ERA TALENT Platform for career development of researchers in Europe

Project Information

ERA TALENT

Grant agreement ID: 101103476

DOI

10.3030/101103476

Project closed

EC signature date 16 February 2023

Start date 1 March 2023

End date 30 April 2026

Funded under

• Reforming and enhancing the European R&I System

Total cost

€ 3 999 996,33

EU contribution

€ 3 999 996,25

Coordinated by

AGENZIA PER LA PROMOZIONE DELLA RICERCA EUROPEA
Italy

Periodic Reporting for period 2 - ERA TALENT (ERA TALENT Platform for career development of researchers in Europe)

Reporting period: 2024-03-01 to 2026-04-30

Summary of the context and overall objectives of the project

ERA TALENT successfully supported the implementation of the new ERA Communication and significantly enhanced the existing EURAXESS network. The primary milestone was driving the career development of researchers in Europe by expanding their professional pathways across academia, industry, and business.

To achieve this, the initiative established 5 digital Hubs integrated into the EURAXESS framework as one-stop-shop resources, alongside 6 Communities of Practice (CoPs) that facilitated mutual learning. By leveraging 34 participating EURAXESS Centres as project partners, the action effectively mobilized the broader network of over 600 service centres across 42 countries. Through close collaboration, these centres developed and executed annual workplans that delivered direct, tangible benefits to researchers.

Work performed from the beginning of the project to the end of the period covered by the report and main results achieved so far

During its 38-month lifecycle, the ERA TALENT project successfully established five virtual Hubs (Startup, Research Career Beyond Academia, Research Careers in Academia, Talent Circulation, and Science 4 Refugees) to provide structured, cross-border services for talent management. Complementing these, six thematic Communities of Practice (CoPs) were launched, facilitating over 70 knowledge-sharing meetings and 24 capacity-building webinars for EURAXESS staff. Technologically, the project delivered unprecedented advancements in digitalization by embedding client-side Drupal web tools, launching the advanced ResearchComp and EntreComp self-assessment applications, and deploying four specialized search databases. Financial Support to Third Parties (FSTP) was also effectively administered, funding 26 cascade projects. Ultimately, the action successfully established an interconnected European framework that directly reinforces research career development, digitalizes talent circulation services, and seamlessly integrates refugee and early-career scientists into the European Research Area.

Progress beyond the state of the art and expected potential impact (including the socio-economic impact and the wider societal implications of the project so far)

ERA TALENT pushed past traditional exploratory assistance models by launching a highly specialized, operational network of thematic Hubs that bridge academia with the broader innovation ecosystem. Its browser-based, interactive self-assessment applications bypassed traditional contractor dependencies, creating a new scalable benchmark for direct digital research support. To maximize long-term impacts and ensure successful uptake, key needs include developing micro-credentials to incentivize researcher training, standardizing data practices across large international consortia, and maintaining structured central coordination to balance decentralized national portals. Looking ahead, an overview of the results highlights a resilient repository of sustainable assets, including the REBECA Practice cases for career exploration, an online Talent Circulation Platform for institutions, and over 30 global Smart Talks podcast episodes that remain permanently accessible to the European research community.