The European project SECURE (Sustainable Careers for Researcher Empowerment) continues its commitment to enhancing the attractiveness and mitigating precarity in academic research careers. The University of Rijeka (Croatia) hosted the annual meeting of the SECURE project on February 8th and 9th, where the project partners deliberated on the SECURE Research Career Framework & Tenure Track-like Models.
This meeting not only showcased the achievements of the past year but also set the stage for actionable recommendations to be implemented in four research performing organizations, one research funding organization and one recruitment agency.
Emma Day from Vitae UK (SECURE partner organisation), with over 15 years of experience in supporting researcher development through various project management and training roles, both in the UK and internationally, shared her insights:
„This meeting was an excellent opportunity to check in on the progress of the project so far and to begin both ambitious and realistic discussions about the next phase. The agreement in December on the Recommendation on a European Framework to attract and retain research, innovation and entrepreneurial talents in Europe has given us a clear platform to move forward and whilst the project is slightly delayed it is essential that this is fully considered and aligned.“
Recognized as one of the pilot institutions, The University of Rijeka is set to pioneer the adoption of these models, marking a significant step forward in improving research career paths and academic frameworks.
„The process of working through the recommendation for each pilot institution is now well underway giving us a translation of the recommendation and also putting the project in a great position for the testing phase as discussions are well underway. In Work Package 3 Tenure Track-Like Models SECURE now has a clear set of principles aligned to the recommendation and series of case studies, some of which represent our pilots. Good discussions were held regarding the next steps for tenure track and what, if anything, might be possible to test. These are ongoing and the direction will become clearer in the coming weeks. The opportunity to travel to Rijeka was appreciated by all – a fantastic city with so much to offer “, Emma Day concluded.
As we look ahead, SECURE partners are dedicated to choosing recommendations and actions for implementation at the pilot institutions. Action plans will be crafted to adopt and implement the Research Career Framework (RCF) in research organizations (PLOCAN – The Oceanic Platform of the Canary Islands, UCY – University of Cyprus , UNIRI – University of Rijeka and UNL – Universidade Nova de Lisboa), research funding organization (UEFISCDI – The Executive Agency for Higher Education, Research, Development and Innovation Funding), and a contracting agency (ADOC – Adoc Talent Management).
The project outputs concerning research career development and academic advancement have been closely synchronized with both the European Commission and representatives of ERA Policy Agenda Action 4. This guarantees compliance with the European Council’s recent endorsement of the Commission’s proposal for a Council Recommendation on a European Framework aimed at attracting and retaining research, innovation, and entrepreneurial talents within Europe.