Periodic Reporting for period 1 - SECURE (Sustainable Careers for Researcher Empowerment)
Période du rapport: 2023-01-01 au 2023-12-31
The Sustainable Careers for Researcher Empowerment (SECURE) project will develop coordination and support measures to create, trial, implement, and mainstream a common Research Career Framework (RCF) that offers a suite of options to support organisations in the recruitment, employment, training, development, progression, and mobility of researchers with the aim of improving research careers and reducing career precarity. The RCF will recognise the research profession across sectors, provide a career development and progression structure for research careers, recognise both research and transferable skills and competences, facilitate intersectoral collaboration and mobility, and offer solutions to the precariousness of research careers in academia.
The project is focused on achieving five main objectives to steer all project activities:
1. Develop a comprehensive RCF integrating relevant existing policies
2. Develop a range of tenure track-like models (TTL) integrating best practices from existing use cases
3. Conduct trials at organisations to implement, test, and refine the RCF
4. Engage research stakeholders for co-design and validation of the RCF
5. Mainstream the Research Career Framework through EURAXESS, policy briefs, and a summit and policy roundtable
The project will produce several key exploitable results to share with the research and innovation community (stakeholders, policymarkers and society):
- State-of-the-Art on RCF and on TTL
- Action plans to implement RCF and TTL
- Implementation report by trial organisations
- Mainstreaming plan and policy briefs for promoting SECURE RCF
The project is focused on achieving five main objectives to steer all project activities:
1. Develop a comprehensive RCF integrating relevant existing policies
2. Develop a range of tenure track-like models (TTL) integrating best practices from existing use cases
3. Conduct trials at organisations to implement, test, and refine the RCF
4. Engage research stakeholders for co-design and validation of the RCF
5. Mainstream the Research Career Framework through EURAXESS, policy briefs, and a summit and policy roundtable
The project will produce several key exploitable results to share with the research and innovation community (stakeholders, policymarkers and society):
- State-of-the-Art on RCF and on TTL
- Action plans to implement RCF and TTL
- Implementation report by trial organisations
- Mainstreaming plan and policy briefs for promoting SECURE RCF
In SECURE project's initial phase, a thorough review of Research Career Frameworks (RCF) and Tenure Track-Like Models (TTL) involved analyzing existing RCFs and TTLMs. The focus encompassed recruitment, employment conditions, career development, progression, and mobility. A total of 105 core articles were identified for RCFs, guiding recommendations. For TTL models, a comprehensive review covered funding schemes, recruitment, employment conditions, and career development, involving 83 core articles. Examples from Research Performing Organizations (RPOs) and Research Funding Organizations (RFOs) were incorporated into the insights gained.
In the second phase, the focus was on creating initial drafts of TTL models, considering aspects such as funding, recruitment, employment, training, and progression. Principles and use cases were established in alignment with the EC Proposal for a European Framework for Research, Innovation, and Entrepreneurial Talents. This phase has proven more complex than expected, necessitating extra time beyond the initially committed grant timeline. Consequently, we have requested permission to delay the delivery of the first drafts of SECURE RCF and SECURE TTL.
In the second phase, the focus was on creating initial drafts of TTL models, considering aspects such as funding, recruitment, employment, training, and progression. Principles and use cases were established in alignment with the EC Proposal for a European Framework for Research, Innovation, and Entrepreneurial Talents. This phase has proven more complex than expected, necessitating extra time beyond the initially committed grant timeline. Consequently, we have requested permission to delay the delivery of the first drafts of SECURE RCF and SECURE TTL.
The report offers a first draft of the SECURE Research Career Framework (RCF) and provides an initial response to and interpretation of the new European Framework for Research Careers (EFfRC) from the SECURE consortium. The aim of the project is thus not to create a completely new research career framework but to build on and link to existing initiatives and recommendations to improve research careers and reduce research career precarity in Europe. This includes the European Charter for Researchers (ECfR) , European Competence Framework for Researchers (ResearchComp), and European Skills, Competences, and Occupations (ESCO) classification . The RCF is supported by recommendations on tenure track-like models (TTLMs) as described in deliverable D3.1 on First Draft of SECURE TTLMs.
The adoption of the Council Recommendation has had strong implications for the SECURE project and has made it essential to tie the work of the project to the Recommendation, Charter and ResearchComp. Recommendation 35 provides a definition of tenure track-like models “to be understood as defined frameworks where a fixed-term contract has the prospect of progression to a permanent position subject to positive evaluation, could be considered for this purpose at the level of Member States and research performing organisations”. Consultation has already begun with all the institutions we have liaised with in case study collection, our own pilots, and key stakeholders from the commission. Feedback has been positive although there remains difference in appropriate language for example what is advisable and what is mandatory across member states.
Mapping the case studies to the principles and identifying areas of focus has revealed that some SECURE principles are easy to support, while others have not been addressed in the models used as case studies. In the next phase, the possibility of finding models that demonstrate these principles will be explored, along with consulting on aligning tenure track-like models with the Recommendation, revised Charter, ResearchComp, and our own work in WP2 in SECURE, aiming to practically implement the Council’s Recommendation.
The collection of these case studies has underscored the need to continue gathering and developing various models for the tenure track. It is crucial to understand the national context while adhering to principles that promote equality, diversity, and the best possible experience for researchers on the tenure track.
Interviews with individuals on the tenure track have yielded interesting points for consideration for each principle as we move forward. These will require further discussion and reflection.
The adoption of the Council Recommendation has had strong implications for the SECURE project and has made it essential to tie the work of the project to the Recommendation, Charter and ResearchComp. Recommendation 35 provides a definition of tenure track-like models “to be understood as defined frameworks where a fixed-term contract has the prospect of progression to a permanent position subject to positive evaluation, could be considered for this purpose at the level of Member States and research performing organisations”. Consultation has already begun with all the institutions we have liaised with in case study collection, our own pilots, and key stakeholders from the commission. Feedback has been positive although there remains difference in appropriate language for example what is advisable and what is mandatory across member states.
Mapping the case studies to the principles and identifying areas of focus has revealed that some SECURE principles are easy to support, while others have not been addressed in the models used as case studies. In the next phase, the possibility of finding models that demonstrate these principles will be explored, along with consulting on aligning tenure track-like models with the Recommendation, revised Charter, ResearchComp, and our own work in WP2 in SECURE, aiming to practically implement the Council’s Recommendation.
The collection of these case studies has underscored the need to continue gathering and developing various models for the tenure track. It is crucial to understand the national context while adhering to principles that promote equality, diversity, and the best possible experience for researchers on the tenure track.
Interviews with individuals on the tenure track have yielded interesting points for consideration for each principle as we move forward. These will require further discussion and reflection.