the European Council of Doctoral Candidates and Junior Researchers

1. the European Council of Doctoral Candidates and Junior Researchers Eurodoc: interactions and collaboration between doctoral candidates and early career researchers at international level Sarah Cruso Delegato italiano in Eurodoc

2. What is eurodoc ? Eurodocis the federation of the national associations of PhD candidates and young researchers in Europe Members Individual contacts Applying for membership

3. Objectives of Eurodoc  to represent the Early Stage Researchers (ESRs) and post-docs at the European level  to promote excellence in research • to make Europe a more attractive environment for    research  to be a common platform for the discussion of    current and future problems of science policy, its    implementation and the consequences for young    researchers www.eurodoc.net

4. Why waseurodoc founded ? • Bologna declaration, 1999 • Lisbon strategy, 2000, "3% objective" in R&D • Knowledge-based society: a challenge for Europe

5. European frame • The European dimension is becoming increasingly important at the national level and Young Researchers are a specific and key target of policies. • THE BOLOGNA PROCESS • Aims at creating the European Higher Education Area (EHEA) • Started in 1998, only lately focusing on the “3rd level” • Grassroots process: started and driven by the universities through the European University Association (EUA) • Mobility through converging higher education systems • Competitiveness & Attractiveness of higher education stakeholders • Salzburg declaration (Eurodoc input) • Tries to catch up with Lisbon process

6. « […] Ministers consider it necessary to go beyond the present focus on two main cycles of higher educationto include the doctoral level as the third cycle in the Bologna Process.[…] Ministers call for increased mobility at the doctoral and postdoctoral levels and encourage the institutions concerned to increase their cooperation in doctoral studies and the training of young researchers. […] » Berlin Communiqué of Ministers, 19th september 2003

7. The Salzburg declaration • THE BACKGROUND • 2005 conference in Salzburg (Austria) by EUA + Eurodoc heavily involved (associated organiser). • First steps to define a common approach to PhD training in Europe: lays down the basis for mobility and calls for mobility at the PhD level. • THE DECLARATION • i. Doctoral training = core component is advancement of knowledge through original research • ii. research training designed to include professional career development. • iv. Doctoral candidates as early stage researchers = professionals with commensurate rights. • v. Supervision and assessment based on a transparent contractual framework of shared responsibilities. • vii. Duration = 3-4 years full-time as a rule. • ix. Increasing mobility (geographical, interdisciplinary and intersectoral) • x. Ensuring appropriate funding (quality of doctoral programmes).

8. Eurodoc history: main steps • PhD candidates’ associations from Europe met in Uppsala, Sweden, in February 2001: Need for an official frame of representation and discussion at the European level •  February 2002: Foundation and 1st annual meeting in Girona, Spain (informal basis) • March 2005: Eurodoc was formally estblished in Strasbourg, France

9. How doeseurodoc work ? 7-member Board Annual Conference (Eurodoc 2006: Bologna) Delegates representing countries from all Europe Workgroups for a number of priority issues: • Supervision & Training •  International Mobility • Professional Future •  Labour Conditions • Gender Equality • Communication www.eurodoc.net

10. The Main Areas of Concern • Quality of Education and Supervision • Labour Conditions • Mobility • Future Career Prospects

11. Quality of Education • Need for the supervisor and researcher to work actively to support the researcher’s training needs. • Need for access to a broad range of training to develop complementary skills • Facilitated by the relation between the doctoral school and the research environment - both have important complimentary roles.

12. Quality of Education • More PhD candidates may lead to • Increase in taught courses • Standardised projects • Less individuality • Even higher student/supervisor ratio • Eurodoc answer: Supervision and Training Working Group

13. Supervision and Training Working Group’s aims: • sharing the experience of people doing their thesis under different PhD supervision system. Focusing in the pros and cons of them (regualted VS open) and bringing new ideas. Tools: questionnaires • Implementing the European Researcher Charter and the involvement of national associations (Eurodoc input played a significant role)

14. Labour Conditions Young researcher represent a significatn proportion of the labour workforce in reserarch. In spite of this, there is no commone regulation to ensure the quality of training, research and working conditions for young reserchers.

15. Comparative table on roles and working conditions of PhD candidates. (Eurodoc/FJI 2003.)

16. Labour Conditions WG • The main aim is to provide a series of Guidelines to ensure adequate regulation of the working conditions. • To help defining auch regulations, te estblishment of a specific status for PhD candidates must be considered. This status should act so as to provide a contractual framework and address the issue of funding and social benefit (social security, pension, parental level…)

17. What kind of mobility ? • Mobility is desirable since moving back and forth between countries, job sectors or scientific fields can be very profitable for • the researcher • the employer/institution • the research or HE system/country. • Geographic mobility • Within the EU/Europe • From outside the EU/Europe (non-European nationals) • Outside the EU/Europe and Back (EU/European nationals) • Intersectorial mobility • The career of a young researcher can include work in different sectors: • Private companies • Higher public administration • Other sectors (such as charities) • Thematic mobility • Particularly important in science. Allows to improve knowledge and technical skills and develop original approaches

18. International Mobility Working Group To promote mobility Eurodoc has joined forces with MCFA (marie Curie Fellowship association). We have jointly organized the ESRM2004 conference in Lison in wich we discussed the problem faced by ESR’s when considering mobility. A central goal of the conference was to show several examples of good practise in which organisations or institutions provide mobility plans that avoid those problems.

19. Future Career ProspectsAcademic Career • The current system with short term contracts and job insecurity is not very attractive to junior researchers. • Will the funding be much more focussed on applied research neglecting other research areas? • Are there clear stages defined in academia that are recognised universally?

20. Professional future working Group’s focus and questions: • The academic career path is no longer the dominant career path – Are the PhD education prepared for that? • Will the increase in PhD candidates lower the quality of the PhD education? • Will PhD ever get recognized as proffessionals?

21. Cooperation and contacts European Commission http://europa.eu.int/comm/ Marie Currie Fellowship Association MCFA http://www.mariecurie.org/ Euroscience http://www.euroscience.org/ European University Association http://www.eua.be/ www.eurodoc.net

22. Conclusions: Eurodoc work from the national to the international level To share ideas, promote collaboration, create a new European system How to join Eurodoc ? • Via EAYS • For eligible young researchers • Via other national member or observer organisations • Other countries • See the list of organisations on the website • possibility to create new national organisations and join • Via the workgroups • Contact the coordinators • See website for details

23. Grazie a tutti voi per l'attenzione www.eurodoc.net www.dottorato.it