European Commission launches proposals to boost sustainable research careers and strengthen the European Research Area

On July 13, the European Commission launched its proposal for the creation of a "European Framework to attract and retain talent in research, innovation, and entrepreneurship in Europe" (COM/2023/436 final, July 13), which covers measures aimed at countering the precariousness of European researchers and supporting job security.

Among the initiatives proposed by the Commission, one that stands out is the promotion of more frequent use of core funding or life-cycle research funding, in addition to project-based funding models. Core funding allows universities, research centers, and other institutions to effectively project guaranteed financial support in exchange for meeting certain results and quality standards, while life-cycle research funding is characterized by initial competition for funding, which is renewed upon positive evaluation after a monitoring process.

The Commission also proposes setting a maximum total duration for fixed-term contracts for researchers, as well as adopting a maximum limit of one-third of fixed-term contracts among the total number of researchers employed by each employer. In addition, Member States are encouraged to consider adoptingtenure trackcareer progression systems, i.e., fixed-term contracts with the prospect of progression to a permanent position upon positive evaluation.

It is worth mentioning Portugal's important role in this area, particularly in the context of the Portuguese Presidency of the Council of the EU in 2021, where the Council Conclusions on "Deepening the European Research Area: providing researchers with attractive and sustainable careers and working conditions and making brain circulation a reality" were approved. These Conclusions changed the approach to careers and talent mobility, adopting a holistic vision that cuts across various public policies and takes into account the different components of the issue, with possible solutions for the careers of European researchers, taking into account working conditions, social policy and pension dimensions, the issue of sustainability, and mobility issues (geographical and intersectoral). Following on from this, the European Research Area Policy Agenda 2022-2024 includes Action No. 4 (co-sponsored by Portugal, through the Foundation for Science and Technology), which aims to promote attractive and sustainable research careers. The European Commission has been developing a series of actions at European level in this area.

It should be noted that FCT has been developing a set of instruments in the area of research careers, which are fully integrated into this European Commission document for approval by Member States, anticipating them in some cases with measures already presented to the national community, particularly with regard to issues of precariousness (FCT Tenure), the promotion of gender equality (RESTART Programme), and longer-term stability of funding for R&D units.

Further information: European Commission press release