ECROS is being funded under HORIZON‑WIDERA‑2024‑ERA‑ 02‑03: Talent ecosystems for attractive early research careers – pilot action, which supports the creation of talent ecosystems that make early research careers more attractive, sustainable, and connected across sectors in the European Research Area. By fostering structural change in training and working conditions, the call empowers academic and non‑academic organisations to align research careers with evolving labour market needs and implement the principles of the new Charter for Researchers. The initiative aims to boost employability, career mobility, and the long‑term competitiveness of Europe’s R&I workforce.
We aim to create and pilot, under the EUt+ umbrella and extended to ECROS partners, a novel EU talent ecosystem empowering all R1‑R2 researchers (ECRs), by:
Comprehensively assessing and identifying the current needs, challenges, and opportunities for ECRs within the EUt+ consortium, associated partners, and extended network.
Establishing structured career guidance services to reduce career insecurity and support personal and professional growth for ECRs.
Facilitating continuous skill development and competence acquisition for ECRs by providing access to and cataloguing targeted training, workshops, and industry‑driven guidance, and developing up‑to‑date, relevant industry‑academic training.
Promoting mobility and diversification of research careers.
Establishing comprehensive, easily accessible support systems for ECRs.
Implementing an EUt+ pilot talent ecosystem for ECRs.
The ECROS project, driven by a consortium comprising the EUt+ alliance members, industrial partners and young researcher associations, is dedicated to empowering early career researchers in the alliance with new opportunities and skills, by establishing a cohesive talent ecosystem to support the diversification of research careers. In this, ECROS – as a transformative institutional project – actively contributes to the ecosystem of young researchers within Europe, supporting the continuous evolution of EUt+ as a strong European University Alliance. ECROS builds new structures supporting the diversification of research careers, by providing transversal skills development, career assessment, guidance and training services and industry exposure.