Researchers - Bologna-Berlin 2003

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put forward in the Communication “Investing efficiently in Education and Training: animperative for Europe” 18 and in the Communication “European Benchmarks ineducation and training: follow-up to the Lisbon European Council 19 .2. DEFINITION OF A RESEARCHERIn order to have a clearer understanding of the factors conditioning a career structure ofresearchers it is necessary to include a large number of variables that make up a“typology” of researchers in their different professional contexts. Such a “typology” ofresearchers builds upon the internationally recognised Frascati definition of research 20 :“Research and experimental development (R&D) comprise creative workundertaken on a systematic basis in order to increase the stock of knowledge,including knowledge of man, culture and society, and the use of this stock ofknowledge to devise new applications”.As a consequence, researchers are described as:“Professionals engaged in the conception or creation of new knowledge,products, processes, methods and systems, and in the management of theprojects concerned”.The above mentioned definition covers professional activities related equally to “basicresearch”, “strategic research”, “applied research”, experimental development and“transfer of knowledge” including innovation and advisory capacities, depending uponwhether the discovery or acquisition of knowledge is aimed at a particular application(either in industry of for social purposes) or not.These different research activities are to be found in a variety of research settings,namely: Universities, which normally are more oriented towards long-term basic and strategicresearch projects and are recognised as essential to the knowledge-based economy. Public or private research organisations or academies of science, which differ fromcountry to country and from one type of research activity to another with acombination of strategic and applied (market oriented) research.181920Resolution on the Promotion of Enhanced European Co-operation in Vocational Education andTraining” 14343/02 of 06.12.2002.COM(2003)779 of 10.01. 2003.COM(2002)629 of 20.11.2002.In: Proposed Standard Practice for Surveys on Research and Experimental Development, FrascatiManuel, OECD, 2002.6
Certain large scale industrial actors which are usually less focussed on strategicresearch and most large scale industrial actors and technologically based SMEs, whichengage in market oriented research and technology transfer. 21It is observed that the status of researchers is appreciated differently by the scientificcommunity depending on the sector, the research setting or the type of researchundertaken. Given, however, that all contributions are essential to the development of theknowledge society it is necessary to consider any activity directly or indirectly related toR&D including the management of knowledge and intellectual property rights, theexploitation of research results or scientific journalism as an integral part of a career inR&D. The policy lesson is that any of those careers will have to be treated and valued onequal footing without maintaining the preponderance of an academic research career asthe only benchmark for attracting young people into such a career track 22 . In addition,lifelong professional development opportunities in different research settings should bemade more relevant for a wider variety of careers than in the past.3. PROSPECTS FOR CAREERS IN R&D3.1. Prospective workforce needs in R&DThe recent Commission Communication “Investing in research: an action plan forEurope” 23 stresses that “More and more adequately skilled researchers will be needed inEurope in order to fulfil the targeted increase of investment in research by 2010.Increased investment in research will raise the demand for researchers: about 1.2 millionadditional research personnel, including 700.000 additional researchers, are deemednecessary to attain the objective 24 , on top of the expected replacement of the ageingworkforce in research”.In 2001 25 some 1.8 million full-time equivalent (FTE) R&D personnel were employed inCommunity R&D, of whom less than one million are considered as researchers 26 . Thelast available figures show a slight increase (2%) in the total number of researchers inEU-15 between 2000 and 2001. These developments are broadly in line with thoserelated to the volume of R&D expenditure.212223242526Moreover many small SMEs are involved above all in research into process and/or productinnovation.See also document " Towards a paradigm for education, training and career paths in the naturalsciences" presented by HFSP/ESF, available on www.esf.org.COM(2003)226 final and SEC(2003)489 of 30.04.03.In head count. These are orders of magnitude, the precise results depending on hypothesesretained. There were about 1.6 million researchers in Member States and acceding countries in2000.R&D Expenditure and Personnel in Europe: 1999-2001, Statistics in Focus, Science andTechnology Theme 9 – 3/2003, EUROSTAT, European Communities, 2003Figures vary from 40 to 75 % according to different EU-15 Member States and to industry oracademic research activity.7
Page 1 and 2: COMMISSION OF THE EUROPEAN COMMUNIT
Page 3 and 4: INTRODUCTIONHuman resources are to
Page 5: Capacity generation, however, needs
Page 9 and 10: understand what researchers do, why
Page 11 and 12: The European Commission will contin
Page 13 and 14: overall participation of women shou
Page 15 and 16: 4.1.2. Consequences for doctoral pr
Page 17 and 18: Systems of recruitment differ from
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Page 21 and 22: INSERM, the French National and Pub
Page 23 and 24: 5. PROPOSED ACTIONS AND INITIATIVES
Page 25: Devote specific attention to the gr

Researchers - Bologna-Berlin 2003

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