Periodic Reporting for period 1 - EURAXESS Hubs (Piloting EURAXESS talent hubs to support researchers’ careers)
Reporting period: 2021-09-01 to 2022-08-31
The EURAXESS network supports researcher mobility and career development. A joint initiative of the European Commission and dozens of European countries, it has 42 national portals with country-specific information. There are also more than 600 EURAXESS centres with dedicated staff assisting researchers’ move and stay in Europe. The EU-funded EURAXESS Hubs project aims to improve the services of this pan-European network by mobilising a critical mass of both experienced and less experienced EURAXESS organisations and, as a result, by launching three pilot EURAXESS hubs, each organised around a key theme in research careers.
The project has set up, implemented and validated three EURAXESS cross-border digital competence hubs. These hubs provide resources for the target groups of the hub themes, such as researchers, research performing organisations and EURAXESS member institutions; they serve as virtual platform for engagement and collaboration among the hub member EURAXESS Bridgehead Organisations vis-à-vis they target audience; and they work as three distinct examples of a new service provision architecture for EURAXESS in the three thematic areas, each the theme of one hub, as follows:
a. Talent management within academia and the public sector
b. Researcher careers beyond academia
c. Scientific startup entrepreneurship
The project has set up, implemented and validated three EURAXESS cross-border digital competence hubs. These hubs provide resources for the target groups of the hub themes, such as researchers, research performing organisations and EURAXESS member institutions; they serve as virtual platform for engagement and collaboration among the hub member EURAXESS Bridgehead Organisations vis-à-vis they target audience; and they work as three distinct examples of a new service provision architecture for EURAXESS in the three thematic areas, each the theme of one hub, as follows:
a. Talent management within academia and the public sector
b. Researcher careers beyond academia
c. Scientific startup entrepreneurship
The work performed by the project included:
a. The four areas (Skills, Gender, Recruitment and Career Stories) of the Talent management hub have jointly implemented the hub and produced an integrated toolkit, readily available for users. The attractiveness of research careers is communicated via six full-length career stories, published at the EURAXESS Website and continuously disseminated through national and international channels and newsletters.
b. The digital toolkit of the Researcher careers beyond academia hub created a platform where interested stakeholders can find tailor-made information about and adaptable practices for Research careers beyond academia. The hub has successfully prepared and launched its large-scale cross-border mentoring programme, developed from the pre-existing REBECA scheme. A match-making event provided researchers with a possibility to explore employment and collaboration opportunities beyond academia. The LinkedIn showcase page for the EURAXESS alumni community interested in intersectoral mobility is up and running, serving as an online space of community building for this hub.
c. The Scientific startup entrepreneurship hub provided very specific career development support, in the interesting niche area of scientific startup entrepreneurship. The hub has prepared and published its comprehensive toolkit in an e-book format, in addition to having been fully functional as a section of the EURAXESS web portal. The toolkit is targeting aspiring sci-entrepreneurs, research performing organisations and EURAXESS members alike. Capacity building and promotion activities took place offering funded start-up startup tours (study visits) targeting talents with basic to advanced entrepreneurship experience and offering cross-country insights and experience from insiders.
The hub toolkits are available at:
a. Talent Management Hub: https://www.euraxess.gr/greece/talent-management-hub
b. Researcher Careers Beyond Academia Hub: https://www.euraxess.es/spain/euraxess-researcher-careers-beyond-academia-digital-toolkit
c. Startup Hub: https://www.euraxess.rs/serbia/euraxess-startup-hub-digital-toolkit
Horizontal acitivties facilitated the ongoing work in the hubs in the areas of
• Management and supervision
• Support to the implementation of digital toolkits
• Dissemination and communication towards key stakeholders
• Knowledge sharing within the EURAXESS network.
In addition, horizontal activities cover producing a meta-model of data collection from the hubs to assess the quality of work in each hub based on future comparability.
a. The four areas (Skills, Gender, Recruitment and Career Stories) of the Talent management hub have jointly implemented the hub and produced an integrated toolkit, readily available for users. The attractiveness of research careers is communicated via six full-length career stories, published at the EURAXESS Website and continuously disseminated through national and international channels and newsletters.
b. The digital toolkit of the Researcher careers beyond academia hub created a platform where interested stakeholders can find tailor-made information about and adaptable practices for Research careers beyond academia. The hub has successfully prepared and launched its large-scale cross-border mentoring programme, developed from the pre-existing REBECA scheme. A match-making event provided researchers with a possibility to explore employment and collaboration opportunities beyond academia. The LinkedIn showcase page for the EURAXESS alumni community interested in intersectoral mobility is up and running, serving as an online space of community building for this hub.
c. The Scientific startup entrepreneurship hub provided very specific career development support, in the interesting niche area of scientific startup entrepreneurship. The hub has prepared and published its comprehensive toolkit in an e-book format, in addition to having been fully functional as a section of the EURAXESS web portal. The toolkit is targeting aspiring sci-entrepreneurs, research performing organisations and EURAXESS members alike. Capacity building and promotion activities took place offering funded start-up startup tours (study visits) targeting talents with basic to advanced entrepreneurship experience and offering cross-country insights and experience from insiders.
The hub toolkits are available at:
a. Talent Management Hub: https://www.euraxess.gr/greece/talent-management-hub
b. Researcher Careers Beyond Academia Hub: https://www.euraxess.es/spain/euraxess-researcher-careers-beyond-academia-digital-toolkit
c. Startup Hub: https://www.euraxess.rs/serbia/euraxess-startup-hub-digital-toolkit
Horizontal acitivties facilitated the ongoing work in the hubs in the areas of
• Management and supervision
• Support to the implementation of digital toolkits
• Dissemination and communication towards key stakeholders
• Knowledge sharing within the EURAXESS network.
In addition, horizontal activities cover producing a meta-model of data collection from the hubs to assess the quality of work in each hub based on future comparability.
The project has started generating impact through the launched services in the three digital cross-border hubs. The toolkit of each hub is available for researchers, employers as well as EURAXESS host institutions and staff. Networking with stakeholders and multipliers has notably extended collaboration cases and opportunities along the three focus themes. The visibility of the hub services is constantly growing, thanks to targeted communication activities. The project team is intent to continue providing sustainable hub services and even to recruit additional hub members in the future, thus supporting the policy objectives articulated in the EC communication “A new ERA for research and innovation”.