Human resources in research: Commission highlights achievements from 2006
The European Commission has published a staff working paper illustrating how it upped its efforts to support human resources in research in 2006. The Commission's initiatives include the European Charter for Researchers and the Code of Conduct for their recruitment, the European Researcher's Mobility Portal, and support service ERA-MORE. 'Europe needs more research,' commented European Science and Research Commissioner Janez Potocnik. 'But we will never have more research without more researchers. Here at the European Commission we are working to provide services to researchers to make their lives easier, and we are trying to encourage people to consider science as a career option.' In 2006 alone, more than 170 institutions signed up to the European Charter for Researchers and the Code of Conduct for their recruitment. Meanwhile more than 1,000 jobs were posted every month on the European Researcher's Mobility Portal. To date there are also 31 national portals, each of which is integrated into the European portal. Highlights from 2006 include the redesign of the Bulgarian portal, following comments on user-friendliness from the European Commission, and the addition of a jobs database. In Ireland a complex technical development was carried out in order to integrate the job opportunity search functionality with structured data on organisations. The European Network of Mobility Centres (ERA-MORE) provides assistance to researchers and their families moving from one country to another. It comprises more than 200 mobility centres in 32 countries, as well as local contact points, and assisted some 17,000 researchers between September and December 2006 alone. However, the Commission document states that ERA-MORE 'has not yet managed to make itself sufficiently known to the research community', despite efforts at both national and European levels. The paper adds that promotion and awareness-raising are crucial factors for success. Other awareness-raising activities were a definite success in 2006. At EU level, Researchers' Night took place in September in Brussels, while the event was replicated in 21 countries, attracting over 100,000 people in total. Lithuania hosted a two-week festival in its two largest cities, focusing on: science and the future of information technologies; energy development; and personalised medicine. In Norway the Researchers' Night coincided with the opening day of the National Science Week, involving around 1,000 events organised by 200 bodies all over Norway. 2006 also saw the launch of ERA-Link, a network with the aim of enabling European researchers abroad to interact, stay informed, and build a bridge back to Europe. So far the scheme is only in place in the US, where membership has already reached 3,000. The Commission is looking into extending the tool to other countries and regions of the world. The Commission staff working document concludes that the various initiatives introduced to enhance science and technology human potential in the EU have led to real progress, but that the challenge still looms large. 'It is clear that the need is for an essential qualitative step forward, associated with a real sense of urgency, if progress is to be made in coping with the evolving realities of the world,' reads the paper.