Recent News

Eurodoc and the ERA Public Consultation

15 February 2012

On 30 January 2012, the European Commission presented the preliminary report on the public consultation on the European Research Area [LINK 1]. Two main messages emerged clearly from the report. First, the careers and mobility of researchers is the most important area in which EU actions must be urgently stepped up. As Eurodoc has repeatedly stated [LINK 2], and the respondents to the public consultation confirmed, the lack of open and transparent recruitment procedures is a key barrier to mobility. As the formal European representative of all early-stage researchers (doctoral and post-doctoral researchers), Eurodoc welcomes the European Commission’s use of our written contributions [LINK 3] and urge all European and national representatives and stakeholders to take into consideration our recommendations on how to address some of the main mobility barriers for the upcoming ERA framework. The second important message from the public consultation is that these signals are coming from researchers at the earliest stage of their career. Early-stage researchers constitute the largest share of all respondents (30%) and Eurodoc believes that in order for ‘European Pacts’ [LINK 4] to be credible our concerns must be addressed. We therefore welcome discussions from our European partners in the coming months on how to make ERA a reality.

You can download this press release here.

DocLinks project Survey to doctoral candidates

14 February 2012

The DocLinks project – “Increasing Understanding and Establishing Better Links between African and European Doctoral Education Candidates”, aims to increase cooperation between doctoral candidates and junior researchers from Africa and Europe, to enhance skills and understanding, through the establishment of networking mechanisms and the introduction of new ways to share information. DocLinks is funded by ERASMUS MUNDUS.

Online Survey

We would like to hear about your experience, views and needs and what you would find most useful from this project. We would be grateful for your help in completing this online survey, and your response will be important in ensuring the success of this project. Please access the survey, which should take around 20 minutes to complete, via the URL below:
English version

The survey will be open until 31st March 2012 but your early response would be appreciated. If you have any questions or queries regarding the survey do not hesitate to contact me.

All information will be treated as confidential and will be analysed in grouped or anonymised form. All respondents submitting an email address will be kept informed of results and of opportunities presented through the project. You may save the survey at any point by clicking the save button at the end and a url will then appear, which can be emailed to you, via which you can access your survey to complete it.

For further information contact:

Bruno Gomes

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Board Member
Eurodoc
The European Council of Doctoral
Candidates and Junior Researchers
Brussels, Belgium
E-mail: board@eurodoc.net
URL: http://www.eurodoc.net/

Eurodoc 2012 in Krakow, Poland - registrations open

7 February 2012

The next EURODOC Annual Conference and Annual General Meeting will take place in Krakow in Poland from March 20th till 25th 2012 – one of the biggest academic and scientific center in Poland. The EURODOC event is organized by the National Representation of PhD Candidates in Poland (KRD-Krajowa Reprezentacja Doktorantów), AGH University of Science and Technology and Jagiellonian University.

The main theme of the upcoming conference is “Funding – how to acquire scientific grants”

For more information and registration, visit the conference website at http://www.eurodoc2012.krakow.pl/.

Joint statement concerning Marie Curie Actions in Horizon 2020

12 December 2011

Eurodoc and the Marie Curie Fellows Associations have jointly issued a response to the ‘Horizon 2020’ framework. We warmly welcome the European Commission’s affirmation that ‘Excellent Science’ should be given high priority in the EU’s research and innovation funding for 2014-2020. At the same time, we are very concerned that the Marie Curie Actions (MCA) does not reflect the EU’s aspiration. We note that there has been a significant decrease in the overall share of MCA budget in the Horizon 2020 framework ~7% in comparison to its actual allocation in FP7 ~9%. Such a significant decrease in funding will create an unfavourable situation, especially for southern as well as new member states.
We urge member states and the members of the European Parliament to ensure that the overall ‘Excellent Science’ budget will be increased, but particularly the Marie Curie Actions. Creative solutions should be sought, such as creating a mechanism to make extra money available when the broader economic situation improves. You can download the press release here.

ERA Consultation Contribution (5): Statement concerning the role of the Arts and Humanities

30 November 2011

The European Research Area is designed to improve quality of life by making Europe a place where scientific research, technological development, and innovation thrive and address the major challenges of our times. However, the major challenges of our times cannot all be solved by science or the pursuit of technological innovations and the input of researchers representing the arts and humanities should be consulted. The humanities consider the problematic questions of a “scientific” approach towards progress and development. The role of the arts must also be taken seriously as a creative force which transforms the world, constructing new visions of Europe and humanity at large.

You can download the file here and contact the Interdisciplinarity Working Group for more information at interdisciplinary@council.eurodoc.net.