The University of Cyprus (UCY), as the country’s leading research institution, recognizes these systemic challenges and is committed to aligning its policies with European standards, including the European Charter & Code for Researchers. Through its involvement in the SECURE project, UCY is implementing targeted reforms to improve career frameworks, enhance tenure-track opportunities, and promote a more sustainable research environment.
Addressing Research Career Challenges in Cyprus
While UCY has enhanced its research visibility and output, several key challenges persist:
- Unstructured Career Frameworks: The lack of a clear R1–R4 classification has led to inconsistencies in recruitment and career progression.
- Career Instability: A reliance on short-term grants limits long-term career prospects for postdoctoral and mid-career researchers.
- Administrative Burden: Bureaucratic hurdles take time away from core research activities.
- Researcher Assessment Practices: There is a growing need to move beyond traditional metrics and incorporate broader evaluation criteria such as open science and societal impact.
- Stakeholder Engagement: Closer collaboration with industry, policymakers, and funding bodies is essential to improving research career conditions.
Innovative Approaches Implemented During SECURE Trials
To address these challenges, UCY has introduced several initiatives:
- Defining Career Progression: UCY conducted an internal review to align researcher roles with the European R1–R4 framework, ensuring greater transparency.
- Supporting Career Diversity: Roundtables with academia, industry, and policymakers highlighted diverse career pathways and promoted intersectoral mobility.
- Reducing Administrative Workload: The university streamlined research-related procedures and introduced dedicated administrative liaisons to assist researchers.
- Strengthening Transversal Skills: A thematic conference promoted leadership, project management, and science communication as essential skills for researchers.
- Enhancing Support for Returning Researchers: A newly established committee developed proposals for integration programs and bridging grants.
- Raising Awareness of the European Charter for Researchers: A dedicated conference reinforced ethical standards, fair recruitment, and improved working conditions.
Impact and Achievements of SECURE at UCY
The pilot initiatives under SECURE have already yielded significant improvements:
- Clearer Career Trajectories: Aligning researcher roles with the R1–R4 structure has improved career transparency.
- Greater Recognition of Diverse Career Paths: Increased collaboration with external stakeholders has led to broader acceptance of non-traditional research careers.
- More Efficient Administrative Processes: Researchers now have better institutional support, reducing bureaucratic obstacles.
- Momentum for Tenure-Track Models: Discussions with funding bodies on long-term financial sustainability have gained traction.
- Stronger Institutional Capacity: UCY researchers and staff are now better equipped to navigate evolving European research policies.
This is one of six SECURE trials – programs being implemented by institutions as part of the project. We will introduce each of them to showcase how different organizations are working to improve research career pathways across Europe.
These trials will be presented at the final SECURE summit in Brussels in March 2025.
Photo: University of Cyprus/ucy.ac.cy