What does the future of research careers in Europe look like?

The new era for R&I

Guided by the ERA Policy Agenda 2022–2024, this initiative focuses on enhancing job stability, promoting mobility, advancing gender equality, integrating Open Science, and reforming research evaluation through the CoARA (Coalition for Advancing Research Assessment). Aligned with the goals of the ERA, NextTechTalents builds a robust and sustainable talent ecosystem that fosters talent circulation across sectors and strengthens employability and mobility.

European Framework for Research Careers

By providing a common reference across member states, the definition of career stages (R1-R4) aims at making researcher career paths more transparent and comparable across borders as well as helping standardise qualifications and expectations through a common European framework. To help researchers, especially early-stage researchers (R1–R2), manage their work effectively, build resilience, and plan their careers, NextTechTalents provides guidance for developing pathways for sustainable research careers delivered through a combination of workshops, webinars, and mentoring activities.

Charter for Researchers

The updated European Charter for Researchers, which forms the backbone of attractive, sustainable, and inclusive research careers across the ERA, serves as the main guiding framework for successfully planning and implementing project activities. In NextTechTalents, the updated European Charter for Researchers is represented through four operational pillars, which have been identified for institutional maturity in Deep Tech contexts:

• Ethics, integrity, and gender equality
• Assessment, recruitment, and progression
• Working conditions and stability
• Career development and intersectoral mobility

ResearchComp Framework

ResearchComp aims at assisting researchers in evaluating and enhancing their own skill sets, helping higher education institutions and training providers adjust their programs to meet researchers’ evolving needs, and enabling employers to better understand the diverse competences researchers possess [1]. Based on ResearchComp, NextTechTalents offers tailored training, mentoring, and career services framework to equip researchers with key interdisciplinary skills.

NextTechTalents is bridging the gap between academia and industry by empowering early-stage researchers through structured career pathways, digital innovation, and capacity-building activities. By implementing a future-ready, robust and sustainable talent and innovation ecosystem across Europe, NextTechTalent contributes to the future of research careers in Europe aligning with key EU initiatives and policies on research careers.