Source: EURLEX
Language: en
Format: md

**Council of the**
**European Union**

**Interinstitutional File:**

**2023/0285(NLE)**

**PROPOSAL**

**Brussels, 14 July 2023**
**(OR. en)**

**11850/23**

**RECH 357**
**EDUC 315**
**COMPET 763**
**IND 393**
**MI 617**
**EMPL 381**

From: Secretary-General of the European Commission, signed by Ms Martine
DEPREZ, Director

date of receipt: 13 July 2023

To: Ms Thérèse BLANCHET, Secretary-General of the Council of the
European Union

No. Cion doc.: COM(2023) 436 final

Subject: Proposal for a COUNCIL RECOMMENDATION on a European
framework to attract and retain research, innovation and entrepreneurial
talents in Europe

Delegations will find attached document COM(2023) 436 final.

Encl.: COM(2023) 436 final

11850/23 MM/lv

## COMPET.2. EN

EUROPEAN

COMMISSION

Brussels, 13.7.2023
COM(2023) 436 final

2023/0285 (NLE)

Proposal for a

**COUNCIL RECOMMENDATION**

**on a European framework to attract and retain research, innovation and**

**entrepreneurial talents in Europe**

# **EN EN**

**EXPLANATORY MEMORANDUM**

**1.** **CONTEXT OF THE PROPOSAL**

Researchers are the heart of the research and innovation system in Europe. There is a need to
strengthen research careers to attract and retain talents and make the overall system stronger
and more competitive. This is highly relevant to address the global and societal challenges
Europe is confronted with, including the digital and green transition.

Since the launch of the **European Research Area** in 2000 [1], there has been significant
progress for researchers. However, there are still outstanding issues that require more targeted
and effective measures.

The **Commission Communication on ‘A New ERA for Research and Innovation’** [2]
acknowledges that career development conditions to attract and retain the best researchers in
Europe are necessary in the global race for talents, and that precarious employment, notably
for early-career researchers has not adequately improved over the past years. It provides for a
comprehensive approach towards research careers in Europe, through a toolbox of measures
aiming at the recognition of the researchers’ profession and skills, the development of a
Competence Framework for Researchers, enhanced mobility and exchanges between
academia and industry, targeted training opportunities, and a one-stop-shop portal that
researchers can access for a wide range of support services.

The **Council Conclusions on ‘Deepening the European Research Area: Providing**
**researchers with attractive and sustainable careers and working conditions and making**
**brain circulation a reality’** of May 2021 [3], pointed out at the need for more coordinated
action at European level to overcome the existing challenges faced by researchers and to have
adequate and sustainable research careers, stimulate balanced talents circulation, and make
Europe an attractive destination for researchers. It is suggested to move towards a single and
comprehensive framework, addressing all challenges related to research careers in all possible
research employment domains.

The need to make research careers in Europe more attractive is underlined also by the
**Council Recommendation on a ‘Pact for Research and Innovation in Europe’ of 26**
**November 2021** [4], and the **ERA Policy Agenda annexed to the Council Conclusions on the**
**‘Future governance of the European Research Area’** of 26 November 2021 [5], which
includes an action to ‘4. Promote attractive and sustainable research careers, balanced talent
circulation and international, transdisciplinary and inter-sectoral mobility across the ERA’.
The action foresees the development of a European framework for research careers, and the
creation or upgrade of existing instruments in support of research careers.

1 COMMUNICATION FROM THE COMMISSION TO THE COUNCIL, THE EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT,

THE ECONOMIC AND SOCIAL COMMITTEE AND THE COMMITTEE OF THE REGIONS Towards a
European research area, Brussels, COM(2000) 6 final.
2 COMMUNICATION FROM THE COMMISSION TO THE EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT, THE COUNCIL,

THE EUROPEAN ECONOMIC AND SOCIAL COMMITTEE AND THE COMMITTEE OF THE
REGIONS A new ERA for Research and Innovation, COM(2020) 628 final.
3 Council document 9138/21.
4 Council Recommendation (EU) 2021/2122 of 26 November 2021 on a Pact for Research and Innovation in

Europe (OJ L 431, 2.12.2021, p. 1).
5 Council document 14308/21.

# EN 1 EN

Across Europe, researchers often find themselves in a **precarious position regarding**
**employment and working conditions** . This is particularly true for **early-career researchers** .
While the researcher is usually employed by a university or research organisation, funding
comes directly (through fellowships) or indirectly (through research projects) from national
and international funding organisations. Researchers are usually on short term contracts
funded through grants with no clear prospect of job stability.

**Salaries, social protection and working conditions** can vary significantly depending on the
sponsoring funding body. The **Human Resources Strategy for Researchers (HRS4R)** [6] tool
has enabled employers and funders to put the principles of the **Charter and Code for**
**Researchers** [7] into practice. The Marie Sklodowska Curie Actions (MSCA) [8] are promoting
the Charter and Code, by making them a condition to participate in the programme. The
Charter and Code, however, dates back to 2005 and needs to be revised to respond to the new
reality and challenges, included but not limited to Open Science and gender equality. The
revised version should also aim at a wider uptake beyond academia. The **EURAXESS** portals
and services [9] continue providing mobile researchers globally with essential practical
information and access to job opportunities across Europe. The **RESAVER** [10] pension scheme
has helped but for the moment has limited coverage. There is scope to expand these services
and tools.

There has been a lack of significant progress in supporting the **transition of researchers to**
**broader employment sectors outside academia,** or towards the **creation of own start-ups**
**and innovation** . One of the core reasons for the above-mentioned lack of progress is the
current very narrow means of assessing researchers based on exclusively peer reviewed
publications and very often the narrow metric of Journal Impact Factor. The consequence is to
make researchers not willing to engage in activities such as open science, inter-sectoral
mobility and entrepreneurship, citizen science and outreach as these activities will likely not
be beneficial for an academic career. Also, this practice discourages interdisciplinary research
due to the lack of journals with high impact factors.

Another factor that hinders career transition outside of academia is that most PhD candidates
are trained in an exclusively academic environment. This form of academic apprenticeship
leaves them ill equipped for alternative careers in other sectors. The UNESCO Science report
2021 [11] states that there are some 8.85 million researchers worldwide. Since 2007, the number
of researchers has risen by nearly 30%. China has overtaken the US (at 21.1% and 16.2%
respectively). **The EU remains the world leader for the number of researchers**, with a
23.5% share. However, there has not been a similar increase in the number of academic
positions and the reality is that only a tiny percentage of PhD graduates will find a job in the
academic or public research sector. Therefore, they must look for employment outside these
sectors [12] . In fact, given the small number of researchers that progress to become academics, it
is academia that is the alternative career. As most researchers will not take up an academic

6 https://euraxess.ec.europa.eu/jobs/hrs4r
7 https://euraxess.ec.europa.eu/jobs/charter
8 https://marie-sklodowska-curie-actions.ec.europa.eu/
9 https://euraxess.ec.europa.eu/
10 https://www.resaver.eu/
11 UNESCO (2021) _UNESCO Science Report - The race against time for smarter development, ISBN: 978-92-3-_

_100450-6._ Available at https://unesdoc.unesco.org/ark:/48223/pf0000377433 (Accessed 31 March 2023).
12 According to Eurostat, in 2021 in the EU most researchers worked in the business enterprise sector (56%) and

the higher education sector (32%), followed by the government sector (11%). See
https://ec.europa.eu/eurostat/web/products-eurostat-news/w/ddn-20221206-1.

# EN 2 EN

career, they need to develop the **skills to be employed in non-academic sectors or to**
**establish own entrepreneurial activities** .

There is still **asymmetric mobility of researchers** from East to West and South to North.
Over the years there have been interventions, such as the possibility to use Cohesion Policy
funds for research, or specific actions for Widening countries under the Framework
Programmes for research and innovation [13] . However, while they have helped to induce a more
balanced circulation of talent, these initiatives have not been sufficient to create longstanding
effects.

While significant advances have been made regarding **gender equality**, there are still
outstanding issues. There is a need to effectively address persisting gender inequalities in
research careers – including gender pay gap, career progression, gender biases in assessment,
work-life balance issues as well as gender-based violence, which all affect participation and

                                                              career progression. Moreover, specific efforts are needed to address women’s under
representation in the science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM).

At a more fundamental level, the **definition of the researcher** needs to be revisited to ensure
that it comprehends the wide range of career options. It must be acknowledged that beyond
research, other activities play a significant role, such as teaching, supervision and mentoring,
engaging with industry and society. Moreover, it must be recognised that high-level research
and innovation requires the support of a multitude of **research management roles**,
undertaken by researchers or other professionals.

Given the importance of research careers, framework conditions and support measures need to
be accompanied by an adequate and regular **monitoring system**, allowing for the collection
of relevant data that can support research and innovation stakeholders as well as policy
makers.

**•** **Reasons for and objectives of the proposal**

The current proposal for a Council Recommendation aims at responding to concerns and
recommendations raised by the Commission and the Council [14] and implements one of the
expected outcomes of action 4 of the ERA Policy Agenda, notably the development of a
European framework for research careers. It provides the standards that can guide Member
States, research organisations, funders and stakeholders in increasing stability and
attractiveness of research careers. The objective is to **retain European researchers, and**
**make Europe an attractive destination for foreign talents** .

A clear **definition of ‘researcher’** is provided [15], to allow for a proper recognition of the
profession in Europe. It is also clarified that researchers can take up a variety of **research**
**professions** in all relevant sectors, including academia, business, public administration, and
the non-profit sector. The proposal recognises the multitude of **research management roles**

13 Widening countries are the ones with low participation in previous framework programmes for research and

innovation.
14 See previous section.
15 Using the definition of the widely accepted Frascati Manual, https://www.oecd.org/sti/inno/frascatimanual.htm.

# EN 3 EN

undertaken by researchers or other professionals, underlining the importance of further
analysis and alignment of these professions at European level.

Improving **working conditions**, ensuring a work-life balance, and **countering precarity**,
including by limiting fixed-term contracts and fostering more sustainable funding
mechanisms for research organisations, will be a fundamental element for more attractive
research careers. This will be complemented by measures to ensure adequate **social**
**protection measures** and the portability of pension rights beyond borders. A **particular**
**focus is placed on early-career researchers**, with dedicated incentives.

A **new Charter for Researchers** will replace the 2005 Charter and Code for Researchers [16],
and will support the provision of good working conditions and research environments in
relevant organisations. It will be a single document addressing simultaneously researchers,
employers, funders and policy makers, and featuring a more streamlined number of
principles [17] to facilitate implementation in all sectors. The new Charter can be the opportunity
to launch the process for the revision of the current implementation mechanism Human
Resources Strategy for Researchers (HRS4R).

Strengthening **researchers’ skills**, notably transversal ones by making use of the **European**
**Competence Framework for Researchers (ResearchComp)** [18] and including with the
support of micro-credentials [19], will foster **inter-sectoral mobility** and a real flow of talents
between sectors. This will underpin knowledge circulation, and help close the gap between
researchers and the labour market demand for highly skilled talents.

Talent is at the core of **innovation** . Creating conditions to deliver and ensure a flow-through
of highly skilled and resilient talents able to contribute to Europe’s recovery and competitive
edge is key. This entails stronger ties between academia and industry, and an entrepreneurial
and innovation culture, with talents able to take the ideas they develop to the market.

While fostering inter-sectoral mobility and all other forms of mobility [20], and the creation of
start-ups by researchers, the proposal acknowledges and rewards the **different career paths**,
to make sure that their added value is adequately taken into consideration in relation to
recruitment, career progression, and researchers’ assessment. This is complemented by the
support for **career advisory and support services**, to help researchers find their most
suitable path and foster career development.

The **R1-R4 profiles for researchers** introduced in 2011 [21] are updated and complemented by
examples of occupations for each level and across sectors to make researchers’ careers more
comparable and interoperable across employment sectors and countries [22] .

16 Commission Recommendation of 11 March 2005 on the European Charter for Researchers and on a Code of

Conduct for the Recruitment of Researchers 2005/251/EC (OJ L 75, 22.3.2005, p. 67).
17 A set of 20 principles instead of the 40 principles of the current Charter and Code for Researchers.
18 See https://op.europa.eu/en/publication-detail/-/publication/8d536780-3025-11ed-975d01aa75ed71a1/language-en.
19 Council Recommendation 2022/C 243/02 of 16 June 2022 on a European approach to micro-credentials for

lifelong learning and employability (OJ C 243, 27.6.2022, p. 10).
20 Geographical, inter-institutional, interdisciplinary, virtual mobility.
21

https://cdn5.euraxess.org/sites/default/files/policy_library/towards_a_european_framework_for_researc
h_careers_final.pdf
22 An analysis of the 79.285 vacancies published in the 2020 Euraxess database reveals that half of the vacancies

were not linked to one particular career stage. Moreover, the analysis also revealed that each employer has its
own terminology to define a job, which stresses the need to develop a common language.

# EN 4 EN

The implementation of the new standards and recommendations will improve the overall
national and European research and innovation systems, contributing to structurally
**addressing cases of unbalanced circulation of talents** .

Support is provided for the implementation and further development of existing and new tools
in support of research careers (e.g. EURAXESS, RESAVER, ResearchComp). They will all
find place in the upcoming **ERA Talent Platform**, a one-stop shop for researchers providing
support also for research organisations.

A **research careers observatory** will allow for the monitoring of the implementation of the
current proposal, by collecting indicators on the different aspects covered. On the basis of this
data, stakeholders and policy makers at national and European level will be able to take
evidence-based action.

**•** **Consistency with existing policy provisions in the policy area**

The current proposal is consistent with existing policy provisions, notably:

– The **Commission Communication on a ‘European Skills Agenda for sustainable**
**competitiveness, social fairness and resilience’**, adopted on 1 July 2020 [23], which
underlines that researchers are at the forefront of science and innovation, and that
they need specific sets of skills to have successful careers within and outside
academia. Among others, the Skills Agenda foresees the definition of a taxonomy of
skills for researchers, the development of a European Competence Framework for
Researchers, and support for equipping researchers with the skills needed for intersectoral mobility. The first flagship action of the Skills Agenda, the EU Pact for
Skills, supports upskilling and reskilling through collaboration between industry,
education and training providers, social partners and public authorities in large-scale
skills partnerships.

– The **Commission Communication on ‘A European Strategy for Universities’** [24],
adopted on 18 January 2022, which foresees the development of a framework for
research careers, in synergy with a European framework for attractive and
sustainable careers in higher education.

– The **Commission Communication on ‘A new European Innovation Agenda’**,
adopted on 5 July 2022 [25], acknowledges that innovation depends on the successful
nurture, attraction and retention of talented individuals and a diverse array of skills,
and underlines the importance of inter-sectoral mobility.

23 COMMUNICATION FROM THE COMMISSION TO THE EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT, THE COUNCIL,

THE EUROPEAN ECONOMIC AND SOCIAL COMMITTEE AND THE COMMITTEE OF THE
REGIONS European Skills Agenda for sustainable competitiveness, social fairness and resilience, COM(2020)
274 final.
24 COMMUNICATION FROM THE COMMISSION TO THE EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT, THE COUNCIL,

THE EUROPEAN ECONOMIC AND SOCIAL COMMITTEE AND THE COMMITTEE OF THE
REGIONS on a European strategy for universities, COM(2022) 16 final.
25 COMMUNICATION FROM THE COMMISSION TO THE EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT, THE COUNCIL,

THE EUROPEAN ECONOMIC AND SOCIAL COMMITTEE AND THE COMMITTEE OF THE
REGIONS A New European Innovation Agenda, COM/2022/332 final.

# EN 5 EN

– The **Council Recommendation on ‘The guiding principles for knowledge**
**valorisation’** [26] **,** adopted on 2 December 2022, aims to adopt a common line on
policy principles and measures for national, regional and local policy makers to
maximize the transformation of research and innovation results into solutions that
benefit society. Among others, the Guiding Principles promote a framework to
support the development of skills and capacities, a system of incentives, and metrics,
monitoring and evaluation.

**•** **Consistency with other Union policies**

The current proposal is consistent with other Union policies, notably:

– The **European Pillar of Social Rights,** proclaimed by the European Parliament, the
Council and the Commission in November 2017 and setting essential principles and
rights for fair and well-functioning labour markets and welfare systems in the 21st
century, and related Union provisions in the field of working conditions and social
protection, including the **Commission** **Communication on ‘An initiative to**
**support work-life balance for working parents and carers’** [27] adopted on 26 April
2017; the **Directive on ‘Transparent and predictable working conditions in the**
**European Union’** [28], and the **Directive on ‘Work-life balance for parents and**
**carers’** [29], adopted on 20 June 2019; the **Council Recommendation on ‘Access to**
**social protection for workers and the self-employed’** [30], adopted on 8 November
2019. The Council Recommendation on Access to Social Protection, in particular,
aims at ensuring that both workers and self-employed, under comparable conditions,
can adhere to social security systems, build up and claim adequate entitlements,
easily transfer social security entitlements from one job to the next, and have
transparent information about their social security entitlements and obligations.

– The **Commission Communication on ‘Attracting skills and talent to the EU’** [31],
adopted on 27 April 2022, recognises the importance and the need for the EU to
become more attractive for talent from around the world. In this context, the Students
and Researchers Directive [32] and the recent revision of the EU Blue Card Directive [33]
contribute to these objectives by making it easier and more attractive for researchers

26 Council Recommendation (EU) 2022/2415 of 2 December 2022 on the guiding principles for knowledge

valorisation (OJ L 317, 9.12.2022, p. 141).
27 COMMUNICATION FROM THE COMMISSION TO THE EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT, THE COUNCIL,

THE EUROPEAN ECONOMIC AND SOCIAL COMMITTEE AND THE COMMITTEE OF THE
REGIONS An initiative to support work-life balance for working parents and carers, COM(2017) 252 final.
28 Directive (EU) 2019/1152 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 20 June 2019 on transparent and

predictable working conditions in the European Union (OJ L 186, 11.7.2019, p. 105).
29 Directive (EU) 2019/1158 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 20 June 2019 on work-life balance

for parents and carers and repealing Council Directive 2010/18/EU (OJ L 188, 12.7.2019, p. 79).
30 Council Recommendation 2019/C 387/01 of 8 November 2019 on access to social protection for workers and

the self-employed (OJ C 387, 15.11.2019, p. 1).
31 COMMUNICATION FROM THE COMMISSION TO THE EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT, THE COUNCIL,

THE EUROPEAN ECONOMIC AND SOCIAL COMMITTEE AND THE COMMITTEE OF THE
REGIONS Attracting skills and talent to the EU, COM(2022) 657 final.
32 Directive (EU) 2016/801 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 11 May 2016 on the conditions of

entry and residence of third-country nationals for the purposes of research, studies, training, voluntary service,
pupil exchange schemes or educational projects and au pairing (OJ L 132, 21.5.2016, p. 21).
33 Directive (EU) 2021/1883 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 20 October 2021 on the conditions

of entry and residence of third-country nationals for the purpose of highly qualified employment, and repealing
Council Directive 2009/50/EC (OJ L 382, 28.10.2021, p. 1).

# EN 6 EN

and highly skilled workers to come to the EU, and by promoting the circulation of
knowledge and skills by moving between Member States through enhanced intra-EU
mobility rights.

– The **Commission Communication on ‘Harnessing talent in Europe’s regions’** [34],
adopted on 17 January 2023, focusing on the challenges of the talent development
trap in the EU regions linked to the demographic decline, stagnating share of tertiary
education population, and significant departure of young people.

**2.** **LEGAL** **BASIS,** **SUBSIDIARITY** **AND** **PROPORTIONALITY**

**•** **Legal basis**

The legal bases for this initiative are Articles 182(5) and 292 TFEU. In accordance with
Article 292 TFEU, the Council can adopt recommendations and it will act on a proposal from
the Commission in all cases where the Treaties provide that it must adopt acts on a proposal
from the Commission.

In accordance with Article 179 TFEU, the Union will have the objective of strengthening its
scientific and technological bases by achieving a European research area in which researchers,
scientific knowledge and technology circulate freely, and encouraging it to become more
competitive, including in its industry, while promoting all the research activities deemed
necessary by virtue of other Chapters of the Treaties.

In accordance with Article 181 TFEU, the European Union and the Member States have to
coordinate their research and technological development activities to ensure that national
policies and EU policy are mutually consistent. In close cooperation with the Member States,
the Commission may take any useful initiative to promote this coordination, in particular
initiatives aiming at the establishment of guidelines and indicators, the organisation of
exchange of best practice, and the preparation of the necessary elements for periodic
monitoring and evaluation. The European Parliament must be kept fully informed.

Article 182(5) TFEU opens up the possibility of complementing the activities planned in the
multiannual framework programme by allowing the European Parliament and the Council,
acting in accordance with the ordinary legislative procedure and after consulting the
Economic and Social Committee, to establish necessary measures for implementing the
European Research Area.

**•** **Subsidiarity (for non-exclusive competence)**

Researchers and research careers have specific challenges and needs, such as the recognition
of the profession and common definitions at Union’s level of ‘researcher’ and of the research
professions to foster interoperability and comparability across Member States and sectors; a
common understanding of the set of skills needed by researchers; the promotion of a balanced
geographical, inter-sectoral and inter-disciplinary mobility; an improved and coordinated
system for career development, progression and the assessment of researchers; Union’s
support instruments for research careers, including a comprehensive European monitoring

34 COMMUNICATION FROM THE COMMISSION TO THE EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT, THE COUNCIL,

THE EUROPEAN ECONOMIC AND SOCIAL COMMITTEE AND THE COMMITTEE OF THE
REGIONS Harnessing talent in Europe’s regions, COM(2023) 32 final.

# EN 7 EN

system. These needs for their nature can only be achieved effectively by an initiative at Union
level.

The Commission has taken action in the past, notably with the Commission Recommendation
of 11 March 2005 ‘on the European Charter for Researchers and on a Code of Conduct for the
Recruitment of Researchers’ [35], however a new updated initiative is necessary to respond to
new challenges and the new context.

The Council called on the Commission to take action in the Council Conclusions of 28 May
2021 on ‘Deepening the European Research Area: Providing researchers with attractive and
sustainable careers and working conditions and making brain circulation a reality”, and in the
ERA Policy Agenda annexed to the Council Conclusions on the “Future governance of the
European Research Area’ of 26 November 2021. The Council Recommendation on a ‘Pact for
Research and Innovation in Europe’ of 26 November 2021 includes research careers and the
mobility of researchers, together with research assessment and a reward system, as important
fields of action in the context of the priority areas for joint action by the Union and Member
States in support of the European Research Area.

It should also be considered that such an initiative is of paramount importance to make
research careers in Europe more attractive, contributing in a decisive way to the objective of
retaining research talents in Europe, and of making it an attractive destination for foreign
talents.

**•** **Proportionality**

The present proposal is in conformity with the principle of proportionality as provided for in
Article 5(4) of the Treaty on European Union. Neither the content nor the form of this
proposed Council Recommendation exceed what is necessary to achieve its objectives. The
commitments Member States will make are not of a binding nature, and each Member State
remains free to decide on which approach to take.

**3.** **RESULTS** **OF** **EX-POST** **EVALUATIONS,** **STAKEHOLDER**
**CONSULTATIONS** **AND** **IMPACT** **ASSESSMENTS**

**•** **Stakeholder consultations**

This proposal is based on evidence gathered and input received in the context of studies
contracted by the Commission, which involved extensive interactions with stakeholders.

The study ‘Taking stock, evaluating the achievements and identifying the way forward for the
ERA Priority 3 policy measures’ published in December 2021 [36], took stock of the existing
policy measures in support of the former ERA priority ‘An open labour market for
researchers’, notably the Charter for Researchers and the Code of Conduct for the
Recruitment of Researchers, the Human Resources Strategy for Researchers (HRS4R), and
the EURAXESS services network. It evaluated their achievements, defined needs and offered
recommendations about new or revised policy measures to promote the human resources
dimension of the new ERA. Several consultation activities were involved, including 3 online

35 Commission Recommendation of 11 March 2005 on the European Charter for Researchers and on a Code of

Conduct for the Recruitment of Researchers 2005/251/EC (OJ L 75, 22.3.2005, p. 67).
36 https://op.europa.eu/en/publication-detail/-/publication/40089aaa-57dc-11ec-91ac-01aa75ed71a1.

# EN 8 EN

workshops (April, May and July 2021) with stakeholders and research institutions (e.g.
universities and other RPOs umbrella organisations, researchers’ organisations, European
Universities alliances, research funders, EURAXESS network, Member States), a survey of
organisations implicated in the HRS4R process, and a survey of the EURAXESS service
network.

The main elements that emerged from the consultation of stakeholders in the context of the
study can be summarised as follows:

–
There has been wide acceptance of the Charter for Researchers and the Code of
Conduct for the Recruitment of Researchers at institutional level within and outside
the EU, but they require an update to respond to the new reality (Open Science,
research integrity, gender equality, diversity and inclusion, team science, intersectoral and interdisciplinary mobility, research assessment), and their uptake should
be promoted also beyond the academic sector;

–
The HRS4R process and the related award have helped bring about positive change
in human resources practices in organisations undertaking research, despite of the
perception by some organisations that too much effort is required to gain the award;

–
The take-up and effectiveness of the Charter and Code for Researchers and HRS4R
are strongly influenced by national context and national policies;

–
EURAXESS has reached a critical mass of researchers and research organisations
within and outside the EU, resulting in a steady increase in volume and intensity of
use. Researchers have gained a diversity of benefits from EURAXESS, but
particularly in support of international mobility, whilst research organisations have
enjoyed better access to research talent. However, there is a need to broaden the
EURAXESS service offer so that it supports the development of research talent more
broadly, and the current governance model would need to be strengthened
accordingly;

–
The labour market challenges facing researchers suggest a need for new and different
forms of support for research careers, if the aspirations of the new ERA are to be
met. In addition, to satisfy the aspirations of the new ERA relating to research
careers, all existing tools should be brought together into an overall framework.

On the basis of these elements, the main recommendations resulted to be in relation to the
need for:

–
A single policy framework for research careers, featuring a holistic approach
addressing all challenges, and with a focus to all sectors of the society where
researchers perform their activities;

–
An updated Charter and Code for Researchers reflecting the current challenges and
opportunities manifested in the labour market for researchers, and a wider
endorsement and implementation, including by the private sector, as a core part of
the overall ERA;

–
The evolution of EURAXESS into an ERA Talent Platform that provides more
holistic support to researchers and is based on an improved governance model;

# EN 9 EN

–
Tackling labour market issues facing researchers, such as social protection or
pension entitlements;

–
Supporting mutual learning and exchange of experience related to research careers.

In addition, the higher education sector was consulted to develop a framework to strengthen
its research and innovation mission in synergy with the education mission, leading to
recommendations ‘Towards a 2030 vision on the future of universities in Europe’ (October
2020) [37], including on fostering human capital and career development. The main findings in
this respect were to:

–
Reform universities’ career development, training and appraisal, recognition and
incentives systems and structures, for a more holistic, quality-driven and less
quantity-driven evaluation model;

–
Reform researchers’ career assessment, towards a balanced system based on the full
spectrum of researchers’ capabilities in a manner relevant to their career stage,
position sought and other relevant contextual factors, avoiding a one-size-fits-all
approach. The assessment should take into account research output, the research
process, service and leadership, research impact, teaching and supervision, and other
professional experiences;

–
Embed skills training and professional development for researchers at all levels,
requiring investment in the training and career development for researchers at all
levels (R1-R4), with particular focus on researchers at R1 and R2 levels (PhD and
postdoc) the majority of whom will not have permanent employment in academic
sector;

–
Provide training for researchers at all levels (R1-R4) in the practice of Open Science;

–
Extend the concept of geographical mobility to include virtual mobility;

–
Update the European Charter for Researchers and Code of Conduct for their
Recruitment, based on the changed EU research and innovation landscape, and
reflect the state of current discussions within the academic sector. This should also
explicitly take into account Open Science, open and responsible innovation practices,
diversity, research integrity, citizen science and quadruple i-mobility (transnational,
inter-sectoral, interdisciplinary and virtual) in career development;

–
Strengthen interaction between academia and non-academic sectors to reinforce
universities’ role as central actors at the heart of innovation ecosystems.

The study ‘Knowledge Ecosystems in the new ERA’, which ended in 2022, included the
analysis of aspects related to research careers, notably skills [38], employment and working
conditions, and the phenomenon of brain drain and talent circulation [39] . It also focused on the
development of a methodology for an observatory on research careers. The study mapped and

37 https://op.europa.eu/en/publication-detail/-/publication/a3cde934-12a0-11eb-9a54-01aa75ed71a1/
38 https://op.europa.eu/en/publication-detail/-/publication/8d536780-3025-11ed-975d01aa75ed71a1/language-en
39 https://op.europa.eu/en/publication-detail/-/publication/94a6a2ca-00c1-11ed-b94a-01aa75ed71a1/language-en

and https://op.europa.eu/en/publication-detail/-/publication/ec09bd95-00c2-11ed-b94a01aa75ed71a1/language-en/format-PDF/source-search

# EN 10 EN

modelled inter-sectoral mobility measures across Europe, building on a previous Commission
study on ‘Fostering industrial talents in research at European level’ (January 2018) [40] . Many
consultation activities have been conducted in relation to this study, including:

–
An online survey (April-May 2021) among researchers to gain insight into skills,
social security and working conditions related to jobs in research, followed by 3
working group meetings in May 2021 to validate and refine the results of the
interviews;

–
An online survey (May-June 2021) to validate the set of skills that are key for
researchers’ jobs in the academic and private sector;

–
Interviews with researchers (Q2 2021) at different career stages working in academia
and other sectors, focusing on competences, skills training opportunities, and intersectoral mobility;

–
Interviews with representatives of higher education umbrella organisations,
associations of research organisations, representatives from Member States and
business representatives (Q2 2021), focusing on the update of the European Skills,
Competences, Qualifications and Occupations (ESCO), the development of a
European Competence Framework for Researchers, the future of tenure tracks and
the diversification of research careers;

–
A focus group (September 2021) with EU umbrella associations related to research
(universities, research organisations, RTOs, etc.), industry associations, and EU and
national policy makers to validate the work on the draft European Competence
Framework for Researchers;

–
A workshop (October 2021) with over 450 participants among stakeholders from all
sectors to address challenges related to research careers, notably in the field of
competences;

–
A workshop (March 2022) with a wide range of stakeholders from all sectors,
addressing researchers’ skills and employment conditions, social protection issues of
internationally mobile researchers, and the concept of an observatory for research

careers;

–
A final workshop (September 2022) on competences, balanced talent circulation and
inter-sectoral mobility.

The main findings of the study can be summarised as follows:

–
Researchers are of utmost importance for the research and innovation system in
Europe, and it is important to strengthen their careers, making them more attractive
and sustainable. A very first element to be addressed is a common definition of
‘researcher’ at European level;

–
The R1-R4 profile descriptors introduced in 2011 are frequently used and referred to
in the recruitment of researchers in the academic sector, but more clarity is needed,

40 https://op.europa.eu/en/publication-detail/-/publication/a33eb97c-437d-11e8-a9f4-01aa75ed71a1

# EN 11 EN

including to foster their use beyond academia and allow for easier interoperability
and comparability of researchers’ roles across sectors and Member States;

–
Researchers consider transversal skills important for recruitment and career
progression, but only a minority of PhD candidates in the EU believes the training
received during their doctoral training includes transversal skills at a satisfactory
level. The roll-out of a European Competence Framework for Researchers is highly
awaited by stakeholders, it should not be binding, and it should leave flexibility to
the users in relation to its implementation;

–
Skills are fundamental for inter-sectoral mobility of researchers, and certifiable
formal and informal training should be available for researchers, including in
coordination and cooperation with business and other relevant labour market actors
to close the gap between demand and supply of researchers. However, it is equally
important to provide support and guidance to researchers on career opportunities
beyond academia, including via mentoring and career development services;

–
The frequent lack of open, transparent, and merit-based recruitment, precarious
working conditions and the instability of career paths represent a barrier to the
optimal development of the research human capital. Initiatives are needed, including
considering a model tenure track system at EU level or any other transparent career
accession and progression system;

–
Mapping of the main causes contributing to brain drain related to the system level,
research environment, recruitment and working conditions, and research excellence,
pointing to conditions for more balanced mobility. The mapping is accompanied by
the identification of pathways to more balanced talent circulation at Member States
level on the basis of existing or upcoming practices in Member States or research
organisations, and of pathways at EU level, structured around the dimensions of
aligning, inspiring, and supporting;

–
Identification of models, best practices and recommendations to promote intersectoral mobility in three categories: (i) strengthening academia-business
cooperation, (ii) upskilling and reskilling of talents to meet business demand or build
capacity in R&I support, (iii) entrepreneurship and business creation;

–
Social security and its transferability can demotivate or complicate international
research mobility. Several types of social security gaps occur because of mobility
and affect mobile researchers the most. The first overarching gap is the varying
employment statuses and their implications on social security. Changing employment
status when moving between countries can result in different social security
entitlements. For instance, when PhD researchers are classified as students instead of
employees, they may have limited or no social security coverage. Additionally,
access to and quality of the information provided to mobile researchers is often
limited. Specific gaps exist to specific kinds of social security. Pension, especially
supplementary pension, is undoubtedly the major concern as mobile researchers with
frequent short-term contracts might not meet the vesting periods defined for
supplementary pension schemes. For the unemployment, previous employment
record, regardless of the country, is considered when deciding about the access and
amount of the unemployment benefits.

# EN 12 EN

–
A methodology and indicators for monitoring of research careers on the basis of
existing data and complemented with survey-based approach in four dimensions:
jobs, conditions, skills, and mobility (preparatory work for a research careers
observatory).

Additional consultation activities with Member States, Horizon Europe Associated Countries,
and stakeholders, took place in the context of the work on the Commission proposal for a
Council Recommendation ‘on a Pact for Research and Innovation in Europe’ [41], and on the
ERA Policy Agenda, notably Action 4 aiming to ‘Promote attractive and sustainable research
careers, balanced talent circulation and international, transdisciplinary and inter-sectoral
mobility across the ERA’.

This proposal takes into consideration also the work of the ERAC Triangle Task Force on the
revision of the Charter and Code for Researchers, input received in the context of
stakeholders’ consultations for the European Strategy for Universities, and information or
studies from third parties, including the OECD. In addition, a dedicated ERAC workshop on
researchers was co-organised in December 2020 with the ERAC Triangle Task Force and the
Trio of Presidencies.

41 The views of multiple stakeholders were gathered at a number of events. In particular, the ERA Forum for

Transition (set up as an informal Commission expert group) provided advice to the Commission, and allowed
the views of the Member States and stakeholders to be taken into account in a structured way. Relevant
stakeholders and umbrella organisations were invited to share their views (e.g. at workshops on 20 April and
25 May 2021). A public consultation was also conducted between 15 April and 13 May 2021 to gather the
views of the broader public.

# EN 13 EN

2023/0285 (NLE)

Proposal for a

**COUNCIL RECOMMENDATION**

**on a European framework to attract and retain research, innovation and**

**entrepreneurial talents in Europe**

THE COUNCIL OF THE EUROPEAN UNION,

Having regard to the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union, and in particular
Article 182(5) and Article 292, first and second sentence, thereof,

Having regard to the proposal from the European Commission,

Whereas:

(1) Article 179 of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union states that the
Union shall have the objective of strengthening its scientific and technological bases
by achieving a European Research Area in which researchers, scientific knowledge
and technology circulate freely. In this regard, Article 180 of the Treaty on the
Functioning of the European Union states that a number of activities shall be carried
out by the Union to complement the ones carried out in the Member States, including
the stimulation of the training and mobility of researchers in the Union, and the
dissemination and optimisation of the results of research activities in the Union.

(2) The Commission Recommendation 2005/251/EC [42], played an important role in
supporting researchers and research careers in the Union. The Charter for Researchers
and the Code of Conduct for the Recruitment of Researchers (‘Charter and Code for
Researchers’) have become reference points for researchers and employers or funders
of researchers, contributing to strengthening the European Research Area and
supporting the development of a more attractive, open and sustainable European
labour market for researchers. A European procedure certifying the commitment and
progress of an institution towards the implementation of the principles of the Charter
and Code for Researchers, the Human Resources Strategy for Researchers (HRS4R),
is in place since 2008.

(3) The Commission Communication on a ‘European Skills Agenda for sustainable
competitiveness, social fairness and resilience’, adopted on 1 July 2020 [43], underlines
that researchers are at the forefront of science and innovation, and that they need
specific sets of skills to have successful careers within and outside academia. It

42 Commission Recommendation 2005/251/EC of 11 March 2005 on the European Charter for Researchers and

on a Code of Conduct for the Recruitment of Researchers (OJ L 75, 22.3.2005, p. 67).
43 COMMUNICATION FROM THE COMMISSION TO THE EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT, THE COUNCIL,

THE EUROPEAN ECONOMIC AND SOCIAL COMMITTEE AND THE COMMITTEE OF THE
REGIONS European Skills Agenda for sustainable competitiveness, social fairness and resilience, COM(2020)
274 final.

# EN 14 EN

foresees the definition of a taxonomy of skills for researchers, including to allow the
statistical monitoring of brain circulation, the development of a European Competence
Framework for Researchers, and support for equipping researchers with the skills
needed for inter-sectoral mobility. The first flagship action of the Skills Agenda, the
EU Pact for Skills, supports upskilling and reskilling through collaboration between
industry, education and training providers, social partners and public authorities in
large-scale skills partnerships.

(4) The Commission Communication on ‘A New ERA for Research and Innovation’,
adopted on 30 September 2020 [44], acknowledges that career development conditions to
attract and retain the best researchers in Europe are necessary in the global race for
talents, and that precarious employment, notably for early-career researchers, has not
adequately improved over the past years. It also highlights the frequent misalignment
between researchers’ skills and the needs of society and of the economy, notably those
of industry and businesses, and the importance to incentivise researchers to pursue a
career outside academia. The Communication points out that in order to strengthen
research careers in Europe, there is a need for a toolbox of measures aiming at the
recognition of researchers’ skills, the development of a Competence Framework for
Researchers, enhanced mobility and exchanges between academia and industry,
targeted training opportunities, and a one-stop-shop portal that researchers can access
for a wide range of support services. The Communication also foresees the
improvement of the research assessment system.

(5) The Council Conclusions on the ‘New European Research Area’ of 1 December
2020 [45] stress that creating attractive and safe working conditions, and enhancing the
attractiveness of research careers, taking into account open science, gender equality,
digital skills, research assessment, diversification of research careers and multiple
career paths, are vital elements of the new European Research Area, contributing to
attracting and retaining excellent researchers.

(6) The Council Conclusions on ‘Deepening the European Research Area: Providing
researchers with attractive and sustainable careers and working conditions and making
brain circulation a reality’ of 28 May 2021 [46], recognise that researchers are at the heart
of the European research and innovation system, and that more coordinated action at
European level is needed to overcome the existing challenges faced by researchers in
view of having adequate and sustainable research careers, stimulate balanced talents
circulation, and make Europe an attractive destination for researchers. They suggest
analysis on the possible evolution of the Charter and Code for Researchers towards a
single and comprehensive framework, addressing all challenges related to research
careers beyond values and principles, and focusing on all possible research
employment domains, and request the Commission to make a proposal in 2022.
Aspects such as recruitment, incentives for early-career researchers, career
diversification and progression, interoperability with all sectors of the society
including industry, researchers’ assessment, gender equality, work-life balance, and an
improved governance and services for EURAXESS, are suggested as elements to be
included in the proposal.

44 COMMUNICATION FROM THE COMMISSION TO THE EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT, THE COUNCIL,

THE EUROPEAN ECONOMIC AND SOCIAL COMMITTEE AND THE COMMITTEE OF THE
REGIONS A new ERA for Research and Innovation, COM(2020) 628 final.
45 Council document 13567/20.
46 Council document 9138/21.

# EN 15 EN

(7) The Council Recommendation (EU) 2021/2122 [47] includes research careers and the
mobility of researchers, together with assessment of research, researchers and
institutions, as important fields of action in the context of the priority areas for joint
action by the Union and Member States in support of the European Research Area,
and specifies a common set of principles and values to underpin research and
innovation in Europe. It also highlights the need to give greater attention to early and
mid-stage researchers’ careers, including the specific barriers that women face in those
stages.

(8) The ERA Policy Agenda annexed to the Council Conclusions on the ‘Future
governance of the European Research Area’ of 26 November 2021 [48], includes
dedicated actions to ‘Advance towards the reform of the assessment system for
research, researchers and institutions to improve their quality, performance and
impact’, and to ‘Promote attractive and sustainable research careers, balanced talent
circulation and international, transdisciplinary and inter-sectoral mobility across the
ERA’. The last-mentioned action foresees the development of a European framework
for research careers, together with the upgrade of existing instruments and initiatives,
and the creation of new ones. This includes the launch of an observatory on research
careers; an evolution of the Charter and Code for Researchers; the setup of the ERA
Talent Platform as a one-stop-shop online gateway to EURAXESS services, network
and portals including HRS4R, and RESAVER; the launch of the ERA4You initiative
to promote talent circulation between sectors and across the EU; the exchange of good
practices with regard to research and innovation systems to support balanced brain
circulation; and the piloting of the new framework for research careers with the
European Universities alliances.

(9) The Commission Communication on ‘A European Strategy for Universities’, adopted
on 18 January 2022 [49], foresees the development of a framework for research careers,
in synergy with a European framework for attractive and sustainable careers in higher
education to be proposed by 2023.

(10) The Commission Communication on ‘A new European Innovation Agenda’, adopted
on 5 July 2022 [50], acknowledges that innovation depends on the successful nurture,
attraction and retention of talented individuals and a diverse array of skills, and
underlines the importance of inter-sectoral mobility.

(11) The Council Recommendation (EU) 2022/2415 [51] emphasizes the importance of
investing in the development of entrepreneurial culture, practices, skills and capacities
for researchers and other research and innovation actors, including intermediaries,
whose continuous professionalisation is essential, to maximise the transformation of
research and innovation results into solutions that benefit society. A Code of Practice

47 Council Recommendation (EU) 2021/2122 of 26 November 2021 on a Pact for Research and Innovation in

Europe (OJ L 431, 2.12.2021, p. 1).
48 Council document 14308/21.
49 COMMUNICATION FROM THE COMMISSION TO THE EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT, THE COUNCIL,

THE EUROPEAN ECONOMIC AND SOCIAL COMMITTEE AND THE COMMITTEE OF THE
REGIONS on a European strategy for universities, COM(2022) 16 final.
50 COMMUNICATION FROM THE COMMISSION TO THE EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT, THE COUNCIL,

THE EUROPEAN ECONOMIC AND SOCIAL COMMITTEE AND THE COMMITTEE OF THE
REGIONS A New European Innovation Agenda, COM/2022/332 final.
51 Council Recommendation (EU) 2022/2415 of 2 December 2022 on the guiding principles for knowledge

valorisation (OJ L 317, 9.12.2022, p. 141).

# EN 16 EN

on industry-academia collaboration will support the implementation of the
Recommendation.

(12) Researchers are a fundamental resource for society. They perform research, foster
innovation, contribute to solutions to societal challenges, including the digital and
green transition, thus contributing to the Commission overarching priorities for ‘A
Europe Fit for the Digital Age’, and of ‘A European Green Deal’. Researchers are
highly skilled talents who have great potential to meet the labour market demand, thus
contributing to the other overarching priority of ‘An economy that works for people’.
It is crucial to improve their overall working environment by strengthening research
careers, their effectiveness, and making them interoperable between sectors.

(13) Enhancing the attractiveness and stability of research careers across the Union is a key
element of the European Research Area. Therefore, there is a clear need to make
research careers more attractive for school-leavers, and to put in place framework
conditions to retain talented researchers in the Union, as well as for making it an
appealing and competitive destination for international researchers.

(14) Talent is at the core of innovation. It is thus indispensable to create conditions to
deliver and ensure a flow-through of highly skilled and resilient talents able to
contribute to Europe’s recovery and competitive edge. This entails stronger ties
between academia and industry, and an entrepreneurial and innovation culture, with
talents able to take the ideas they develop to the market.

(15) The Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions (MSCA) have been supporting for over 25
years, as part of the Framework Programmes for Research and Innovation, researchers
from all over the world, at all stages of their careers, with a focus on training, skills
and career development. The programme has also had a structuring impact on
organisations (universities, research centres, enterprises etc) by spreading good
pratices and increasing their international attractiveness and visibility notably through
the development of excellent doctoral programmes. MSCA is a best practice example
in contributing to inter-sectoral, inter-disciplinary and geographical mobility,
developing researchers’ skills, addressing gender imbalances, retaining talented
researchers and attracting new talent to Europe. The MSCA Industrial Doctorate
programmes, where the research experience, location and supervision of a doctoral
candidate are equally shared between an academic and a non-academic establishment,
are an important example of interaction and cooperation between ecosystem actors,
fostering transversal skills and inter-sectoral mobility, and helping industry’s needs of
highly skilled talents.

(16) Eurostat data indicate that the number of researchers in Europe experiences a growing
trend. In 2021, there were 2 million researchers (in full-time equivalent) working in
the Member States, 627 thousand more than in 2011. Most researchers work in the
business enterprise sector (56%) and the higher education sector (32%), followed by
the government sector (11%). It is important to sustain this growing trend with
adequate investments, infrastructures and policies at national and Union level
supporting the attractiveness of research careers, including as regards diversity and
gender equality, and to promote a culture of equal value and reward of research careers
in all sectors of the society.

# EN 17 EN

(17) There is a need for a clear and common definition of ‘researcher’ at European level,
such as for example the definition of the widely accepted Frascati Manual, and for a
common understanding of research professions. The research professions should be
intended as the occupations that researchers can take up in all relevant sectors,
comprising academia (universities, polytechnics and research institutes), business
(including industrial laboratories, start-ups, spin-offs or small and medium-sized
enterprises), public administration bodies (including public laboratories and the health
care system), and the non-profit sector. Efforts are needed for the full recognition of
the research profession, and to aim at the comparability of the research professions
across Member States and sectors, including through the update of the R1-R4
researchers’ profiles introduced in 2011 and their wider use in vacancies for
researchers.

(18) Performing high-level research and innovation requires the support of a multitude of
research management roles, undertaken by researchers or other professionals. These
highly valuable professions deserve proper recognition, including by way of further
analysis and alignment at the level of the Union, with a view to strengthening their
capacity, developing relevant training, fostering comparability, and allowing them to
effectively manage and support research and innovation.

(19) The European Skills, Competences, Qualifications and Occupations (ESCO)
classification has been updated in 2022 to include improved taxonomies of skills and
occupations for researchers, thus specifying the occupations relevant for researchers
across labour market sectors, and the transversal skills researchers need to be
successful. The implementation of the ESCO classification in EUROPASS and in the
European network of employment services (EURES), facilitates the uptake of this
improved terminology in the labour market. Interaction by the Commission with the
International Labour Organization is needed to have the specific category of
‘researcher’ included in future revisions of the International Standard Classification of
Occupations (ISCO), on which the ESCO classification is based.

(20) As recognised by Article 13 of the Charter of Fundamental Rights of the European
Union, and as stated in the Bonn Declaration on Freedom of Scientific Research of 20
October 2020, in the European Higher Education Area Rome Communiqué of 19
November 2020, and in the Council Recommendation (EU) 2021/2122, academic
freedom and the freedom of scientific research must be safeguarded as essential
prerequisites for researchers to advance research and innovation,. In this respect, a
Staff Working Document was published by the Commission in January 2021 on how
to mitigate foreign interference in research and innovation. The publication outlines
best practices to support higher education and research institutions in safeguarding
their fundamental values, including academic freedom, integrity and institutional
autonomy, as well as to protect their staff, students, research findings and assets.

(21) Women continue to be under-represented among researchers, constituting only 33% of
the total population of researchers in the Union. Data also show that a higher
percentage of women researchers are employed in the higher education sector,
compared to men researchers, whereas their percentages are lower in the government
and business sectors. Across the Union, a higher proportion of women researchers,
compared to men researchers, work part-time and under precarious contracts in higher
education (11% for women and 7% for men) and women only occupy 26% of top
academic positions (full professorship or equivalent researcher position). There is a

# EN 18 EN

–
need to effectively address persisting gender inequalities in research careers
including gender pay gap, gender biases in assessment, work-life balance issues as

–
well as gender-based violence, which all affect participation and career progression
through institutional change, including through the instrument of inclusive gender
equality plans. Moreover, specific efforts are needed to address women’s underrepresentation in the science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) fields
in research and innovation, as well as in the higher education sector as highlighted in
the European strategy for universities which proposes a manifesto from STE(A)Moriented universities on gender-inclusive STE(A)M education.

(22) To support the full personal and professional development of researchers in the Union,
and in particular of early-career researchers, it is essential to address existing
challenges which have negative consequences on the overall research and innovation
system in the Union, and on the internal market for research. Such challenges include
employment and working conditions aspects, such as a different students/employees
status of doctoral candidates across Member States, frequent lack of open, transparent,
and merit-based recruitment, precarity linked to short-term project-based contracts,
unsatisfactory equal opportunities, work-life balance and wellbeing measures, and
weaknesses of social protection tools, including difficulties with the portability of
entitlements between sectors and Member States.

(23) The employability and career development of early-career researchers would benefit
from dedicated incentives for their recruitment, such as financial and social protection
ones, including opportunities for permanent or open-ended contracts in line with the
intent of Council Directive 1999/70/EC of 28 June 1999 concerning the framework
agreement on fixed-term work concluded by ETUC, UNICE and CEEP [52] . In this
respect, a wider use of baseline funding or life-cycle research funding could be
promoted alongside project-based funding. Baseline funding provides universities or
research centres with a projection of guaranteed financial support in return for meeting
certain deliverables and quality standards; life-cycle funding is characterised by an
initial competition for funding that is renewed if assessed positively following a
monitoring process. This allows research organisations to develop more long-term
research strategies and engage in sustainable commitments towards employees, while
using project-based funding to continue exploring new itineraries.

(24) As asserted in Article 22 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, everyone, as a
member of society, has the right to social security and is entitled to realization of the
economic, social and cultural rights indispensable for dignity and the free development
of personality. Article 9 of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union states
that the guarantee of adequate social protection must be taken into account when
defining and implementing Union policies and activities. Principle 15 of the European
Pillar of Social Rights states that both workers and the self-employed in retirement
have the right to a pension commensurate to their contributions and ensuring an
adequate income. Yet, mobile researchers experience difficulties accumulating
adequate supplementary pensions as a result of vesting periods, high transfer fees,
limited financial literacy and administrative burden at retirement age. Therefore,
safeguards based on the Council Recommendation of 8 November 2019 on ‘Access to

52 Council Directive 1999/70/EC of 28 June 1999 concerning the framework agreement on fixed-term work

concluded by ETUC, UNICE and CEEP (OJ L 175, 10.7.1999, p. 43).

# EN 19 EN

social protection for workers and the self-employed’ [53] should be ensured to
researchers.

(25) RESAVER, the pan-European institution supported by the Commission which deals
with occupational retirement provisions for research performing organisations and will
be one of the components of the upcoming ERA Talent Platform, has the full potential
to address social protection issues of mobile researchers, but its uptake is hindered by
limited awareness and substantial administrative and legal hurdles. With the aim to
safeguard the occupational pension rights of mobile researchers, information about
how potential mobility might affect pension rights should be provided, and
participation of research performing organisations in RESAVER should be promoted.

(26) Inter-sectoral, inter-disciplinary and geographically balanced mobility are essential to
make research careers in the Union more effective, sustainable and attractive. With
such mobility, the overall research and innovation system becomes more competitive,
and fosters better knowledge production, circulation, and use. Those forms of mobility
should be promoted, incentivised and adequately integrated into the researchers’
professional development, and action should be taken to promote the elimination of
existing obstacles of any possible nature, including e.g. the limited portability of
grants.

(27) A change of approach would be needed by academia and researchers, whereby
research careers are considered fully interoperable and inter-sectoral, the reward
system attributes equal value to careers undertaken in all sectors and does not penalise
geographical, inter-disciplinary and inter-sectoral mobility or career breaks, including
sabbaticals or parental leave, and researchers take into consideration indistinctly
careers in academia and beyond.

(28) In some instances, doctoral training is still directed mainly at a future career in
academia, and it does not sufficiently take into consideration the wider range of
occupations relevant for researchers across sectors, as well as the importance of
fostering researchers’ entrepreneurship. Equipping researchers with transversal skills
through formal and informal trainings, in addition to strong research skills, is highly
important for better career opportunities, inter-sectoral mobility and innovation, and to
make research careers in the Union more attractive. Furthermore, it would be
important for researchers to have a clear understanding of their societal responsibility
and of the societal impact of their research, including aspects related to sustainability.

(29) The European Competence Framework for Researchers (ResearchComp) developed
by the Commission in consultation with Member States and stakeholders, will play a
key role in equipping researchers with a wide set of transversal skills and closing the
skills gap between academia and all other relevant sectors. Doctoral training, and
targeted training opportunities, should be developed according to the competences
described therein, including based on the exchange of best practices, in order to allow
for the up-skilling and re-skilling of researchers with a lifelong perspective. Adequate
recognition and validation mechanisms for formal and informal training opportunities,
including on-the-job training, should be ensured.

53 Council Recommendation of 8 November 2019 on access to social protection for workers and the self
employed (2019/C 387/01) (OJ C 387, 15.11.2019, p. 1).

# EN 20 EN

(30) To ensure that researchers’ training is developed or co-developed on the basis of actual
skills needs, interaction and cooperation between academia, business, public
administration, the non-profit sector, and all other relevant ecosystem actors should be
promoted, including for example in relation to internships, traineeships or job
shadowing.

(31) Fostering an entrepreneurial mindset and the related competences in researchers,
including competences for seeking investors and capital, is crucial to improve
knowledge valorisation and the transformation of innovative ideas into new services
and products with higher potential for market uptake, sustainable growth, innovation
and societal benefits. For a successful entrepreneurial path, intellectual assets such as
publications, data, know-how and intellectual property should be properly understood
and efficiently managed as referred to in Council Recommendation 2008/416/EC [54] .

(32) Cross-sectoral talent circulation, improved interoperability of research and innovation
jobs between sectors, and strengthened academia-business collaboration for both
knowledge and talent transfer demand a combination of different and complementary
measures at national and Union levels, including system reform. A policy approach
that involves mutual learning on the basis of successful models for inter-sectoral
mobility schemes can contribute to (i) strengthening academia/non-academia
cooperation, and reinforcing innovation ecosystems, (ii) improving training and
lifelong learning for researchers, innovators, and other research and innovation talents,
including upskilling to build support capacity, and (iii) boosting researchers’
development of entrepreneurial skills.

(33) Researchers should be made aware of the crucial importance of policy making and
policy measures in the field of research, and the impact they can have on the overall
research careers and research and innovation system. It would be important for
doctoral training to include and instil this understanding, in order to ensure more
involvement of researchers in policy making activities related to the research field.

(34) Researchers, in particular early-career ones, should be made aware of prospects
available in all sectors and of the possibility of pursuing those opportunities for
widening their spectrum of personal and professional development. Career advisory
and support services, tailored to the needs of researchers, have an important role to
play, stimulating inter-sectoral, inter-disciplinary, geographical and virtual mobility,
and the possibility of developing entrepreneurial activities. Inter-institutional mobility,
notably between different profiles of higher education and research institutions and
along diverse and flexible academic paths should be promoted, including by
addressing obstacles linked to the competences developed in the previous institution,
and the ones required in the new one.

(35) Research assessment should enable evaluating the performance of researchers and
research to achieve the highest quality and impact. As highlighted in the 2022 Paris
call on research assessment, in the scoping report ‘Towards a reform of the research
assessment system’ published by the Commission in 2021 and based on broad
consultation of stakeholders, in the Council Conclusions on ‘Research assessment and

54 Commission Recommendation 2008/416/EC of 10 April 2008 on the management of intellectual property in

knowledge transfer activities and Code of Practice for universities and other public research organisations (OJ
L 146, 5.6.2008, p. 19).

# EN 21 EN

implementation of Open Science’ of 10 June 2022 [55] _,_ and in the Agreement on
Reforming Research Assessment published in July 2022, a proper evaluation of
performance requires recognition of increasingly diverse research outputs, activities
and practices, including collaboration and open sharing of outputs, and ensuring high
research integrity standards. Researchers’ assessment should therefore move to a more
balanced approach between the quantitative and qualitative evaluation of research, by
favouring qualitative assessment with peer-review, supported by responsible use of
quantitative indicators.

(36) Researchers’ assessment should promote an equal recognition and reward of careers of
researchers regardless the sector of employment or activity, and be based on an
unbiased talent-based approach. A multiple career path, characterised by geographical,
sectoral, and inter-organisational mobility, or hybrid paths characterised by the
simultaneous combination of sectors, deserve full recognition and consideration on a
par with a linear career path.

(37) In order to reinforce careers in academia, up to the top positions, a transparent,
structured, inclusive and gender-equal career accession and progression system is
needed. The adoption of tenure-track-like systems, to be intended as a fixed-term
contract with the perspective of a 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.

(38) Despite efforts at Union, national and regional level, the issue of talent drain from less
developed regions in the Union persists, as pointed out in the Commission
Communication on ‘Harnessing talent in Europe’s regions’ [56], and additional measures
are required to achieve a more balanced geographical mobility for researchers. The
Commission talent circulation analyses 2021-2022 indicate the positive contribution of
existing actions at Union level to encourage more balanced talent circulation, but they
also identify persistent challenges and provide pathways for brain gain. Excellent
research environments, attractive working conditions and a remuneration
commensurate with professional qualifications and the activities performed, play a
very important role in this context, but they often require reforms of the national
research and innovation systems. A policy approach that aims to support and
incentivise such system transformations should be pursued, involving mutual learning
exercises on the basis of successful pathways that enabled establishing a more
balanced circulation of talents in Member States.

(39) Supporting researchers’ mobility and career development, while ensuring a sustainable
talent pipeline for the research and innovation domain and enhancing scientific
collaboration between the Union and the world, is the main objective of EURAXESS,
a unique pan-European initiative delivering free of charge information and support
services to researchers and their families. To further support this objective,
EURAXESS should expand its information delivering and support activities for
researchers and higher education and research institutions, with optimised structure of
services and governance, improved digital and user experience and interoperability
with other Union initiatives such as Europass and EURES. The effectiveness and

55 Council document 10126/22.
56 COMMUNICATION FROM THE COMMISSION TO THE EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT, THE COUNCIL,

THE EUROPEAN ECONOMIC AND SOCIAL COMMITTEE AND THE COMMITTEE OF THE
REGIONS Harnessing talent in Europe’s regions, 17 January 2023, COM(2023) 32 final.

# EN 22 EN

coherence of EURAXESS information portals and services would benefit from
strengthened financial and human resources of national bridgehead organisations,
notably with regard to the implementation of initiatives at Union or national level,
leveraging the expertise base and the distribution of tasks amongst EURAXESS
entities at national level while monitoring performance and measuring results.

(40) To remain globally competitive, the EU needs to become more attractive for talent
from around the world. The Commission Communication on ‘Attracting skills and
talent to the EU’, adopted on 27 April 2022 [57], emphasizes the necessity for the EU to
enhance its appeal to global talent, notably by promoting innovation and
entrepreneurship in the EU and by exploring further potential avenues for legal
migration to the EU in the medium to longer term. The revision of Directive (EU)
2021/1883 of the European Parliament and of the Council [58] was an important step to
improve the EU’s attractiveness allowing highly qualified migrants to benefit from
improved rights as well as quicker and streamlined procedures. Directive (EU)
2016/801 of the European Parliament and of the Council [59] also contributes to these
objectives by making it easier and more attractive for student and researchers to come
to the EU while at the same time promoting the circulation of knowledge and skills
through enhanced EU-intra mobility rights.

(41) The Charter and Code for Researchers need to be revised to respond to the new reality
and the current challenges faced by researchers and institutions, including a better
integration of gender equality and inclusiveness as well as Open Science practices.
The new version should be streamlined to simplify its implementation, and the uptake
beyond the academic sector should be promoted. The revision should not prejudice the
institutions that have endorsed the principles of the existing Charter and Code for
Researchers. They should be considered as continuing to endorse the Charter and
Code for Researchers in the new version. This should apply notably to the institutions
that have entered the HRS4R process, of which the endorsement of the Charter and
Code for Researchers constitutes the first step.

(42) An observatory on research careers, combining the best of the current Union data in
one single place, is needed to monitor the implementation of measures to strengthen
research careers and system reforms. It should support data needs of Member States
and research performing organisations relevant for the adaptation and development of
policies for research careers. It should equally support researchers to have a better
understanding of challenges and opportunities, and promote the attractiveness of
Europe’s research performing organisations for the best talents. Relevant links with
the European Higher Education Sector Observatory proposed in the European Strategy
for Universities should be considered. Data collected in application of Regulation

57 COMMUNICATION FROM THE COMMISSION TO THE EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT, THE COUNCIL,

THE EUROPEAN ECONOMIC AND SOCIAL COMMITTEE AND THE COMMITTEE OF THE
REGIONS Attracting skills and talent to the EU, COM(2022) 657 final.
58 Directive (EU) 2021/1883 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 20 October 2021 on the conditions

of entry and residence of third-country nationals for the purpose of highly qualified employment, and repealing
Council Directive 2009/50/EC (OJ L 382, 28.10.2021, p. 1).
59 Directive (EU) 2016/801 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 11 May 2016 on the conditions of

entry and residence of third-country nationals for the purposes of research, studies, training, voluntary service,
pupil exchange schemes or educational projects and au pairing (OJ L 132, 21.5.2016, p. 21).

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(EU) 2019/1700 of the European Parliament and of the Council [60] could be adapted to
respond to the needs of the research careers observatory’s users.

(43) In order for the European framework to attract and retain research, innovation and
entrepreneurial talents in Europe to be successful, commitment by Member States and
all stakeholders involved is needed. In particular, alliances of higher education
institutions, such as the ones established under the European Universities Initiative and
supported by the Erasmus+ Programme and the Framework Programmes for Research
and Innovation, as well as the wider higher education sector and all relevant
stakeholders, could be encouraged on a voluntary basis and following a bottom-up
approach, to contribute to a broad implementation of the framework by piloting
relevant activities.

HAS ADOPTED THIS RECOMMENDATION:

**Definition of researchers in the European Research Area, and of the research**
**professions**

1. For the purposes of this Recommendation:

‘Researchers’ means professionals engaged in the conception or creation of new
knowledge. They conduct research and improve or develop concepts, theories,
models, techniques instrumentation, software or operational methods. Researchers
may be involved fully or partially in different types of activities (for example basic
or applied research, experimental development, operating research equipment,
project management) in any sector of the economy or society. Researchers identify
options for new research and development activities, and plan for and manage them
by using high-level skills and knowledge developed through formal education and
training or from practical experience in performing research.

2. The research professions can take place, with an equal value, in all sectors
performing research and innovation, including academia, business, governmental
laboratories and the public administration, and the non-profit sector, where the skills,
knowledge and attitudes of researchers can be beneficial to the European society, the
research and innovation system, and the economy.

3. The research professions include careers in research management, which can be
undertaken by researchers and other professionals to manage and support research
and innovation activities. They can involve any of the following non-exhaustive
tasks:

(a) streamlining or facilitating the planning, the development, management,
administration, communication and valorisation of research and innovation;

(b) ensuring compliance with policy objectives, funding programme requirements,
financial rules and legal regulations;

60 Regulation (EU) 2019/1700 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 10 October 2019 establishing a

common framework for European statistics relating to persons and households, based on data at individual
level collected from samples, amending Regulations (EC) No 808/2004, (EC) No 452/2008 and (EC) No
1338/2008 of the European Parliament and of the Council, and repealing Regulation (EC) No 1177/2003 of the
European Parliament and of the Council and Council Regulation (EC) No 577/98 (OJ L 261I, 14.10.2019, p.
1).

# EN 24 EN

(c) improving the efficiency and effectiveness of R&I projects/system;

(d) enhancing the impact of R&I on the society.

4. All researchers, regardless of their actual status and sector of employment, who
perform research activity, should be framed in the following profiles:

(a) R1 - First Stage Researcher: Researchers doing research under supervision up
to the point of a PhD or equivalent level of competence and experience.

(b) R2 - Recognised Researcher: Researchers with a PhD or equivalent level of
competence and experience who are not yet fully independent in their ability to
develop their own research, attract funding, or lead a research group.

(c) R3 - Established Researcher: Researchers with a PhD or equivalent level of
competence and experience who have achieved a level of independence in their
ability to develop their own research, attract funding, or lead a research group.

(d) R4 - Leading Researcher: Researchers with a PhD or equivalent level of
competence and experience who are recognised as leading their research field
by their peers.

5. For the purposes of this Recommendation, R1 and R2 profiles should be considered
early-career researchers, and R3 and R4 profiles should be considered senior
researchers.

Member States are recommended to encourage the use of references to the profiles in
all vacancies specifically addressed to researchers.

Apart from the First Stage Researcher, the profiles should not necessarily be
considered as stages on a progressive career path.

A non-exhaustive list of examples of is set out in Annex I.

**The recognition of the research professions, and interoperability and comparability of**
**research careers**

6. Member States are recommended to ensure a full recognition of the research
professions, to promote an equal esteem and reward of the different paths of research
careers regardless the sector of employment or activity, and to take measures to
allow for a full interoperability and comparability of research careers across Member
States, sectors and institutions.

7. Research management careers should be adequately framed and recognised at the
level of the Union to strengthen their capacity, develop relevant training, and foster
comparability.

8. Non-linear and multi-career paths, to be intended as paths characterised by
geographical, disciplinary, inter-sectoral, and inter-organisational mobility, or hybrid
paths combining simultaneously different sectors, should be encouraged and

# EN 25 EN

supported by Member States, and should be recognised on a par with a linear career
path with multiple professional outcomes. The reward system should be adapted
accordingly.

9. Member States are recommended to implement new versions and updates of the
European Skills, Competences, Qualifications and Occupations classification, with
specific regard to researchers’ occupations and skills.

10. Member States are recommended to encourage human resources offices in all sectors
to map career structures for researchers against the profiles referred to in point 4 of
this Recommendation..

**Recruitment and working conditions**

11. Member States are recommended to promote and support open, transparent and
merit-based selection and recruitment of candidates, without penalisation for career
breaks or inter-sectoral mobility.

12. Member States are recommended to ensure respect of collective agreements and
effective social dialogue, and to take all necessary steps so that employers and/or
funders of researchers guarantee attractive and competitive research and working
conditions, where researchers at all career stages and irrespective of permanent or
fixed-term nature of their contract are valued, encouraged and supported. This should
include:

(a) guaranteeing commensurate remuneration, work-life balance and work
flexibility conditions for combining personal life, family, children and careers,
and overall wellbeing, without prejudice to careers;

(b) ensuring gender equality, equal opportunities and inclusiveness for researchers
from all backgrounds including under-represented and marginalised groups,
and promoting among research performing and funding organisations the use
of institutional change instruments, such as inclusive gender equality plans
open to intersections between gender and other social categories, in line with
the new European Research Area framework and the European Strategy for
Universities;

(c) safeguarding the freedom of scientific research from any possible limitation or
interference, including from foreign actors;

(d) offering dedicated support at institutional level to researchers in relation to the
fulfilment of administrative duties;

(e) taking resolute actions to counter the phenomenon of precarity and to support
job security and stability. This should include a maximum total duration of
fixed-term appointments, and incentivising a maximum threshold of one third
of fixed-term contracts in the overall researchers’ human resources of a given
employer. A lower threshold is recommended to be targeted by employers who
stand already below the one third threshold at the time of adoption of this
Recommendation. Whenever permanent or long-term or highly recurrent

# EN 26 EN

research tasks are being fulfilled, permanent or open-ended contracts are the
appropriate instrument;

(f) promoting a wider use of baseline funding or life-cycle research funding
alongside project-based funding, to allow research organisations to develop
more long-term research strategies and engage in sustainable commitments
towards employees;

(g) guaranteeing access to adequate social protection irrespective of the form of
employment (e.g. permanent, open-ended, fixed-term or grant-based nature of
the contract), without prejudice to the right of Member States to define the
fundamental principles of their social security systems. Such measures should
pertain to the following branches, insofar as they are provided in the Member
States:

(1) unemployment benefits;

(2) sickness and healthcare benefits;

(3) maternity leave, paternity leave and parental leaves and related benefits;

(4) invalidity benefits;

(5) old-age benefits and survivors’ benefits;

(6) benefits in respect of accidents at work and occupational diseases.

13. Member States are recommended to ensure that researchers have access to updated,
comprehensive, user-friendly and clearly understandable information on their social

–
protection rights and obligations, and to ensure that entitlements whether they are

–
acquired through mandatory or voluntary schemes are preserved, accumulated and
transferable across all types of employment and self-employment statuses and across
geographical borders, economic sectors, throughout the person’s working life and
between different schemes within a given social protection branch.

14. Member States that aim to enhance saving in defined-contribution supplementary
schemes are recommended to promote the use of the solutions provided by the
RESAVER pension fund, which guarantees the absence of a vesting period and asset
transfer fees.

15. Member States are recommended to guarantee specific measures in support of earlycareer researchers, corresponding to the R1 and R2 profiles referred to in point 4 of
this Recommendation. Such specific measures could include:

(a) providing doctoral candidates with working conditions, income and
social protection rights applicable to researchers in other career stages;

(b) promoting the use of, and supporting, incentives for early-career
researchers, including financial and social protection incentives;

# EN 27 EN

(c) promoting the use of, and supporting, incentives for the recruitment of
early-career researchers by employers in all sectors, in particular with
permanent or open-ended contracts;

(d) promoting and valuing inter-institutional, inter-sectoral, interdisciplinary
and geographical mobility, including virtual mobility;

(e) promoting cooperation between higher education institutions, research
funders and other relevant ecosystem actors, notably industry and other
businesses, with regard to skills needs and skills provision, so as to foster
recruitment of highly- and tailor-skilled researchers in the sectors
concerned.

**Researchers skilled for inter-sectoral and interdisciplinary careers and for**
**entrepreneurship and innovation**

16. Member States are recommended to take appropriate steps to encourage that doctoral
training is adapted for interoperable careers in all relevant sectors and for the practice
of Open Science, including by making use of the European Competence Framework
for Researchers (ResearchComp), the Principles for Innovative Doctoral Training,
and of any other future initiatives taken by the Commission for the purpose of
strengthening transversal skills of researchers.

17. The Commission is recommended to take action to support and facilitate the use of
the European Competence Framework for Researchers (ResearchComp), promote the
exchange of good practices, and consider future revisions of the Competence
Framework where needed on the basis of the evolution of the research and
innovation system and of the labour market.

18. Member States are recommended to place a specific emphasis on schemes aiming to
strengthen the skills needed by researchers from early on in their careers to engage in
knowledge valorisation activities. Such schemes should include awareness raising
activities and trainings on relevant topics, including intellectual assets management,
standardisation, industry-academia collaboration and engagement with the society.

19. Member States and the Commission are recommended to encourage interaction and
cooperation, including partnerships, between academia, industry, other businesses,
public administration, the non-profit sector, and all other relevant ecosystem actors,
and to ensure that doctoral training and targeted training are developed or codeveloped on the basis of the actual skills needs of the parties concerned, including
by building on best practice examples implemented under existing programmes at
Union and Member States level.

Such interaction and cooperation should be particularly supported in areas where
specific skills are necessary for operating with state-of-the-art research and
technology infrastructures.

20. Member States and the Commission are recommended to take action to foster an
innovation and entrepreneurial mindset in researchers, including the necessary skills
for investment-seeking, with the objective of allowing those who undertake an

# EN 28 EN

entrepreneurial career path to couple their knowledge production capabilities with
knowledge valorisation proficiency, turning innovative ideas into business and
fostering innovation and progress.

A specific focus should be put on the promotion of women entrepreneurship and
innovation, and on the creation of women-led university spin-offs.

Member States should consider measures to mitigate the risks assumed by
researchers undertaking an entrepreneurial career, including through the possibility
to return to their previous career path.

21. Member States and the Commission are recommended to take action to support the
development and provision of targeted training, including training leading to microcredentials [61] and with the support of Individual Learning Accounts [62], where
available, to ensure up-skilling and re-skilling opportunities for researchers with a
lifelong perspective and to foster inter-sectoral and interdisciplinary mobility.
Member States and the Commission are also recommended to take all necessary
steps to ensure a fair and transparent validation procedure, based on harmonised
criteria, of formal and informal training opportunities, including on-the-job training.

22. The Commission is recommended to take the following actions in the context of the
development of initiatives fostering cross-sectoral circulation of talents:

(a) supporting mutual learning for Member States on the basis of models of
inter-sectoral mobility schemes established by the Commission, in three
priority areas:

(1) strengthening academia and non-academia cooperation;

(2) improving training and lifelong learning for researchers,
innovators, and other research and innovation talents;

(3) boosting researchers’ entrepreneurship.

(b) reinforcing inter-sectoral mobility components in existing instruments for
researchers’ mobility, and complementing them with new instruments,
where deemed necessary;

(c) creating awareness on inter-sectoral mobility schemes, via a branch of
the ERA Talent Platform referred to in point 32 of this Recommendation.

23. Member States are recommended to consider establishing national schemes
promoting inter-sectoral mobility in one or more of the three priority areas referred to
in point 22 of this Recommendation.

24. Member States are recommended to undertake all the necessary efforts to promote
elimination of existing structural and administrative barriers which can hamper or

61 Council Recommendation 2022/C 243/02 of 16 June 2022 on a European approach to micro-credentials for

lifelong learning and employability (OJ C 243, 27.6.2022, p. 10).
62 Council Recommendation 2022/C 243/03 of 16 June 2022 on individual learning accounts (OJ C 243,

27.6.2022, p. 26).

# EN 29 EN

make difficult mobility between sectors, including by supporting the interoperability
of careers between sectors, and facilitating temporary or permanent mobility.

**Career development and progression**

25. Member States are recommended to support the recognition of the value of
geographical, inter-sectoral, inter-institutional, inter- and trans-disciplinary and
virtual mobility as important means of enhancing scientific knowledge and
professional development at any stage of a researcher’s career.

26. Member States are recommended to promote measures that make researchers, in
particular early-career ones, aware of opportunities available in all relevant sectors
and to promote a culture of diversification of careers for better personal and
professional development. In this regard, Member States and the Commission should
support the provision of career advisory and support services to stimulate intersectoral, interdisciplinary and geographical mobility, as well as the creation and
development of entrepreneurial activities.

27. Member States are recommended to promote and support systems for the assessment
and reward of researchers that:

(a) are based on qualitative judgement provided by peers, supported by responsible
use of quantitative indicators;

(b) reward quality and the various potential impacts of their research on society,
science and innovation;

(c) recognise a diversity of outputs (inter alia publications, datasets, software,
methodologies, protocols, patents), activities (inter alia mentoring, research
supervision, leadership roles, entrepreneurship, data management, peer review,
teaching, knowledge valorisation, industry-academia cooperation, support for
evidence-informed policy-making, interaction with society) and practices (inter
alia early knowledge and data sharing, open collaboration), as well as all
mobility experiences referred to in point 25 of this Recommendation;

(d) ensure that the researcher’s professional activity meets high standards of ethics
and integrity, rewards appropriate conduct of research, and values good
practices, in particular open practices for sharing research results and
methodologies, whenever possible;

(e) use assessment criteria and processes that respect the variety of research
disciplines and national contexts;

(f) support a diversity of researcher profiles and career paths, and value individual
contributions, but also the role of teams, collaborative work, and crossdisciplinarity;

(g) ensure gender equality, equal opportunities and inclusiveness.

# EN 30 EN

To ensure coherence in the implementation of these recommendations, Member
States are recommended to foster continuous training for the actors involved in the
assessment and reward process.

28. Member States are invited to encourage organisations to join coalitions, alliances or
initiatives set up to evolve assessment systems in line with the recommendations
listed in point 27 of this Recommendation. Member States are also encouraged to
tackle national barriers to such evolution of research assessment and help preventing
any contradictions or incompatibilities that might exist in the application of the
recommendations listed in point 27 of this Recommendation, between the assessment
of research, of researchers and of research institutions.

29. Member States are recommended to take action to ensure a fair, equal, inclusive,
transparent, structured and gender-equal career accession and progression system for
researchers in academia, up to the top positions. In this respect, Member States are
recommended to consider the adoption of a tenure-track system, to be intended as a
fixed-term contract with the perspective of a progression to a permanent position,
subject to positive evaluation.

**Balanced circulation of talents and making the Union an attractive destination**

30. Member States are recommended to take resolute action to put in place favourable,
attractive and competitive conditions for conducting research and innovation
activities, and for the return of researchers engaged in experiences abroad to their
home country. Such measures could include, but not be limited to:

(a) incentives to make research activities more attractive, taking into consideration
the need for a fair competition for talents;

(b) simplification of legal and administrative requirements for researchers;

(c) investments in the research and innovation system, including the support to
networking within and beyond the Union, to connect and integrate the national
research and innovation systems to European research networks and provide
higher visibility of national capabilities and high-level infrastructures;

(d) the exchange of best practices with regard to creating an attractive and
competitive research and innovation environment, including as regards the
improvement of remuneration, working conditions and services, and the
reduction of administrative and language barriers for foreign and international
researchers;

(e) return grants and attractive positions for returning researchers;

(f) the possibility of having dual positions in institutions established in different
Member States, thereby fostering knowledge transfer, collaboration, and
preventing talent drain.

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The Commission is recommended to support Member States in their endeavours,
including by promoting synergies among Union programmes, and Union and
national programmes.

31. The Commission is recommended to take the following actions fostering a more
balanced circulation of talents:

(a) supporting mutual learning for Member States in view of the reform of their
research and innovation systems, including through calls for expression of
interest to create a community of practice with training and guidance for
Member States on the basis of successful pathways and solutions enabling
more balanced talent circulation;

(b) monitoring mobility flows, through an interactive talent circulation map in the
observatory on research careers referred to in point 39 of this
Recommendation;

(c) facilitating transnational ties with scientific diaspora communities and
facilitating attracting or returning talents, via a branch of the ERA Talent
Platform referred to in point 32 of this Recommendation;

(d) promoting a balanced talent circulation for early-career researchers through
new instruments at Union level that strengthen the human capital base in
widening countries, with more entrepreneurial, managerial and better-trained
researchers and innovators.

**Support actions for research careers**

32. The Commission and Member States are recommended to take appropriate measures
to strengthen the EURAXESS portals, services, as well as the international
dimension, and to develop the ERA Talent Platform as an online one-stop-shop for
researchers and institutions in all sectors, with a new governance framework
featuring binding commitments and a coordination role of relevant national bodies
and institutions involved in service delivery.

The ERA Talent Platform should allow:

(a) researchers to manage their learning and training opportunities and their

careers;

(b) research and innovation institutions, employers and funders to conduct
networking activities, better manage their pools of talents, collaborate and
exchange best practices, while facilitating talents’ attraction and retention and
improving data for a better understanding of mobility trends across Europe and
beyond.

Services should be broadened to include talent development and career management
services, with a focus on researchers in all relevant sectors of the society, including
academia.

# EN 32 EN

33. The Commission is recommended to ensure links and interoperability between the
ERA Talent Platform and other relevant Union and national initiatives, including
Europass, ESCO and EURES, to implement the EU login system for authentication,
and to provide for an improved governance model of the platform and the underlying
network of service centres to better meet the needs of researchers and research
performing organisations.

34. Member States and the Commission are recommended to acknowledge the
importance of the endorsement and implementation of the Charter and Code for
Researchers, and of the Charter for Researchers referred to in point 35 of this
Recommendation.

35. The new Charter for Researchers set out in Annex II to this Recommendation should
replace the Charter and Code for Researchers set out in Annex to Recommendation
2005/251/EC. Member States and the Commission are recommended to encourage
the endorsement and implementation of the new Charter for Researchers by research
employers and funders from all sectors, including through dedicated incentives, in
view of making it become a structural tool in support of researchers and research

careers.

36. The Commission is recommended to adjust the Human Resources Strategy for
Researchers, or any future similar implementation mechanism, to the new Charter for
Researchers, and to ensure continuity in respect to the institutions that have endorsed
the principles of the old Charter and Code for Researchers and have adhered to the
Human Resources Strategy for Researchers, notably by considering them as
continuing to endorse the Charter for Researchers set out in Annex II to this
Recommendation. The Commission is recommended to apply the same transitional
measures to the institutions which started the Human Resources Strategy for
Researchers process under the old Charter and Code for Researchers.

37. The Commission is recommended to regularly review and adapt all tools in support
of research careers, based on the actual needs of researchers, in coordination with
Member States and relevant stakeholders.

38. The Commission and Member States are recommended to encourage and support
alliances of higher education institutions, such as the European Universities
alliances, the whole European higher education sector and all relevant stakeholders,
to pilot relevant actions foreseen by this Recommendation on the basis of a voluntary
and bottom-up approach.

**Monitoring of research careers**

39. In addition to the overarching European Research Area monitoring systems, the
Commission and Member States are recommended to monitor research careers in the
Union and the implementation of this Recommendation through a dedicated
observatory on research careers, to the benefit of policy makers, organisations, public
administrations and researchers at European and national level. The observatory
should support data needs of Member States and research performing organisations
relevant for the adaptation and development of policies for research careers. It should
also support researchers to have a better understanding of challenges and

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opportunities, and promote the attractiveness of Union’s research performing
organisations for the best talents.

40. Member States are recommended to cooperate for the purpose of collecting data
relevant for the implementation of the observatory in an efficient and sustainable

way.

41. The Commission is recommended to consider relevant links with the European
Higher Education Sector Observatory proposed in the European Strategy for
Universities and thereby enhance synergies between the European Research Area
and the European Education Area.

42. Member States and the Commission are recommended to consider the adaptation to
the data needs of the observatory referred to in point 39 of this Recommendation, of
the data collected in the context of Regulation (EU) 2019/1700.

Done at Brussels,

_For the Council_

_The President_

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