Career development support for researchers
Creating strong knowledge economies is necessary for a sustainable future. Thus, Europe needs to boost its capabilities in world-leading research and innovation, which can lead toward long-lasting economic recovery. This achievement requires attracting, training and retaining the right talent. Mobility and cooperation in research across Europe is one of the best avenues towards a strong knowledge economy. PIPERS(opens in new window) (Policy into practice: EURAXESS researcher skills for career development) was an EU-funded project focused on capacity building by supporting researchers. They began with policy-level discussions with employer stakeholders and groups representing researchers’ interests. The team then collected, reviewed and refined training resources from throughout the EU. Good practices were exchanged to develop workshop training programmes. Researcher career development staff from the EURAXESS Service Network institutions took part in nine train-the-trainer workshops. This enabled testing and feedback on training resources. PIPERS developed and tested tools to support researcher career development through an e-platform. Training materials were developed by identifying existing resources. The team carried out in-depth quality assurance on training resources. Following this, six of the training materials were selected and tested. Train-the-trainer workshops were organised for researcher career development staff from EURAXESS Service Network institutions and at five demonstration workshops with researchers. An e-learning platform and online training resources were designed for the EURAXESS Web Handbook website and syndicated and advertised on relevant social platforms and free-access e-learning platforms. Dissemination of the results and outcomes of the PIPERS project targeted five different audiences: EURAXESS network members, researcher career development staff in the wider research community, researchers, employers and policymakers. Additional dissemination activities included the website, PowerPoint presentations, leaflets and posters, and meetings with participants of other projects. PIPERS work will help to widen the assistance provided by EURAXESS Service Centres and to strengthen interactions between research institutions in researcher career management.