Europe is in need of highly skilled researchers. WOLFRAM2 is directly contributing to this need by recruiting excellent junior researchers and equiping them with the skillset to answer to the need of the European Research and Innovation Area.
Furthermore, WOLFRAM2 is also aligned with the latest report by the EC (May 2020) – “Science, Research and Innovation Performance of the EU 2020 – A fair, green and digital Europe”, which has outlined the following “An adequate supply of skilled human resources is vital for knowledge absorption and for the development of science and technology-intensive economic sectors.
On top of these key priorities, the COVID-19 pandemic particularly damaged the career of early career researchers in Europe. The reference journal NATURE published and editorial in June 2020 calling for specific actions to mitigate the impact of the pandemic in this target group . NATURE outlined the following “It is also worrisome that job opportunities for Early Career Researchers are rapidly diminishing during the pandemic. Academic institutions are facing unprecedented financial challenges (…). Efforts to counteract these challenges, for example hiring freezes, slowdowns in hiring and/or salary reductions may persist for years. Moreover, the international nature of the COVID-19 pandemic is adding barriers for those who require a visa and/or international travel to continue their careers”. For sure, WOLFRAM2 is contributing to counteract these challenges thanks to the 33 international researchers already recruited that complied with the mobility rule.
The European Council of Doctoral Candidates and Junior Researchers (Eurodoc) also published a statement named “The aftermath of the pandemic for early career researchers in Europe” , which outlines the following: “A European post-pandemic plan for early-career researchers. We hope that European institutions will be up to the challenge, and we call on them to elaborate a post-pandemic plan for early career researchers in Europe. The future of European early career researchers is the future of European research: we cannot afford to lose a generation of them. New challenges are ahead, and we need to be equipped to confront and overcome them.” Therefore, IKERBASQUE Foundation, through WOLFRAM2, is definitely contributing with its own early career researcher’s recruitment plan.
Moreover, the potential and future career perspectives of WOLFRAM2 research fellows will be significantly enhanced through the training goals:
• Free choice of their projects and host institution.
• Full integration into high-quality host institution and research groups under top-notch supervision.
• High-level scientific and training infrastructure.
• A bespoke training and career development programme with emphasis on transferable skills.
• Ample networking opportunities taking into account the triple-I dimension.
• Outlook on Open Innovation and entrepreneurship.
• Impact on the region.
Thanks to the developed skills and capacities, fellows will be able to become team leaders, develop their own research visions and access competitive funding opportunities and further job offers.
