Charter for Researchers, and a Code of Conduct for the Recruitment of Researchers. A decade earlier,
in the United Kingdom, the Research Councils had published a Concordat jointly with other key
stakeholders, aimed at enhancing conditions of employment, career development, and management of
contract research staff, that is, those on fixed term contracts. On career development, the European
Charter urged:
“...a specific career development strategy for researchers at all stages in their career,
regardless of their contractual situation, including for researchers on fixed-term contracts. It
should include the availability of mentors involved in providing support and guidance for the
personal and professional development of researchers, thus motivating them and contributing
to reducing any insecurity in their professional future” (European Charter for Researchers,
2000, p. 10).
Other examples of action in relation to research staff include:
• The introduction, in 2003, by the French research agency INSERM, of interface contracts
and supplementary remuneration, aimed at motivating full-tenure researchers and enhancing
scientific productivity and the transfer of knowledge in biomedical and health research
(Brechot, 2005).
• Action by the Italian Rectors Conference and the Spanish Ministry for Research to
implement the EC Code and Framework for Career Development of Researchers (Gruber,
2005).
• A three-year training programme for middle management staff at the Consiglio Nazionale
delle Recerche - Instituto Nazionale per la Fisica della Materia (CRN-INFM) in Italy,
aimed at the development of academic and research staff (Strazzeri, 2005).
• The Marie Curie Fellowships, which has created some 3 000 members of the Marie Curie
Fellowship Association, a body formed by current and former fellows.
Meyer (2005) suggests three principles for making academic careers more attractive: openness in
recruitment, criteria for appointments, national and local funding policies and support for mobility
(geographic, inter-sectorial and interdisciplinary); respect in the way institutional governance and
reward systems value researchers, and the guidance provided in relation to the balance between
independence and apprenticeship; and supportiveness along the lines expressed in the European Code.
Both Meyer (2005) and Strazzeri (2005) stress the importance of encouraging a sustainable work-life
balance and of developing a culture taking a long-term view of investing in the future.
As stated in the Introduction, contexts may vary considerably between countries. Thus, the
situation in the United Kingdom is affected very significantly by the cyclical Research Assessment
Exercise (RAE) and by the absence of the tradition of clustering researchers, especially in expensive
fields of investigation, in independent or largely independent research agencies. Whilst much research
in the United Kingdom, as elsewhere in the world, occurs outside the academic setting, in business,
research within the sector occurs predominantly in universities and bodies closely affiliated to them.
Thus, a large research-intensive university in the United Kingdom would typically employ more than
1 000 staff on various research grades, usually on fixed term contracts. Universities in the United
Kingdom are addressing the terms, conditions and career development of researchers, partly in
response to European Community directives and limitations on fixed-term contracts, and partly in
recognition of the importance of investing in the continuing development of a talented and specialised
component of the workforce.