EU lining up actions to address precarity of research careers

Draft Council position says Covid-19 and project funding are exacerbating ‘trend towards precariousness’

EU politicians and officials are preparing a push to improve working conditions for researchers in the EU, in particular for younger researchers.

The Council of the EU, which brings together EU member state governments, has published a draft text that, as it stands, calls on the European Commission and member states “to promote measures to reduce precarity in young researchers, to reduce inter-generation inequality and provide the youngsters with sustainable and attractive research careers”.