The EURAXESS Network, tailored to the needs of “researchers in motion”, has been set up by the European Commission and has been operating within this policy context for 15 years now. Currently, the EURAXESS network offers services in 18 different topics related to the mobility and career development of researchers. A topic of priority for EURAXESS Network has been to assist the professional development of researchers of any career stage and scientific area.
Although researcher mobility is a core concept of the ERA, it is also important to consider to focus on helping intra-EU mobile researchers and researchers from third countries to be integrated in the receiving country, as indicated by the following:
• Innovation Union - Commitment 30 (“By 2012, the European Union and its Member States should put into place integrated policies to ensure that leading / the best academics, researchers and innovators reside and work in Europe and to attract a sufficient number of highly skilled third country nationals to stay in Europe”);
• The issue of a “Welcoming culture” is included under ERA Priority 3 – an open labour market for researchers: “At European and national levels, authorities should encourage openness and the circulation of international talent by reinforcing a welcoming culture for EU and third-country researchers and reducing obstacles to mobility” (linked to the EURAXESS initiative of 'Science for Refugees');
• The issues of Open Science, Open Innovation and Open to the World. These concepts have an underlining relation to researcher mobility and how EU policies directly affect (simulate, promote) incoming researchers.
Finally, ERA priority 3 is 'key'11 for the ERA Steering Group for Human Resources and Mobility (ERA SGHRM), which is focusing on this priority since its establishment in 2001 while priorities 1 (More effective national research systems); 2 (Optimal transnational co-operation and competition); and 4 (Gender equality and gender mainstreaming in research) are inextricably linked.
The overall objective of the project is: to further intensify the services provided by the EURAXESS Service Centres, expand the mandate of supporting the career development of mainly young researchers in Europe with particular focus on female Higher Education Institution students and researchers”.
In particular, the project aims:
• To support the set-up of the EURAXESS Career Development services in line with the EURAXESS Career Development Service Model (CDSM) as recommended by the EURAXESS TOP III project;
• To expand the Dual Careers (DC) services over a wider geographical range of the network;
• To develop a social twinning initiative and to establish a EURAXESS Family Network;
• To enhance the set-up of activities addressing diversity management (focus on gender & multicultural issues);
• To support the EURAXESS Network to develop new services oriented to a better connection between academia and industry and to raise awareness of research community on entrepreneurship;
• To target non-academic sectors to be regular EURAXESS services clients using the EURAXESS Jobs to post their scientific positions;
• To further intensify the services provided by the EURAXESS network and to expand new services through activities such as trainings, seminars, networking, study visits;
• To enhance the attractiveness of the EURAXESS network and to collaborate with other networks (stakeholders);
• To bridge the EURAXESS Worldwide representatives with EURAXESS Service Centres;
• To bridge more researchers from third countries and diaspora researchers with ERA;
• To strengthen engagement and collaboration in the network for more diverse online information and services;
• To provide a technical platform for integrating EURAXESS portal with existing useful and relevant for its users information, data and tools;
• To facilitate the further evolution of the EURAXESS network dealing with challenges arising from the current and future development in ERA.
