1. 1 Researcher Mobility and Careers: Update on Recent EU Policy Initiatives Dr. Dagmar Meyer European Commission DG Research and Innovation Unit B2 - “Skills” Seminar “How to attract and retain excellent researchers?” Oslo, 19 January 2011

2. 2 Europe 2020 and the Innovation Union COM Communication (2010) “Europe 2020 - A strategy for smart, sustainable and inclusive growth”  Big Societal Challenges - Climate, Energy, Health, Security, Resource Efficiency…  Need an integrated and strategic approach  7 Flagship Initiatives: Innovation Union, Agenda for New Skills and Jobs, Digital Agenda, Youth on the Move, etc. COM Communication (2010) “Europe 2020 Flagship Initiative - Innovation Union”  Innovation overarching policy objective  Main obstacles: unfavorable framework conditions & fragmentation of effort

3. 3 The Innovation Union Commitments (I) Over 30 Action Points (“Commitments”) proposing initiatives in key areas, including:  #1: By end 2011, MS to have strategies in place to train enough researchers to meet their national R&D targets and to promote attractive employment conditions in public research institutions.  #2: In 2011, COM will support an independent multi-dimensional international ranking system allowing the best performing European universities to be identified. Further steps to be proposed in 2011 in a Communication on modernisation of higher education.

4. 4 The Innovation Union Commitments (II)  #4: Completing the ERA: In 2012, COM will propose an ERA framework and supporting measures to remove obstacles to mobility and cross-border cooperation (to be in force by end 2014), addressing among others: - quality of doctoral training, attractive employment conditions and gender balance in research careers; - mobility of researchers across countries and sectors, including through open recruitment in public research institutions and comparable research career structures and by facilitating the creation of European supplementary pension funds.

5. 5 The Innovation Union Commitments (III)  #30: By 2012, EU and MSs to put into place integrated policies - to ensure that leading academics, researchers and innovators reside and work in Europe and - to attract a sufficient number of highly skilled third country nationals to stay in Europe.

6. 6 Five dossiers related to these Commitments: Charter & Code – HR Strategy for Researchers Supplementary Pensions for Researchers Quality of Doctoral Training European Framework for Research Careers Monitoring of Progress

7. 7 Charter & Code – HR Strategy for Researchers Continuation and intensification of ongoing activities Operational support and evaluation of impact through external contractor Preparations for an ERA framework and supporting measures (IU Commitment #4) related to “Researchers” topic strongly based on “Charter and Code logic”

8. 8 Supplementary Pensions for Researchers Feasibility Study on setting up of pan-European Pension Funds for Researchers (Report 2010) Support for the creation of such funds (pilot schemes) by employers of researchers (e.g. Universities) Info Days 2011 – Guidance for setting up such schemes More broadly: Expert Group on Social Security and Supplementary Pensions for mobile researchers (Report 2010) Green Paper on Pensions (2011) addressing mobility as a key issue

9. 9 Quality of Doctoral Training Work on Doctoral Training coordinated by ERA Steering Group Human Resources and Mobility (WG “Skills” with Stakeholder involvement). Aim: Coherent set of Principles for Doctoral Training (including adherence to Principles of Charter & Code, critical mass, “triple I”: international, innovative, intersectoral) Based on mapping exercise of existing practice (to be completed within next two months), followed by a feasibility study Possible take-up in future EU and MS funding schemes (FP8, LLL, Structural Funds…? Pilots in FP7?)

10. 10 European Framework for Research Careers Work coordinated by SGHRM WG “Skills” Aim: Provide researcher competency classification independent of a particular career path or sector Expected impact: facilitate communication across sectors and countries of competencies that a researcher has and an employer expects Benchmarking tool for career management within institutions Voluntary transparency tool to improve comparability of career structures Consultation ongoing – feedback requested by end of February 2011

11. 11 Monitoring of Progress Steering Group Report on implementation of the EPR (2009/update 2010 ongoing) EPR Monitoring Tender, including:  Annual Integrated Reports on the Researcher Profession in Europe (2011 – 2013);  Assessment of implementation and impact of the “Scientific Visa Package” (2011)  Support to and monitoring of HR Strategy implementation (2011 – 2013); and  Support to and monitoring of the implementation of pan-European Pension funds (2011 – 2013)

12. 12 Thank you for your attention! dagmar.meyer@ec.europa.eu