Newsletter September 2025

Welcome to the September ICoRSA Newsletter!

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ICoRSA
October 07, 2025

Welcome to our September Newsletter! We bring you a roundup of recent highlights, updates, and upcoming activities. This month, we celebrated the launch of the SECURE2 project in Sarajevo, advancing research career development across Europe. We also spotlight the efforts of our member associations, from ANPG’s nationwide mobilisation in Brazil to NInTec’s advocacy in Portugal, along with key initiatives and policy updates shaping the European Research Area and the global research landscape.

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NEWS ABOUT ICORSA

Save the date ICoRSA Conference and Annual General Meeting 2025 Sustainable Research careers! 

Join us for the ICoRSA Conference & Annual General Meeting 2025 

Date: 10 December 2025 
 Time: 1:00 – 5:00 PM CET 
Location: Online via Zoom 
📝Free of charge – registration is mandatory: https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/t_bYBOwwT9KYyAnYKsAi5Q 

This year’s conference will explore how sustainable research careers can strengthen the global research ecosystem, from fair career frameworks and mobility to equity and stability. 

More details and registration link coming soon!

Sustainable Careers for Researcher Empowerment – SECURE2 kick-off event

 We just kicked off Sustainable Careers for Researcher Empowerment – SECURE2 project in Sarajevo from 15 to 16, 2025. 

The discussions held in the kick-off meeting showed a strong sense of continuity with SECURE1, alongside recognition that SECURE2 will be more data-driven, more structured, and more inclusive of training and Open Science principles. Implementing the RCF means facing structural and national challenges, such as legal restrictions on contract length and the need for greater investment in HR capacity at the institutional level. 

Partners also agreed that success in SECURE2 will depend on maintaining strong collaboration, building mutual trust, and ensuring that lessons learned from SECURE1 are applied consistently across the wider consortium. A recurring theme was the importance of aligning institutional reforms with European initiatives while keeping national contexts in mind. The project will not only support pilots in implementing the RCF but also contribute to shaping the wider debate on research careers in Europe, reinforcing the ERA policy agenda. Ultimately, SECURE2 aspires to leave a lasting legacy by creating tools, practices, and evidence that institutions can continue to use beyond the project’s lifetime. 

Learn more about the project: https://secureproject.eu/  

NEWS ABOUT OUR MEMBER ASSOCIATIONS

ICoRSA’s member association Brazilian National Association of Graduate Students (ANPG) leads successful nationwide mobilization for increased Research Fellowships 🇧🇷 

Between August 12 and 14, 2025, the National Association of Graduate Students (ANPG) organized a nationwide mobilization under the motto “Science is a matter of sovereignty.” The action was the largest national postgraduate strike of its kind in Brazil’s history. Brought together nearly 300 young researchers in Brasília, combining a national postgraduate strike with coordinated political action urging the government and Congress to address key demands: adjustments to research scholarships, expanded access to grants, and the extension of social security rights to researchers. The program also featured institutional meetings with government bodies, an ANPG board meeting, and a public hearing on reducing working hours for health residents. 

The three-day mobilisation combined multiple strategies: 

  • Institutional meetings with members of Congress and government ministers, where researchers delivered a formal Letter of Demands with concrete proposals and timelines. 

  • A public hearing on reducing working hours for health residents, connecting research careers to broader labour reforms. 

  • Street protests in Brasília, which transformed the debate into a national conversation, drawing strong media coverage and public support. 

As a result of these actions, political leaders from across Brazil’s Congress signed a commitment to legislate social security rights for researchers, create formal employment pathways for postdocs, and establish a dedicated parliamentary committee to oversee implementation. As a result, Bill PL 974/2024, which recognises the rights of doctoral researchers, has gained momentum, with signatures now being collected to advance it through Congress. 

While this was a landmark victory, ANPG emphasises that the real work begins now: ensuring the promises translate into lasting legislation and budget allocations. Next steps include monitoring parliamentary commitments, building international coalitions, engaging the public, and documenting the economic and social costs of neglecting research careers. 

Learn more at www.anpg.org.br and follow @anpgoficial for updates. 

ICoRSA’s member association Portuguese NInTec addresses precarity faced by researchers in Portugal with the Parliamentary Committee 🇵🇹 

On 17 September 2025, the NInTec (Núcleo de Investigadores do Instituto Superior Técnico), in Portugal, took part in a hearing before the 8th Parliamentary Committee on Education and Science at the Portuguese Parliament. The association, which represents researchers—many of whom face precarious employment conditions—was invited to present its views on pressing issues affecting the scientific and higher education system. 

NInTec highlighted concerns over the new Statute of the Scientific Research Career (ECIC) and the revision of the Legal Framework for Higher Education Institutions (RJIES), stressing discrepancies between public and private regimes. These could result in unequal treatment for researchers working side by side in the same institutions. The association also underlined delays in implementing transitional measures to regularise the situation of doctoral-level technical staff engaged in research. 

A recurring theme was the chronic underfunding of higher education and the national science and technology system. Universities remain financed primarily for teaching, with research funding unstable, overly competitive, and far below European benchmarks—Portugal invests 1.7% of GDP in R&D, compared with the EU average of 2.2% and the long-promised 3% target. NInTec warned that while investments of 5% of GDP in defence are being discussed, science continues to lag behind, raising questions about long-term national priorities. 

The association also spoke out on research career precarity, calling for the effective transposition of the European Charter for Researchers and the Code of Conduct for Recruitment into national law. These documents, endorsed by the European Council, seek to improve career stability and professional development opportunities for researchers. NInTec acknowledged positive steps such as the FCT Tenure initiative but stressed that these measures remain insufficient and must be carefully monitored to ensure sustainable research careers. 

Finally, NInTec called for the revision of the RJIES to guarantee that researchers employed through units managed under private law (IPSFLs), yet belonging to public universities, are not excluded from democratic participation in institutional governance. The association concluded by urging parliamentarians to address structural fragmentation without jeopardising the financial sustainability of research units. 

Learn more about NInTec (in Portuguese) 

NEWS ABOUT RESEARCHER ASSOCIATIONS

Marie Curie Alumni Association (MCAA) 

The Marie Curie Alumni Association (MCAA) has launched a survey to gather views on how research and researchers are assessed within the Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions (MSCA). The survey explores fellows’ experiences of assessment, fairness of current frameworks, recognition of interdisciplinary work, and the role of Open Science. By contributing, fellows and alumni will help build evidence for more inclusive and forward-looking research assessment policies. 

  • Deadline: 19 October 2025 

  • Duration: 15–20 minutes 

  • Participants will enter a draw for free tickets to the MCAA Annual Conference 2026. 

The European Council of Doctoral Candidates and Junior Researchers (Eurodoc) 

 Eurodoc recently launched a statement calling full suspension of Israel from all Horizon Europe programmes.  

At its Annual General Meeting, Eurodoc welcomed the European Commission’s proposal to suspend Israel’s participation in parts of Horizon Europe, including the EIC Accelerator, which funds sensitive dual-use technologies. 

Eurodoc underlined that EU values—democracy, human rights, and the rule of law—must guide participation in EU research programmes. It called on Member States not only to support the Commission’s proposal but also to move towards a full suspension of Israel from all Horizon Europe programmes. 

Read the full statement here. 

NEWS ABOUT RESEARCH MANAGEMENT AND ADMINISTRATION

Survey analyses of the professionals Research Managers and Administrators (RMAs)   

A new edition of the survey RAAAP (Research Administration as a Profession) analyses the evolution of the professionals working in the research sector – the Research Managers and Administrators, sponsored by the International Network of Research Management Societies (INORMS). This survey follows previous surveys conducted in 2016, 2019 and 2022. 

The aim is to provide a snapshot of the profession of Research Management and Administration (RMA) across the globe and to continue the creation of a longitudinal dataset to track changes in our profession over time.  

Target audience: Research Managers and Administrators 

NEWS ABOUT RESEARCH POLICIES

Call for evidence for the European Research Area Act  

Researchers’ associations and stakeholders have submitted their views on the future ERA Act, the European Commission’s proposal to transform the European Research Area into a legislative framework. 

The proposal foresees the introduction of a “5th freedom”—the free movement of knowledge, research, innovation, and education—alongside a binding target for Member States to invest 3% of GDP in R&I. Adoption is expected in the second half of 2026. 

Sector stakeholders broadly welcome the investment targets, particularly increased public funding for R&I. However, they stress that the ERA Act must also reinforce institutional autonomy and academic freedom (with safeguards such as ombudsmen), simplify visa and residence rules for international researchers, and ensure stronger alignment between investments and policies across Member States. 

Relevant documents: 

Learn more about the sector’s views: 

A new governance structure of European Research Area 

The European Research Area (ERA) policies ensure stakeholder participation through the ERA Forum, a policy dialogue platform bringing together national governments, the European Commission, and stakeholders in research and innovation. 

ICoRSA congratulates Nicola Dengo, President of Eurodoc, on being elected Chair of Stakeholder Group 4 Research Careers and Mostafa Shawrav, Executive Director of MCAA, on being elected Co-Chair.

 OPPORTUNITIES

  • Call for applications for the International Arctic Science Committee Fellowship Program 2026 (deadline: 20 October) 

  • Call for papers for a special issue of Higher Education Policy on Open Science by the International Association of Universities (deadline: 20 October) 

  • The Netherlands Commission for UNESCO invites proposals for the establishment of new UNESCO Chairs, with a particular focus on the theme of 𝘈𝘤𝘢𝘥𝘦𝘮𝘪𝘤 𝘍𝘳𝘦𝘦𝘥𝘰𝘮 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘚𝘢𝘧𝘦𝘵𝘺 𝘰𝘧 𝘚𝘤𝘪𝘦𝘯𝘵𝘪𝘴𝘵𝘴: 21st November 2025 

RELEVANT READINGS

Free to Think 2025, Scholars at Risk’s annual report on attacks on higher education worldwide.