Context

Within the context of the development of the European Research Area and the European Higher Education Area there is a growing need to create the necessary conditions to attract and to retain well trained and highly motivated researchers. To improve the attractiveness of research careers is a key element for the creation of a European researchers labour market and Europe's competitiveness in this area.

With the European Charter for Researchers and the Code of Conduct for the Recruitment of Researchers the European Commission has adopted new instruments aimed at contributing to the development of a European labour market for researchers. Applying the Charter and the Code is a key milestone in addressing conditions to attract and to retain researchers.

Aims of the Conference

The Austrian presidency conference will focus on the question, under which conditions the European researchers'labour market can be a pole of attraction for well trained and highly motivated researchers at all levels from all over the world. Furthermore it will explore to which extent the Charter and the Code are a driving force for enhancing career prospects.

In addition, this event will serve as an opportunity to evaluate progress made in the implementation of these instruments, to identify models of implementation according to different organisations, e.g. industry and academia, to see how such experience can serve as an example to be followed and to see where there are bottlenecks which hamper a successful application at national, regional, institutional and intersectoral level.