EU-LIFE Policy Webinar Series as a bridge between science and policy

EU-LIFE launched a Policy Webinar Series this year with the aim to deepen the alliance contribution to key European policies and promote bridges between the policy and scientific communities on relevant topics in research & innovation. Our ultimate goal is to inform research institutions and researchers on EU policies and inspire policymakers to meaningful change towards better environment for developing excellent research and support researchers at all career levels.

The first webinar, titled ‘Opportunities for and of postdoctoral researchers in Europe’ was held on 18 June 2021. It discussed innovative models to develop inclusive and rewarding career opportunities for researchers both within and beyond academia, as well as the current challenges of EU’s policy to deliver a European Research Area that promotes postdoctoral researchers and leverages their potential to contribute to the society.

It was attended by over 200 participants from 34 different countries all over the world, who took the opportunity to discuss extensively and engage with our speakers. The Q&A session focused on topics such as the definition of a postdoc, the transition from academia to industry, career development and the different organisational models of research teams and how they impact the promotion of researchers.

Following that successful kick-off, a webinar on research assessment will be held on 28 October 2021, focusing on the following questions:

• Why do we evaluate research organizations? What and how do we measure? What are the shortcomings of the assessment system and how do we overcome them collectively?
• Why do we evaluate individual researchers? What should we evaluate? How should we evaluate them? What are the obstacles to change the current evaluation system of researchers? What are the gains?
• Funding agencies and policy makers are key actors in research evaluation. How are policy makers influencing the future of research evaluation? What responsibility do funding agencies hold for changing research assessment?

Looking into the future, we will continue the EU-LIFE Policy Webinar Series with topics such as gender balance & inclusivity in science, and the role of research institutes in the research & innovation ecosystem. Stay tuned for updates!