Call to introduce pan-European salaries for researchers

Young scholars should not be required to move institutions or countries to advance their job prospects, according to proposed “minimum standards” for research careers that also recommend harmonising salaries across Europe.

Organisations that fund or carry out research should also encourage career breaks and time away from academia, according to the document put together by Science Europe.

James Morris, a senior policy officer at the advocacy group representing research organisations across the continent, told Times Higher Education that research cultures in Europe often encourage PhD and postdoctoral students to relocate or change institutions for career progression, but he warned that this can push out young academics who want to start families.

“Mobility is seen as an important component of a researcher’s CV. It’s valued in assessment processes, which is great, but there is a need to look into the details,” Morris said.

“It’s important to ask, what were the experiences you gained through mobility? And also to not discount researchers who have stayed at one institution because they might have had equally important experiences gained through other ways, rather than mobility.”

The framework document covers a wide range of topics, including working conditions, salaries, social security, academic freedom and professional development. It’s aimed at tackling what Science Europe calls the “persistent career precarity” that characterises research careers across the continent.

Among the most ambitious proposals is a call for pan-European salary bands that would be adjusted for countries’ different costs of living. The document recommends that salaries for research professionals be made comparable to those in other sectors, and that clear pay scales be published openly by funders and institutions.

“We’re not recommending a specific number. But if we want to be attractive and we want to promote mobility across the [European Research Area], then we need a more common approach,” said Morris, who was the lead author of the document.

“For example, if you’re a postdoctoral researcher in the UK or in Germany and if you move to Portugal or Finland, then, with your set of skills, your living standards should be the same.”

The document also urges organisations that fund or carry out research to value and recognise “eligible and justified breaks” away from research.

“The reintegration of research professionals following time away from research [engaging in] innovation, policy or other activities should be more actively promoted and recognised,” it says.

Morris said institutions were starting to value time away from academia, “but it’s a work in progress”.

“It’s a system that we’re moving away from. What we’re beginning to understand now is that there are many valuable skills that can be gained outside of research that can be applicable to research careers,” he added.

For example, Morris said, one of his organisation’s Swiss members chooses to calculate “net academic age” instead of just looking at a professional’s date of birth and the time passed and the academic milestones achieved since completing their PhD. Valuing narrative CVs, where researchers can write about their experiences, can also offer a more holistic view of their career.

The recommendations also call for longer-term contracts to become the norm, with funders asked to develop longer-term grants and funding programmes to give researchers greater stability.

seher.asaf@timeshighereducation.com