Innovation Union
The innovation Union launched in 2010 is one of the seven flagship initiatives of the Europe 2020 strategy for smart, sustainable and inclusive growth.
Innovation Union action points
Within the 30 action points for the Innovation Union, several relate directly to researchers training and careers.
Within the theme of ‘Promoting excellence in education and skills development’, by the end of 2011, ‘Member States should have strategies in place to train enough researchers to meet their national R&D targets and to promote attractive employment conditions in public research institutions. Gender and dual career considerations should be fully taken into account in these strategies.’
Member State strategies on researchers’ training and employment conditions are reported on the European Commission website.
Within the theme of delivering the European Research Area, ‘the European Commission will propose a European Research Area framework and supporting measures to remove obstacles to mobility and cross-border co-operation, aiming for them to be in force by the end 2014. They will notably seek to ensure through a common approach:
- quality of doctoral training, attractive employment conditions and gender balance in research careers
- mobility of researchers across countries and sectors, including through open recruitment in public research institutions and comparable research career structures and by facilitating the creation of European supplementary pension funds
- cross-border operation of research performing organisations, funding agencies and foundations, including by ensuring simplicity and mutual coherence of funding rules and procedures, building on the work of stakeholders, funding agencies and their representative organisations.’
