In December 2024, COST launched its latest Cross-Cutting Activity (CCA) on career development for young researchers, dedicated to improving career conditions to attract and retain the best researchers in Europe.

This unique new network, consisting of (young) researchers, career advisory experts, and key stakeholder organisations, will work together to achieve a more balanced brain circulation and improved career development for young researchers. Fully supported by COST, the CCA core network is represented by 2 Co-Chairs, 14 researchers, and 18 career advisors, together covering 21 COST Member Countries. In addition, there is the wider CCA network, represented by 8 key stakeholder organisations that will support the CCA by providing a strategic outlook and advice on CCA activities to be implemented.

But what are the main challenges facing young researchers today? Any why is a project like this necessary?

“Being a young researcher means entering an exciting but hyper-competitive and poorly structured global workspace. This environment prioritises rapid academic paper production over robust, long-term innovation. Researchers face obstacles created by poor working conditions, like low or uncompetitive salaries, limited access to welfare benefits, inadequate career support and planning opportunities, and burdensome relocation processes complicated by bureaucracy. These factors take a significant toll on individual well-being and work-life balance, directly affecting researchers’ ability to focus on producing high-quality research.” explains Nicola Dengo, Co-Chair of this CCA and Vice-President of Eurodoc.

“Why improve career development and prospects for young researchers? It’s simple! If we want to have high-quality research, it needs to be conducted in high-quality conditions. By keeping the career development options limited, the current system makes sure to deter some of our best researchers who cannot start or continue a career with such precarious working conditions. And then, there is an economic argument as well. A lot of effort and money from countries, universities, and researchers themselves, goes into training young researchers. It is a shame not to make the most out of it to ensure they can have long, stable, and fruitful careers.” adds Joanna Rutkowska, Co-Chair of this CCA and Postdoctoral researcher at the Jacobs Center for Productive Youth Development.

The primary aims of the Cross-Cutting Activity on career development for young researchers are to create a community of practice, improve communication, and ensure consistent human resources strategies across Europe. Many tools have been developed to support career development but they are not widely known, so how can we make these tools more accessible, visible, and interoperable between countries? The project is broken down into four Working Groups and will run until November 2026:

• Working Group on young researchers. Lead by Ivana Herglová & Patricia Clement.
• Working Group on career advisory and support services. Lead by Mostafa Moonir Shawrav & Naoimh O’Connor.
• Working Group on building a young researchers’ community in COST Actions. Lead by Ahmed Rassili & Stellamarina Donato.
• Working Group on gender equality and fostering inclusiveness. Lead by Adna Ašić & Verity Elston.

“This project is important because it brings together the researchers and career experts to identify and address the gaps in the implementation of the framework on the national and local levels, and to ensure better career pathways and development opportunities for researchers.” Joanna Rutkowska, Co-Chair of the CCA

“Cross-cutting activities are a little different to COST Actions but are designed to complement and support our research networks” explains Judith Litjens, COST Policy Officer and one of the driving forces behind this new project. “COST Actions are bottom-up and community-driven. In this case, the CCA is launched by COST Association as a tool to better connect stakeholders, policymakers, and members of the R&I community to share best practices to better the careers of young researchers. The primary beneficiaries of the outcomes will be our COST Action participants and the wider R&I community.”

This CCA will be guided by the Council Recommendation on a European Framework to attract and retain research, innovation and entrepreneurial talents in Europe (2023) and the European Charter for Researchers (2023). The launch event was held in an interactive format to stimulate dialogue and active engagement among all participants. The break-out sessions formed a key element of the event and the outcome of these discussions will help define the CCA working group objectives, activities, and deliverables. Over the next two years, CCA members will issue policy recommendations, guidelines, and training opportunities, and carry out a thorough analysis of good practice to enhance career support structures and empower young researchers.

“This Cross-Cutting Activity builds on the substantial work already made by organisations such as the European Commission and stakeholders like Eurodoc. We need better careers for researchers, and we know the direction we need to go to achieve this goal. Now, it is essential to identify blind spots and develop actionable solutions at the local level to make this pivotal change a reality. This project aims to produce concrete, actionable recommendations to guide decision-makers in creating better career pathways for researchers. Nicola Dengo, Co-Chair of the CCA

Learn more about Cross-Cutting Activities at COST