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European researchers respond to implementation of ‘Plan S’ on Open Access

Eurodoc, Resources and documents

Three big European organisations for early-career and senior researchers have jointly issued a response to ‘Plan S’ on Open Access. Reassuring their support, they offer concrete recommendations on the proposed guidance for achieving Open Access via Plan S to ensure its realistic implementation from the perspective of European researchers.

Read more: http://eurodoc.net/news/2019/press-release-researchers-respond-to-implementation-of-plan-s

Never heard of Plan S?

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Next Generation: Für eine wirksame Nachwuchsförderung

Resources and documents, SAGW

The Swiss Academy of Humanities and Social Sciences (SAGW) has published a report on the precarious situation of the non-professorial academic staff. Focus is being laid on post-docs in social sciences.

Unfortunately, the report is in German – however, the management summary is available in German and French.

Hildbrand, Thomas (2018): Next Generation: Für eine wirksame Nachwuchsförderung (Swiss Academies Reports 13, 1). Full text at Zenodo

SNF launches new program for team-oriented cross-border research – SPIRIT

Resources and documents, SNF

Starting 1 February 2019, the SNF launches its new program SPIRIT: “The SPIRIT programme facilitates knowledge exchange between Swiss researchers and researchers in selected countries that are receiving development assistance. With SPIRIT, the SNSF is giving Swiss researchers more opportunities to collaborate with partners in many countries around the world.”

International consortia can request between 50,000 and 500,000 francs in project funds for two to four years. Applications are accepted on a rolling basis, but selection will be highly competetive as the SNF plans to fund only 12 projects per year.

More information: www.snf.ch/en/funding/programmes/spirit/

Annual meeting actionuni – SNF

Events

Last November, actionuni representatives had their annual exchange meeting with SNF representatives. At the meeting, questions from actionuni members to the SNF are discussed and actionuni gives input to current development of the SNF.

This years main topics were:

  1. Mobility as a selection criterion is obsolete: The SNF agrees that geographical mobility of young researchers as a criterion to judge a researchers’ professional network has become outdated, considering the way researchers are connecting nowadays through digital ways and means. The SNF this year aims to revise the requirements of its funding instruments accordingly.
  2. Stronger promotion of Post-Docs: Influencing employment conditions of post-doctoral researchers towards more unlimited contracts or Tenure Track is not possible through SNF as these are within the universities’ own competencies.
  3. Centralized evaluation strategy of SNF funding applications, starting 2021: By using centralized remote or panel-evaluation, the SNF aims to standardize the assessment and selection of candidates. Consequently, local selection committees (Forschungskommissionen) will be abrogated.

actionuni participates prominently in AAQ Institutional Accreditation Day

Events

On 29 November 2018, the second AAQ Institutional Accreditation Day took place in Berne. The topic was “Quality concerns everyone! How participation is lived at Swiss higher education institutions”.

Salome Adam, co-president of actionuni (far right), at the podium

The program and presentations can be found online (DE / FR).

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EURODOC Postdoc Survey – your voice matters

Events

How do you feel about your current job? What are your working conditions, your rights, your perspectives? Do you feel satisfied by your work-life balance?

With the goal to understand these and other issues, Eurodoc launches today a survey on postdocs working in Europe. The survey will investigate the challenges postdocs are confronted with in the current job market in Europe, working and living conditions, their expectations and perspectives on their careers.
Results will shed light on similarities and differences in how postdocs in different countries currently live and work from their perspective, with a specific focus on mobility, awareness of duties and rights, quality of life and well-being.

Whether you are a postdoc working in academia, in public administration, in an NGO or in the private sector, take part in the survey! It will take less than 10 minutes of your time, but your participation is really valuable and your answers will help improve Eurodoc policies on junior researchers.
Your voice matters!

Link: https://ec.europa.eu/eusurvey/runner/Postdoc_survey

European Copyright Reform

Eurodoc, Resources and documents

Eurodoc signs an open letter to the European Parliament to halt a copyright reform which is perceived as potentially harmful. It mainly criticizes Articles 11 and 13 which might further restrict access to scientific research and data which contradicts the EU’s ambitions in the field of Open Data and Open Science.

Further Information: http://eurodoc.net/news/2018/eurodoc-signs-an-open-letter-to-european-parliament-to-halt-potentially-harmful-copyright

Direct link to the letter: https://sparceurope.org/copyrightreform/