STUDIES SYSTEM 61 483 matriculations in 1999-2000 (48.6% men and 51.4% women) [1] 12 477 graduated in 1998-1999 (49.4% men and 50.6% women) [1] 1 st year 2 nd year 3 rd year 4 th year PhD STUDENTSHIP Nearly the 87% of the spanish doctoral students leave the program before finishing their PhD. [2] Why such a high number? many of them pursue doctoral studies just in order to extend their knowledges (but without the aim to obtain a Doctoral Degree) several students leave towards a better recognised job. References: [1] Stadistics given by the spanish Ministry of Education (http://www.mec.es) [2] Universidad 2mil, J. M. Bricall. Edited by the CRUE (Spanish Vicechancellors Conference), Madrid (2000) [3] “ Federación de Jóvenes Investigadores / Precarios” http://www.precarios.org Most PhD students are supported by grants : “YOUNG RESEARCHERS FEDERATION” This nationwide organization [3] lumps more than 2500 PhD students and postdocs together. BUT :  many different conditions among grants.  reduced financial reward compared to other jobs  no affiliation to the Social Security System (SSS)  NO unemployement insurance  NO sickness leave  NO maternity leave (except for the central governement’s grants) nor paternity leave  however they pay taxes  they are exclusively engaged in research. They assure :  a salary  a sanitary insurance  the payment of the courses’ taxes  stays abroad Variability among public spanish grants: Vertical bars show monthly rewards from 9 of the more than 60 grant types (given by the central government, public Universities and regional governments). The conditions of all those grants are quite similar (exclusive 40 hours/week dedication, no contribution to SSS). Horizontal lines present basic salaries for an undergraduated and a graduated laboratory technician with 40 hours/week dedication. Both contribute to the SSS and have all the social rights derived. Moreover:  most grant-holders (PhD students and postdocs) have no representation in the elected body of their centers.  they teach in Universities in many cases.  there are deficient career perspectives in the spanish research system. Principal requests :  to replace the actual research grants by training contracts.  to create a specific regulation in order to guarantee minimal conditions for PhD students.  to stimulate the definition of a proper scientific career.  to increase the spanish R&D budgets Most important actions :  Negotiations with:  Manifesto signed by more than 3000 senior scientists.  Demonstration : more than 3000 persons in Madrid on February 2 nd, 2001. Ministry of Science and Technology and the Ministry of Education, Culture and Sport. Regional governments Universities and Public Research Organisations. SPANISH YOUNG RESEARCHERS' MANIFESTO AGAINST PRECARIOUSNESS Cultural and scientific progress ranks among the main characteristics of a developed society and is a reliable token of the welfare level it enjoys. It seems therefore reasonable for such a society to be aware of and appreciate the contributions to this progress. However, it is widely known that a high percentage of the research activity in Spain is carried out by the so-called "Research Personnel in Training". Within this heterogeneous group are included Ph.D. students, pre- and postdoctoral research fellows and other not very well defined figures. This collective group, fundamental for the research system, contribute during their training period to the development of the scientific projects they are assigned to, to the publication of results, to take out of technological patents, and very often to university lecturing tasks. Consequently, no one doubts that the work carried out during the preparation of a Ph.D. thesis or a research project makes these researchers the basis of the scientific, university and industrial future of their country. However, this work remains unrecognised as `productive'... Associated with this lack of recognition comes the absence of the rights belonging and granted by law to every worker (either in training or not), such as Social Security benefits, worker's compensation, maternity leave, etc. Adding to the persistence of this flagrant precariousness for several years, those affected must face the incapability of the institutions constituting the Spanish research system to absorb more than a tiny part of the personnel they contribute to train, independently of their excellent qualification. In view of this situation, we demand 1. The recognition of the productive labour carried out by the Research Personnel in Training by means of an explicit regulation of their rights and duties. 2. The replacement of the current research fellowship system by a contract system providing this group with the social coverage deserved by any professional. 3. The promulgation of a law of minimum, applicable to all institutions, unifying the characteristics of the above-mentioned contracts as regards rights and duties. 4. That the Spanish research network be advanced and stimulated by means of an increase of investment in Research & Development and in training of research personnel, together with a parallel increase in the control of the destination of these funds, a closer involvement of universities and research centres in the country's productive network, and a closer proximity to the needs and worries of the citizens. We present these demands before public opinion with the hope that they will serve to give an objective image of the everyday reality of a significant part of the agents involved in scientific and cultural progress in our country, and to prompt the need of deep reflection in search of possible solutions. We are convinced that the present situation will only keep our country away from the first places in the race for progress. Federación de Jóvenes Investigadores / Precarios Young Researchers Federation - Spain