Source: EURLEX
Language: en
Format: md

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

**Interinstitutional File:**

**2023/0285 (NLE)**

**LEGISLATIVE ACTS AND OTHER INSTRUMENTS**

**Brussels, 6 December 2023**
**(OR. en)**

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**ADD 1**

**RECH 489**
**EDUC 418**
**COMPET 1082**
**IND 590**
**MI 944**
**EMPL 526**

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

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**ANNEX I**

Examples of occupations for researchers across sectors along the R1-R4 profiles

With due regard to national competences and to facilitate the use of references to the profiles in all

vacancies specifically addressed to researchers, this annex provides examples for each sector with

the aim to make researchers’ careers comparable and interoperable across employment sectors and

countries.

Entities concerned should be mindful of the understanding of the Researcher’s definition and its

profiles as reflected in the Recommendation 1, 2, 5 and 6.

Table 1: Examples of Occupations in the European Framework for Research Careers

|R1 - First Stage Researcher|R2 - Recognised Researcher|
|---|---|
|doctoral candidate<br>junior academic<br>junior research analyst<br>junior research engineer<br>junior researcher/scientist<br>junior scientific officer<br>research apprentice/intern|junior academic<br>junior lecturer<br>junior research analyst<br>junior research engineer<br>junior researcher/scientist<br>junior scientific officer<br>postdoctoral researcher|

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|R3 - Established Researcher|R4 - Leading Researcher|
|---|---|
|accredited researcher<br>assistant professor<br>associate professor<br>associate researcher<br>principal investigator<br>principal researcher/scientist<br>reader<br>research fellow<br>research specialist<br>scientific councillor<br>senior academic<br>senior lecturer<br>senior research and development associate<br>senior research engineer<br>senior researcher/scientist<br>senior scientific officer|chief scientific officer<br>distinguished professor<br>full professor<br>principal investigator<br>principal researcher/scientist<br>reader<br>research fellow<br>research professor<br>research specialist<br>scientific councillor<br>senior academic<br>senior lecturer<br>senior research and development<br>associate senior research engineer<br>senior researcher/scientist<br>senior scientific officer|

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About the examples of researcher occupations per the R1-R4 profiles listed in Table 1, it is

important to signal that:

–
The examples are not intended to be exhaustive but serve as an indication of the types of

titles for researchers across the R1-R4 profiles and across all sectors

–
The examples consist only of titles in English although it is acknowledged that titles will

differ across sectors and countries and that titles will differ across different languages

–
Some researcher occupations may appear in multiple R1-R4 where the decision of profile

will be dependent on the level of independence, experience, and recognition

–
The final decision on whether an individual and occupation is to R1-R4 will be determined

case-by-case and will be dependent upon the individual and occupation

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**ANNEX II**

European Charter for Researchers

The European Charter for Researchers is a set of principles underpinning the development of

attractive research careers to support excellence in research and innovation across Europe. The

focus of the European Charter for Researchers (‘Charter for Researchers’) is the rights and

responsibilities of researchers, employers, funders and policy makers; it consists of 20 key

principles. These are classified under the following four pillars:

(a) Ethics, Integrity, Gender and Open Science;

(b) Researchers’ Assessment, Recruitment and Progression;

(c) Working Conditions and Practices;

(d) Research Careers and Talent Development.

The Charter for Researchers is directed at all researchers, research performing sectors and

respective umbrella organisations (stakeholders). This includes:

(a) Researchers in all sectors – academia, public and private organisations performing

research;

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(b) Employers of researchers in the public and private sector;

(c) Funders of research and researchers in the public and private sector;

(d) Policy makers concerned with policies relevant to the Charter.

It addresses researchers across all disciplines including Science, Technology, Engineering,

Mathematics (STEM) and Social Sciences and Humanities (SSH). It covers all types of research

from frontier, targeted, strategic, applied and close to market.

PILLAR 1 – ETHICS, INTEGRITY, GENDER AND OPEN SCIENCE

1. ETHICS AND RESEARCH INTEGRITY

2. FREEDOM OF SCIENTIFIC RESEARCH

3. OPEN SCIENCE

4. GENDER EQUALITY

5. EMBRACING DIVERSITY

6. THE RESEARCHER

7. FREE CIRCULATION OF RESEARCHERS

8. SUSTAINABILITY OF RESEARCH

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This pillar gathers the fundamental principles of the Charter for Researchers and its commitment

towards supporting excellence in research, understood in this context as fostering the best possible

research teams and projects, free from gender and other biases. The principles under this pillar are

expected to contribute to the foundations of the vision of a revitalised European Research Area, and

to inspire European researchers, research employers, funders and policy makers. Because of the

transversal nature of all these values, they are expected to be mainstreamed and taken into

consideration in the deployment of the rest of the principles.

(1) Ethics and Research Integrity **[1]**

Researchers should comply with strict ethics rules and approach their work with honesty; reliability;

objectivity; impartiality and independence; open communication; duty of care; fairness and

responsibility for future science generations. These are the foundations of responsible and

trustworthy research free from undue influence (including foreign interference and conflict of

interest). They are a prerequisite for achieving excellence, and they underpin the responsibility of

researchers to guard against biases and methodological shortcuts.

Researchers should adhere to the recognised ethical practices and fundamental ethical principles

appropriate to their discipline(s) as well as to ethical standards as documented in the different

national, sectoral or institutional Codes of Ethics.

**1** Research Integrity – Council conclusions (adopted on 01/12/2015) – Council doc. 14853/15.

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The primary responsibility for research integrity is with researchers themselves. Researchers should

be supported by an institutional culture of research integrity to create and respect rules, procedures

and guidelines as well as training and mentoring based on the exchange of best practices.

In order to foster good research practices and a culture of research integrity, a number of

dimensions need to be considered by all stakeholders involved, such as research integrity in

research environments; training and capacity building on research integrity; research processes and

policies embedding research integrity; data, publication, dissemination, review, evaluation and

editing policies. Equally, mechanisms to identify, report and deal with research misconducts should

be put in place.

Researchers should avoid plagiarism of any kind. Particular attention should be paid to the

principles of joint ownership when research is carried out in collaboration with supervisors and/or

other researchers – as appropriate to the discipline – as well as to intellectual property rules. This

should apply at all stages of the research process including conception, prepaation of funding

applications and the development and delivery of results. The need to validate observations by

showing that findings are reproducible should not be interpreted as plagiarism, provided that the

data to be confirmed are explicitly referenced.

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The values of ethics and integrity are also of great importance when researchers are in a supervisory

role. These shoud be applied promptly to ensure a safe, inclusive and gender equal research

environment for all involved and especially when discrimination, sexual or moral harassment,

hindrance to learning or research work, or unjustified personal appropriation of data or results

occur.

(2) Freedom of Scientific Research

The freedom of scientific research is a common core value and principle for research cooperation

within the European Research Area and with international partners. Researchers should focus their

research on the good of humanity and expanding the frontiers of human knowledge, while enjoying

freedom of thought, opinion and expression, the freedom to define research questions, the freedom

to identify methods by which problems are solved, the freedom to choose and develop theories, the

freedom to question accepted wisdom and bring forward new ideas and the freedom to associate in

professional or representative academic bodies. Researchers should have the right to disseminate

and publish the results of their research including through training and teaching. Researchers

should, however, recognise the limitations to this freedom that could arise because of particular

research circumstances – including supervision/guidance/management – or legal or operational

constraints, e.g. intellectual property rights, budgetary or infrastructural reasons.

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(3) Open Science

Researchers should target engagement in all aspects of Open Science **[1]** and be facilitated by their

employers and funders in this regard. They should share their results openly, e.g. through open and

FAIR-Findable, Accessible, Interoperable and Reusable data, open access publications, and open

software, models and algorithms. They should take measures to ensure reproducibility of research

results. They should aim at practicing Open Science methodologies and at engaging in open peer

review. Employers and funders should support, provide the necessary tools and infrastructure, and

reward a true Open Science culture across the Union, including mainstreaming open access to

scholarly publications, research data and other research outputs – i.e. following the ‘as open as

’ –
possible, as closed as necessary principle and the diffusion and uptake of Open Science

principles and practices, while considering differences among disciplines and cultural differences,

including multilingualism, supporting the development of Open Science skills, and further

developing and integrating the underpinning digital infrastructure and service.

Citizen Science

Researchers should incorporate citizen science into their projects as much as possible and where

relevant. This means involving citizens in the concept, design and implementation of research

projects in STEM and SSH. This is an ideal means to democratise science, build trust in science,

and leverage the vast societal intelligence and capabilities to conduct excellent research and

innovation.

**1** –
The transition towards an Open Science system Council conclusions (adopted on
27/05/2016) – Council doc. 9526/16.

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(4) Gender Equality

All stakeholders should foster gender equality and gender balance in research teams, managerial

and decision-making bodies, recruitment and promotion committees, and advisory groups. This

includes fostering the integration of the gender dimension in research, teaching and innovation

content in order to improve the scientific quality, excellence, and societal relevance of the produced

knowledge. Gender equality also aims at combating gender-based violence and sexual harassment.

Gender equality should be understood from an intersectional perspective, where different systems

of power among gender and other social categories and identities intersect and reinforce each other.

Sustainable institutional changes, channelled through Gender Equality plans **[1]** or similar, that allow

for proper reporting of infringements and include monitoring and evaluation systems, are adequate

mechanisms to promote gender equality.

A key component of the transformation of an organisation’s culture for advancing gender equality is

work-life balance. Work-life balance is relevant for both women and men and involves ensuring

that all staff are properly supported to advance their career alongside personal responsibilities that

they may hold outside of the workplace, including caring responsibilities.

**1** See Communication from the Commission to the European Parliament, the Council, the
European Economic and Social Committee and the Committee of the Regions – A Union of
Equality: Gender Equality Strategy 2020-2025, COM(2020) 152 final.

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(5) Embracing Diversity

A core principle of the European Research Area is to take account of diversity in the broad sense,

including, _inter alia_, gender, racial or ethnic origin, religion or belief, social diversity, disability,

age, sexual orientation and combating discrimination on all grounds. Employers and funders should

embrace diversity in their researchers, since different life experiences add valuable perspectives to

research projects. Also, diversity in participants can inform research results applying to and

enriching the diverse societies we live in. Acknowledging unconscious biases, for instance in hiring,

promoting and reviewing tasks, and compensating for them where possible is also needed,

particularly in the realm of science.

(6) The Researcher

All researchers are engaged in the conception or creation of new scientific knowledge based on

original concepts or hypotheses. Researchers are profesionals whose work should be valued,

independently of the sector in which they operate. This should commence at the beginning of their

careers, namely at postgraduate level, and should include all levels, regardless of their classification

at national level.

Employers and funders should encourage and support non-linear and multi-career paths, to be

understood as paths characterised by geographical, disciplinary, inter-sectoral, and

–
inter-organisational mobility e.g. secondments. They should also encourage hybrid paths

combining simultaneously different sectors, which should be considered on a par with linear career

paths.

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Professional Attitude

Researchers should be familiar with the strategic goals governing their research environment and

funding mechanisms and should seek all necessary approvals before starting their research or

accessing the resources provided. Researchers should make every effort to ensure that their research

is relevant to society by allowing a better understanding of the world, and does not needlessly

duplicate research previously carried out elsewhere. This involves efficient research results’

valorisation.

There should be clear communication among researchers and employers, funders, or supervisors

when a research project is delayed, redefined or completed; notice should be given if a research

project is to be terminated early or suspended for any reason.

Accountability

Being accountable means taking responsibility for one’s actions when carrying out research.

Researchers need to be aware that they are accountable towards their employers, funders or other

related public or private bodies as well as, on more ethical grounds, towards society. Researchers

funded by public funds are also accountable for the efficient use of taxpayers’ money.

Consequently, they should adhere to the principles of sound, transparent and efficient financial

management and cooperate during any authorised audits of their research, whether undertaken by

their employers/funders or by ethics committees. This expectation requires them to serve as

examples of ethical behaviour for their peers and for the broader society.

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Methods of collection and analysis, the outputs and, where applicable, details of the data should be

open to internal and external scrutiny, whenever necessary and as requested by the appropriate

authorities. This is also important to make the data open and help ensure the reproducibility of

results.

(7) Free circulation of researchers

Employers and funders should promote free circulation of researchers, scientific knowledge and

technology, while attracting talent and avoiding potential talent drain. They should recognise the

value of geographical, inter-institutional, inter-sectoral, inter-disciplinary and trans-disciplinary

mobility as important means of enhancing knowledge and professional development at any stage of

a researcher’s career and fully value and acknowledge any mobility experience within their career

progression/appraisal system. Virtual mobility has been proved as a valid asset and can also be

considered. This also requires that the necessary administrative instruments be put in place to allow

the portability of both grants and social security provisions, in accordance with national legislation.

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(8) Sustainability of Research

Researchers, employers and funders should promote the sustainable implementation of research

activities in line with current and future policy initiatives adopted to progress society such as the

European Green Deal, the United Nation’s 2030 Agenda and the Sustainable Development Goals.

Researchers should be supported by an institutional culture of sustainable research management, as

well as training and mentoring based on the exchange of best practices. They should take the lead in

reducing their carbon emissions in a way that sets a positive example to others within the research

community.

The European Commission’s ‘MSCA Green Charter’, developed in the framework of the Marie

Skłodowska-Curie Actions (MSCA), can be used as reference point.

PILLAR 2 – RESEARCHERS ASSESSMENT, RECRUITMENT AND PROGRESSION

1. RESEARCHERS’ ASSESSMENT

2. RECRUITMENT

3. SELECTION

4. CAREER PROGRESSION

Researchers’ assessment should ensure an equal recognition and reward of researchers’ careers

regardless of the sector of employment or activity and follow an unbiased talent-based approach.

Fair recruitment and selection of researchers’ policies are fundamental for achieving an open labour

market for researchers, contributing to the advancement of the European Research Area.

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(1) Researchers’ Assessment

Researchers’ assessment should enable evaluating the performance of researchers and research to

achieve the highest quality and impact. This requires recognition of increasingly diverse activities,

practices and research outputs. Consequently, assessment should be based primarily on qualitative

judgement, for which peer review and review by other pertinent experts is central, supported by the

responsible use of quantitative indicators. Contributions to innovation should also be recognised,

particularly for candidates from an industrial background.

Employers and funders should support a system for the assessment and reward of researchers that

considers the overall quality of their impact on society, science and innovation, the diversity of

activities performed, Open Science practices, and the value of geographical, inter-disciplinary and

inter-sectoral mobility. Such a system should:

(a) be based on qualitative unbiased judgement provided by peers and pertinent experts,

supported by the responsible use of quantitative indicators;

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

innovation;

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(c) recognise a diversity of outputs, _inter alia_ publications, datasets, software, methodologies,

protocols, patents, models, theories, algorithms, workflows, exhibitions, strategies, policy

contributions; a diversity of activities, _inter alia_ mentoring, research supervision,

–
leadership roles, entrepreneurship, FAIR data management following the principles

–
Findable, Accessible, Interoperable and Reusable, peer review, teaching, knowledge

valorisation, industry-academia cooperation, support for evidence-informed

policy-making, interaction with society, management and leadership, supervision,

teamwork, services to society, science communication and methodological rigor; and a

diversity of practices, _inter alia_ Open Science, early knowledge and data sharing, and open

collaboration, in addition to all mobility experiences including geographical, inter-sectoral,

inter-institutional, inter- and trans-disciplinary;

(d) ensure that researchers’ activity meets high standards of ethics and integrity, applies

appropriate conduct of research, and values good practices, including 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 inter-disciplinarity;

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

To ensure coherence in the implementation of these principles, employers and funders should foster

continuous training for the actors involved in the assessment and reward process.

(2) Recruitment

In accordance with the principles of academic freedom and institutional autonomy, employers and

funders are recommended to establish recruitment and selection procedures which are open,

transparent and merit-based, without penalisation for career breaks or non-linear, multi-career and

hybrid paths. They should seek excellence, gender equality, diversity, and be tailored to the type of

position advertised. Advertisements should include a comprehensive description of the knowledge

and competencies required, including a description of the working conditions and entitlements,

career development prospects and an overview of the timeline. Candidates should be informed,

prior to the selection, about the recruitment process and the selection criteria, the number of

available positions and career development prospects. Committee members should also be made

aware of and trained about fair recruitment principles.

Variations in the chronological order of CVs

Career breaks or variations in the chronological order of CVs should not be penalised, but regarded

as an evolution of a career, and consequently, as a potentially valuable contribution to the

professional development of researchers towards a multi-dimensional career track. Candidates

should therefore be allowed to submit evidence-based CVs, reflecting a representative array of

achievements and qualifications appropriate to the post for which they are applying.

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Seniority

The level of qualifications required should be in line with the needs of the position and not set as a

barrier to entry. Evaluation of qualifications should focus on judging the achievements of the person

rather than their circumstances or the reputation of the institution where the qualifications were

acquired. As professional qualifications may be acquired at an early stage of a long career, the

pattern of lifelong professional development should also be encouraged and recognised.

(3) Selection

As part of recruitment, the selection process should take into consideration the whole range of

experience of the candidates. While focusing on their overall potential as researchers, their

– –
creativity as assessed on the basis of their innovative research methods, approaches and outputs

and level of independence should also be considered. Selection committees should bring together

diverse expertise, competences and experience relevant to assess the candidate. Selection

committees should also have adequate gender balance and, where appropriate and feasible, include

members from different sectors – public and private – and disciplines, and from other countries.

Whenever possible, a wide range of selection practices should be used, such as external expert

assessment and face-to-face and online interviews. Members of selection panels should be

adequately trained especially for minimising gender bias or any other possible unconscious biases.

All candidates should be informed after the selection process about the strengths and weaknesses of

their application.

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Non-discrimination

Employers and funders of researchers should not discriminate against researchers in any way based

on gender, age, ethnic, national or social origin, religion or belief, sexual orientation, language,

disability, political opinion, social or economic condition.

(4) Career progression

Employers and funders should introduce for all researchers, including senior researchers,

evaluation/appraisal systems for assessing the performance of their duties on a regular basis and in a

–
transparent manner by an independent and, in the case of senior researchers, preferably

international – committee. Non-linear and multi-career paths, 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 linear career paths

–
to be understood as careers following a straight line of progression from one position to another,

usually within the same field or discipline.

Such evaluation and appraisal procedures should take due account of researchers’ overall potential,

–
their research creativity, their research output e.g. publications, data, software, models,

– –
algorithms, methods, protocols, patents, policy contributions, their activities e.g. management

and leadership, teaching/lecturing, peer review, supervision, mentoring, entrepreneurship,

knowledge valorisation, national or international collaboration, administrative duties, service to

– –
society, science communication and interaction with society, their research behaviour e.g. ethics

and integrity practice, methodological rigour, early knowledge and data sharing, open collaboration

–
and their mobility, and should be taken into consideration in the context of career progression.

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A transparent, structured, inclusive and gender-equal career accession and progression system is

needed to reinforce careers in academia, up to the top positions. The development of

tenure-track-like systems – to be understood as defined frameworks where a fixed-term contract has

the prospect of a progression to a permanent position subject to positive evaluation – could be

considered for this purpose at the level of the Member States and research performing

organisations.

Co-authorship

Co-authorship should be viewed positively by institutions when evaluating staff, as evidence of a

constructive approach to the conduct of research. Employers and funders should therefore develop

strategies, practices and procedures to provide researchers, including those at the beginning of their

research careers, with the necessary framework conditions so that they can enjoy the right to be

recognised, listed and/or quoted, in the context of their actual contributions, as co-authors of papers,

co-inventors of patents, etc., or to publish their own research results independently from their

supervisors. They should also offer training and workshops to researchers, especially early-career

researchers, on ethical authorship practices, including the understanding of individual contributions

and their rights and responsibilities.

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Recognition of mobility experience

Any relevant mobility experience, e.g. a stay in another country/region or in another research

– –
setting public or private or a change from one discipline or sector to another, whether as part of

the initial research training or at a later stage of the research career, or virtual mobility experience

should be considered as a valuable contribution to the professional development of a researcher.

PILLAR 3 - WORKING CONDITIONS AND PRACTICES

1. WORKING CONDITIONS, FUNDING AND SALARIES

2. STABILITY OF EMPLOYMENT

3. CONTRACTUAL AND LEGAL OBLIGATIONS

4. DISSEMINATION AND EXPLOITATION OF RESULTS

Improving researchers’ working conditions should be at the core of the Union policy framework for

research careers. Within this area several actions are proposed to contribute to the stability of

employment and to the definition of researchers’ labour rights and obligations, subject to national

legislation and circumstances. The need for employers and funders to develop a research culture for

research excellence and facilitate a thriving researcher community is also emphasised.

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(1) Working conditions, funding and salaries

Employers and funders should ensure that the working conditions for researchers, including those

with disabilities, provide, where appropriate, the flexibility and accessibility deemed essential for

successful research performance, in accordance with existing national legislation and

circumstances, and with national or sectoral collective-bargaining agreements. They should aim to

provide working conditions for combining personal life, family, caring, health, safety, and overall

wellbeing, without prejudice to research careers. Particular attention should be paid, _inter alia_, to

flexible working hours, part-time working, remote working and sabbatical leave, as well as to the

necessary financial and administrative provisions governing such arrangements. Employers should

provide working conditions and environment that promote the mental health and physical wellbeing

of researchers, including appropriate procedures for preventing and tackling gender-based violence,

including sexual harassment.

Research environment

Employers and funders of researchers should ensure that the most stimulating research or research

training environment is created which offers appropriate equipment, facilities and opportunities,

including for remote collaboration over research networks, and the highest level of health and safety

in line with Union, national and sectoral regulations. Funders should ensure that adequate resources

are provided in support of the agreed work programme. In particular, it is important to have

–
qualified support staff e.g. research managers and administrators.

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Complaints/appeals

Employers and funders of researchers should establish, in compliance with relevant national, Union

or international law, rules and regulations, appropriate procedures, possibly in the form of an

impartial ombudsperson, to deal with complaints/appeals of researchers, including those concerning

conflicts among supervisors and First Stage (R1)/Recognised (R2) researchers. Such procedures

should provide all research staff with confidential and informal assistance in resolving work-related

conflicts, disputes, and grievances, with the aim of promoting fair and equitable treatment within

the institution and improving the overall quality of working conditions and environment.

Participation in organisation governance

Employers and funders of researchers should recognise as wholly legitimate, and indeed desirable,

that researchers be represented in the relevant information, consultation and decision-making bodies

of the institutions for which they work, to protect and promote their individual and collective

interests and to actively contribute to the workings of the institution.

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Funding and salaries

Employers and funders of researchers should ensure that researchers, irrespective of their status,

– –
enjoy fair and attractive remuneration conditions funding and salaries with adequate and

–
equitable social security provisions including sickness, healthcare and parental benefits, pension

rights and unemployment benefits, old-age and survivor’s benefits, invalidity benefits and benefits

–
in respect of accidents at work and occupational disease in accordance with existing national

legislation and with national or sectoral collective bargaining agreements.This should include

researchers at all career stages, including First Stage Researchers (R1), commensurate with their

legal status, performance and level of qualifications and responsibilities. Researchers should be

made aware of their rights and obligations when it comes to understanding how their salaries are

being taxed, and should be provided with transparent information on social protection rights such

as national pension rights.

(2) Stability of employment

Employers and funders should take resolute actions to counter the phenomenon of precarity and to

support job security and stability. This could, on a voluntary basis, include the establishment of a

maximum threshold for the number of fixed-term contracts per organisation in the overall

researchers’ human resources. Whenever permanent, long-term or highly recurrent research tasks

are being fulfilled, permanent or open-ended contracts are recommended as the appropriate

instrument. Researchers under fixed-term contracts should benefit from specific career development

and advisory services to ensure career continuity.

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Early-career researchers (R1-R2)

Precarity of employment is a particular issue in academia. To counter this situation is recomended

– –
the implementation subject to national legislation and circumstances of specific measures in

support of early-career researchers with regard to providing First Stage researchers (R1) with social

protection and working conditions applicable to researchers in other career stages and with adequate

income, promoting involvement of early-career researchers into research teams avoiding the

demand of tasks unrelated to their scientific training and recognising inter-institutional, inter

sectoral, inter-disciplinary and geographical mobility, including virtual mobility. Additionally,

appointing institutions should establish clear rules and explicit guidelines for the recruitment and

appointment of recognised researchers (R2), including the maximum duration and the objectives of

these appointments. Such guidelines should consider time spent in prior postdoctoral appointments

at other institutions and take into consideration that the postdoctoral status should be transitional,

with the primary purpose of providing additional professional development opportunities for a

research career in the context of long-term career prospects with fixed-term contract or tenure.

Employers and funders should make their best effort as regards informing early-career researchers

about career opportunities, within and beyond academia, offering broad professional development,

especially during the R2 stage, more transparent and predictable career prospects, and work-based

learning opportunities in a diversity of sectors.

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(3) Contractual and legal obligations

Researchers at all levels should be familiar with the national, sectoral or institutional regulations

governing training and working conditions. This includes intellectual property rights regulations,

and the requirements and conditions of any sponsor or funders, independently of the nature of their

contract. Employers and funders should provide copies of these documents in English. Researchers

–
should adhere to such regulations by delivering the required results e.g. thesis, publications,

patents, reports, new products, etc. – as set out in the terms and conditions of the contract or

equivalent document.

Given the increasing focus on knowledge security, researchers should always adopt safe working

practices, in line with relevant national and Union legislation, including taking the necessary

precautions for health and safety and for recovery from cybersecurity attacks, and information

technology disasters, e.g. by preparing proper back-up strategies. They should also be familiar with

the current national and Union legal requirements regarding data protection and confidentiality

protection requirements and undertake the necessary steps to always fulfil them.

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(4) Dissemination and exploitation of results

Open Science should be practiced by all researchers to ensure, in compliance with their contractual

arrangements, that the results of their research are disseminated, made openly available and

exploited, e.g. communicated, transferred into other research settings and, if appropriate,

commercialised. Senior researchers are expected to take a lead in ensuring that research is fruitful

and that results are either exploited commercially and/or made accessible to the public whenever the

opportunity arises.

Researchers should be facilitated in this regard by their employers and funders through the relevant

skills training and access to the appropriate funding, infrastructure and support. The engagement of

researchers in Open Science practices should be recognised, incentivised and rewarded by

employers and funders in recruitment, career progression and funding programme assessment.

Intellectual Assets including Intellectual Property Rights

Employers and funders should ensure that researchers at all career stages are adequately

compensated for the benefits resulting from the exploitation – if any – of their research and

innovation activities results, where appropriate by guaranteeing co-ownership of the intellectual

property rights such as copyright. Employers and funders should address this explicitly in their

intellectual assets management strategy and should make the strategy publicly available. The

intellectual assets management strategy should cover the creation, management, ownership and

–
utilisation of all types of intellectual assets including peer-reviewed publications, data, know-how,

standards –, and support Open Science practices.

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The strategy should explicitly refer to ownership provisions and access rights to researchers and/or,

where applicable, to their employers or other parties, including industry partners, as possibly

provided for under specific collaboration agreements or other types of agreement.

Public Engagement

Researchers should ensure that their research activities are made known to society at large in such a

way that they can be understood by non-specialists, thereby improving the public’s understanding

of science. Direct engagement with civil society and citizens will help researchers to better

understand public interest in priorities for research and the public’s concerns, and to harness the

potential of co-design and co-creation with society where relevant.

PILLAR 4 -RESEARCH CAREERS AND TALENT DEVELOPMENT

1. VALUING DIVERSE RESEARCH CAREERS

2. CAREER DEVELOPMENT AND ADVICE

3. CONTINUOUS PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT

4. SUPERVISION AND MENTORING

The research community is diverse in talents, skills, competences and capacities and roles. The

more these talents are fostered and developed, the better the research quality and societal relevance

of the produced knowledge. Encouraging continuous professional development along with skills

training is needed to maintain competence and provide researchers with a broad range of career

opportunities in the public and private sectors.

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(1) Valuing Diverse Research Careers

Employers and funders should recognise that researchers may have highly diverse careers both in

research and in other functions. Diversification typically includes mobility in all its forms:

inter/intra-national, inter-sectoral, inter-institutional, inter- and trans-disciplinary and virtual

mobility. This requires more talent-based and diversity-sensitive quality assessment, fostering

responsible use of metrics, considering diverse contributions and their potential impacts, diverse

activities and practices like teaching and skills, peer review, management and leadership,

supervision, mentoring, knowledge valorisation, and technology transfer activities, entrepreneurship

and collaboration with industry, developing evidence-informed policymaking activities, science

communication and interaction with society, and Open Science practices, team science, among

others as well as mobility.

Employers and funders should put measures in place to 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. This will require career

advisory, mentoring and support services to stimulate inter-sectoral, inter-disciplinary and

geographical mobility, as well as the creation and development of entrepreneurial activities.

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(2) Career Development and Advice

Employers and funders of researchers should draw up, preferably within the framework of their

human resources management, a specific career development strategy for researchers at all stages of

their career, regardless of their contractual situation, including for researchers on fixed-term

contracts. In this context, researchers should be supported to develop an individual career plan to

identify the necessary training and research required to attain their career goals. It should include

the availability of mentors involved in providing support and guidance for the personal and

professional development of researchers, thus motivating them and contributing to reducing any

insecurity in their professional future. All researchers should be made familiar with such provisions

and arrangements and be proactive and responsible for their career development.

Employers and funders should ensure, either in the institutions concerned or through collaboration

with other structures, accessible and up-to-date career guidance and job placement

assistanceproviding information, guidance and support for career development both within and

beyond the institution concerned. This should be offered to researchers at all stages of their careers,

regardless of their contractual situation.

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(3) Continuous Professional Development

Researchers at all career stages should seek proactively and be given opportunities by their

employer/funder to continually improve themselves by regularly updating and expanding their skills

and competencies. This may be achieved by a variety of means including, but not restricted to,

formal training, workshops, conferences and e-learning or collaboration within a team and the

respective networks. Particular attention should be paid to the training of First Stage Researchers

(R1), the majority of whom are PhD candidates at the beginning of their research career.

Access to research training and continuous development

Employers and funders should ensure that all researchers at any stage of their career, regardless of

their contractual situation, are given the opportunity for professional development and for

improving their employability through access to measures for the continuing development of skills

and competencies. Employers and funders should take action to support the development and

provision of targeted training, to encourage up-skilling and re-skilling opportunities for researchers

with a lifelong learning perspective and to foster inter-sectoral and inter-disciplinary mobility. Such

measures should be regularly assessed for their accessibility, take-up and effectiveness in improving

competencies, skills and employability.

Employers and funders should attribute adequate relevance to the need to foster entrepreneurial

competences in researchers, with the objective of allowing those who undertake an entrepreneurial

career path to couple their knowledge production capabilities with knowledge valorisation

proficiency, turning innovative ideas into business and fostering innovation and progress.

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Employers and funders should take steps to ensure that doctoral training is compatible with

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, the European Code of Conduct for Research Integrity,

and of any other future initiatives taken for the purpose of strengthening transversal skills of

researchers.

Validation of skills

As part of broadening researchers’ skills sets, employers and funders should provide for the

appropriate assessment and evaluation of formal and informal training, including on-the-job skills

and training, particularly within the context of international, intersectoral and inter-disciplinary

mobility. The assessment should be done in a fair and transparent manner within a reasonable

timeframe.

Teaching

Teaching is an essential means for the structuring and dissemination of knowledge and is a valuable

option within a researcher’s career path. Teaching should benefit from and make use of scientific

knowledge and promote research interest among students. Involvement of researchers in teaching

should be fully supported and recognised, and might vary at different moments within a career.

Special attention should be paid to researchers at the beginning of their careers, ensuring that they

–
are rightly supported and that teaching responsibilities including lecturing, tutoring, supervising

–
and mentoring are compatible with their research activities or research training.

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Employers and funders should ensure that teaching duties are adequately remunerated and

considered in the evaluation/appraisal systems from an early stage of researchers’ careers. It should

also be ensured that time devoted by senior members of staff to the training and mentoring of

– –
early-career researchers R1, R2 is counted as part of their teaching commitment. Suitable

training should be provided for teaching and coaching activities as part of the initial training and

professional development of researchers.

(4) Supervision and Mentoring

Proper people and team management are crucial in research working environments as science is by

definition a joint endeavour. The necessary training, tools and evaluation mechanisms should be put

in place so as to ensure that senior and leading researchers manage their staff and teams in a fair and

non-discriminatory manner, free of gender bias and other types of biases – such as biases based on

–
religion, sexual orientation, race, ethnicity, socioeconomic background, etc., and establish fruitful

and cooperative working relationships with their peers. This should contribute to healthy, fair,

creative environments where every individual is respected, duly motivated, recognised and their

well-being fostered.

Employers and funders should ensure that a person or a group of persons is clearly identified to

whom First Stage (R1) and Recognised (R2) researchers can refer for the performance of their

duties and should inform researchers accordingly.

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Such arrangements should clearly stipulate that the proposed supervisor have an adequate level of

expertise in supervising research and have the time and commitment to offer the research trainee

appropriate support; moreover, they should provide for the necessary progress and review

procedures, as well as for the necessary feedback mechanisms.

Specific provisions for the integration, research support and career development of researchers, for

their mentoring and wellbeing, for communication and conflict resolution as well as for the training

and professional development of supervisors are provided in the MSCA Guidelines on Supervision.

The MSCA Guidelines on Supervision are a set of recommendations for individuals and institutions

who receive MSCA funding. The Guidelines promote effective supervision, mentoring and

appropriate career guidance.

Relations with supervisors

Researchers in their training phase should have a structured and regular relationship with their

supervisor(s) and faculty/departmental representative(s) and take full advantage of their relationship

with them. Supervisors should also actively support especially early-stage researchers by organising

feedback meetings with them and promoting training activities relevant to their work.

This includes keeping records of all work progress and research findings, obtaining feedback by

means of reports and seminars, applying such feedback and working in accordance with agreed

schedules, milestones, deliverables and/or research outputs.

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Senior researchers

Senior researchers – R3 and R4 – should devote particular attention to their multi-faceted role as

supervisors, mentors, career advisors, leaders, project coordinators, managers or science

communicators. They should perform these tasks to the highest professional standards and have

access to the appropriate training. Regarding their role as supervisors or mentors of researchers,

senior researchers should build up a constructive and positive relationship with First Stage (R1) and

Recognised (R2) researchers, in order to set the conditions for efficient transfer of knowledge and

for the further successful development of their careers. Supporting the career development of R1

and R2 researchers in communicating experience and values in a trusted and confidential

environment is a high-responsibility role.

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