In December 2023, SECURE participated in the conference “Researcher Careers: Policy, Progression and precarity: EU, National and local perspectives”, organised by the University College Cork Research Staff Association (UCCRSA) at the University College Cork (UCC), Ireland. During the conference Dr Gordon Dalton, coordinator of the Project, presented the recent summary of Project activities, covering the precariousness of research careers and what could be ideal career paths if there was sufficient member state funding.
At the same event, Slaven Misljencević, Policy Officer from the EU Commission, presented the Policy updates including the Council Recommendation on Research Careers and the RESAVER European pension scheme for researchers, which has secondary aims of enhancing mobility, and reducing precarity.
New year 2024 started with another conference, this time it was the “Addressing Researcher Career Precarity in Portugal: perspectives from EU countries”, organised by the International Consortium of Research Staff Associations (ICORSA) at the Instituto Técnico in Lisbon.
The OECD reports on academic research career precarity were presented, the European Framework for Research Careers was discussed, and a round table on national reforms addressing precarity in Portugal took place. The international dimension was enriched by perspectives from Germany, Spain and Italy. This collaborative effort underlined the commitment to advance the dialogue on research careers and to foster a more secure and innovative future in the field.