The RIECS-Concept project aims to conceptualize the European Research Infrastructure for Excellence in Citizen Science that will leverage both citizens' resources (such as mobile phones, desktop computers, etc) and scientific existing resources (citizen science platforms, data collections, existing RIs, etc.) and will provide transversal servicies to the research community. This proposal responds to the needs of citizen science actors (atomization and interoperability issues, efficiency, etc) and lays the foundation for the world's first complete design of this nature. It sets a flagship pathway for citizen science marking a supposes significant leap forward for excellence in citizen science for the coming decades. The RIECS-Concept project will produce two key outcomes: a conceptual design including a feasibility study, and a five-year implementation plan for the new research infrastructure. These outcomes will provide detailed insights into the diversity and maturity of the concept considering technical, operational, societal, and environmental challenges associated with establishing the permanent and shared infrastructure. To gather project findings and community-based evidence, the consortium will conduct primary, secondary, and meta-analysis research involving a wide range of communities and various themes and scientific domains. With a transversal and holistic approach, topics addressed will include the catalogue of resources and best practices, gaps assessment, legal and ethical considerations, as well as sustainability and governance frameworks. The consortium will cooperate with major national and international networks co-organizing activities such as surveys and workshops to bring their related solutions and needs.

The ERA TALENT is a 36 months coordination and support action with the aims to support the implementation of the new ERA Communication and to further develop the services provided by the existing EURAXESS network, with the objective to support the career development of researchers in Europe, expanding the career trajectories for them in academia, industry and business. The ERA TALENT scope will be reached through the establishment of five thematic Hubs that are built as one-stop-shops where researchers find information and support services fed by the competences of the Centres in different fields and through six Community of Practices (CoP), where the Centres are grouped under specific themes to exchange experiences and information, needed to strengthen their knowledge and expanding their talent management services for researchers. The ERA TALENT project will support the EURAXESS Centres to deliver specialised talent management services to improve the employability and mobility schemes for talented researchers. Last but not least a more fostered culture of entrepreneurship opening new career trajectories for researchers in industry and business will be seek. The ERA TALENT project involves 34 BHOs Partners and it will be structured in 6 Work Packages: WP1 Project Management; WP2 Communication, Dissemination and Exploitation; WP3 Hubs Framework Co-creation and monitoring; WP4 Knowledge sharing for specialisation in the EURAXESS Network; WP5 Researchers orientation; WP6 Digitalisation and data.

Bridge for Researchers Going to Europe – Step II is a 24-month long EURAXESS project to support the long-term careers of 300 highly skilled refugee researchers and their integration into the labour markets of the European Union member states and its associated countries. It provides high quality guidance, mentoring and training for refugee researchers, especially postdocs and professors displaced for more than two years in Greece, Bulgaria, Serbia, Austria, Switzerland, Germany and Sweden. BRiDGE II aims to meet their individual career planning needs by providing 300 career case plans, while activating and supporting 190 academic and 90 industrial mentors, along with EURAXESS network members. It provides four trainings, four webinars and two networking events for refugee researchers, two trainings and two networking events for academic and industrial mentors, and fitting webinars for them to enhance the quality of collaboration and increase the success rate of their mentorship. BRiDGE II launches four peer groups and provides 45 internships/months for refugee researchers. The project trains and involves additional EURAXESS staff members across the European Research Area and provides course materials, guidelines and tools for further public use. It supports dual career and gender equality measures, by introducing a quota and piloting a dual career study for refugee researchers. The project partners strive to anchor diversity as a positive value in society and fight prejudice and discrimination against minorities in academia and society. The long-term integration of refugees in the academic and non-academic labour markets is an important step towards achieving this and is beneficial to many facets of society. Finally, the project establishes an advisory board of experts and community representatives, which will in turn provide insights concerning this important societal change and makes this information available to the public for further analysis and conclusions.

The purpose of Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions / MSCA is to bring together organisations such as Universities, SMEs (small/medium enterprises), public and private (non-commercial) research centres, non-profit organisations etc. in order to train early-stage researchers in professional environments. MSCA • Encourage researchers to explore multidisciplinary and interdisciplinary avenues in responding to current and future challenges; • Enhance researchers’ career prospects and exposure to both academic and non-academic fields, through international and intersectoral mobility; • Convert knowledge and ideas into products and services for economic and social benefit; • Provide researchers with a set of transferrable skills for the purpose of innovation and long-term employability. Better preparation for work in business, industry and the public and private sectors, effectively moving away from the focus of research as being purely academically centred can be attained. MSCA celebrated their 20th anniversary in 2016. The past 20 years have shown how flexible these actions were adapted to current demands and needs of researchers and the research community. While the focus on the research theme and the project is prevailing the career development scheme has a strong meaning. The work programme for the last three years of Horizon 2020 and therefore MSCA was adopted; the next two years will be implemented as up to now. The third and last year will be depending on the discussions on the next Framework Programme and underline the expected transition period and therefore relevant projects helping to change from one scheme to the other. The draft of the next Framework Programme is expected to be released in May 2018 and will subsequently be one of the priorities during the Austrian Council Presidency. This gives the opportunity to discuss the draft and to gather input from different stakeholders relevant to the process and to the scientific and research community.

The EURAXESS TOP III consortium includes partners from almost all EURAXESS countries (either as beneficiaries or associated partners, from altogether 39 countries), in order to ensure the widest possible coverage as well as increased impact. The project has been divided into eight work packages. Two WPs are devoted to the development, testing and pilot introduction of new services on career development within the EURAXESS network. The remaining WPs will focus on the environment of researchers including the institutional context, the integration of third country researchers and reaching out to researchers beyond the EU; researchers within and outside academia, most notably industry; the consolidation of the ongoing services portfolio, be it personal or electronic; the further capacity building of the EURAXESS network members and meeting the challenge posed by staff turnover by trainings, twinning and study visits; networking and knowledge exchange with a wide range of other networks; implementation of a consistent quality assurance and monitoring system operating on several levels on the project, and working out a future vision for EURAXESS in light of the policy goals of the EC set for the period up to 2020. The project will significantly contribute to matching research talents with R&I needs and capacity on a European scale and it will help the circulation of researchers within Europe and among sectors. As a result of the project, members of the EURAXESS network will have better and broader knowledge and more integrated good practices regarding service provision for researchers. EURAXESS national portals throughout the EURAXESS member countries will offer tailor made information in line with Horizon 2020 objectives on making science careers attractive for researchers, especially young researchers.