EURODOC Survey I: Situation of Doctoral Candidates and Early Stage Researchers in Europe

Eurodoc European Summitfor Early Stage Researchers

“EURODOC Survey I: Situation ofDoctoral Candidates and Early Stage Researchers in

Europe”

September 30, 2011Julia Tomas, Karoline Hollaender

1. Key Issues for Early Stage Researchers2. Eurodoc Survey I – the Development

Key Issues for Early Stage Researchers

Career Path

• Reasons for doing a doctorate?• Where to go afterwards?• Clear career tracks?• Employability

Funding

• Working contract or scholarship?• Funding at all?• Does funding meet living costs?

Training & Supervision

• Access to training• Level of competencies before and after• Supervision satisfactory• Clear roles in supervision

Working Conditions

• Minimum and maximum time to complete a doctorate• Ability to use own findings• Rights to maternity/ paternity leave• Pressure to postpone having children

Academic Work

• How is time spent in research?• Publications (how many are possible?)• Visiting national/ international conferences• Teaching • Other duties?

Mobility

• Reasons for being mobile• Barriers to mobility• Access to funding for being mobile

•… and many more

Eurodoc Survey I – the Development

The Eurodoc Survey its History & Preparatory Phase

• Preparation of online survey between 2005 and 2008 via mailing list and at EURODOC annual conferences• Discussions - meetings (in person and by telephone): Harald Schomburg (INCHER Kassel) and Max Reinhardt• Launched 9th December 2008• Stayed online until 31st May 2009

The Project Timeframe

• Launched 9th December 2008• Stayed online until 31st May 2009• Creation of EURODOC Survey Expert Group in Eurodoc Annual Conference 2009, Banská Bystrica, Slovakia, March 2009• Meeting of Eurodoc Internal Expert Group, 27th August 2009, Berlin• Cleaning & Analysing Data, September/October 2009• First report (preparation & editing), November 2009 by Eurodoc Internal Expert Group

The Project Timeframe

• Report was sent to the speakers of Eurodoc Survey Expert Workshop• Eurodoc Survey Expert Workshop, 27th-28th November 2009, Bonn, Germany (first official presentation of the outcomes on the basis of the first report)• Eurodoc Annual Conference April 2011: 2nd draft report• Publication and dissemination of the report September 2011

Further Structure of the Session

• “Funding the Early Stage Research: the Diversification of Actors”

• “Working Conditions: State of the Art”

• “Geographical and Inter-sectorial Mobility”

• Comments and questions from the panel-speakers

• Questions from the Audience


EURODOC Survey I:Funding the Early Stage Research

September 30, 2011

Julia Tomas

1. Questions2. Findings3. Interpretation Possibilities

Questions – Part C – Funding

Questions

C1. Do you/ did you receive any funding (income as salary or scholarship) for your doctorate?C2. To what extent does your level of doctoral funding meet your living costs?C3. For how long was your funding arranged at the start of your doctorate?C4. Will it be possible to prolong the funding arranged at the start of your doctorate?

Findings – Part C – Funding

C2. To what extent does your level of doctoral funding meet your living costs?

* N=5563, valid percentages, valid n. Source: Eurodoc data set (December 2010)

AT BE HR FI FR DE NL NO PT SI ES SE0%

10%

20%

30%

40%

50%

60%

70%

80%

90%

100%

1 Not at all 2 34 5 To a very high extent

C3. For how long was your funding arranged at the start of your doctorate?

* N=4938, valid percentages, valid n. Source: Eurodoc data set (December 2010)

AT BE HR FI FR DE NL NO PT SI ES SE.0%

10.0%

20.0%

30.0%

40.0%

50.0%

60.0%

70.0%

80.0%

90.0%

100.0%

1 year or less up to 2 years up to 3 years up to 4 years more than 4 years

Interpretation – Part C – Funding

Interpretation

• A high proportion of doctoral candidates still work on their research without receiving appropriate funding.

• Regularly, the existing national funding systems are not of substance, thus not making it possible to make a living out of it.

• Often, existing funding schemes do not last as long as the time required by doctorate candidates to finish their doctorates (thesis).

• In most countries candidates can prolong the funding of their doctorates for at least up to one year.


EURODOC Survey I: Working Conditions

September 30, 2011Karoline Hollaender

1. Questions2. Findings3. Interpretation

Questions – Part E – Working Conditions

Questions

• E2. Is there a maximum allowed time for completing your doctorate?

• E3. Are you prevented by your supervisor or the university from using findings you have produced during your doctorate?

• E5. To what extent do you feel disadvantaged in your academic career because of your gender?

• E6. Do you have a right to maternity/ paternity leave?

Questions

• E7. Would you be paid during maternity/paternity leave?

• E8. Would your contract be put on hold during the maternity/paternity leave?

• E9. To what extent are you discouraged from taking maternity/ paternity leave?

• E10. To what extent are you pressured to postpone having children?

Findings – Part E – Working Conditions

E3. Are you prevented by your supervisor or the university from using findings you have produced during you doctorate?

* N= 6399, valid percentages, valid n. Source: Eurodoc data set (December 2010)


10.0%

20.0%

30.0%

40.0%

50.0%

60.0%

70.0%

80.0%

90.0%

100.0%

YesYes. I cannot use the data, because it is explained in my contractNo

E7. Would you be paid during maternity/paternity leave?



10.0%

20.0%

30.0%

40.0%

50.0%

60.0%

70.0%

80.0%

90.0%

100.0%

Yes, fully paid Yes, partly paid No

E10. To what extent are you pressured to postpone having children?


Fem

ale

Mal

e

Fem

ale

Mal

e

Fem

ale

Mal

e

Fem

ale

Mal

e

Fem

ale

Mal

e

Fem

ale

Mal

e

Fem

ale

Mal

e

Fem

ale

Mal

e

Fem

ale

Mal

e

Fem

ale

Mal

e

Fem

ale

Mal

e

Fem

ale

Mal

e

AT BE HR FI FR DE NL NO PT SI ES SE

0%

10%

20%

30%

40%

50%

60%

70%

80%

90%

100%

1 Not at all 2 34 5 To a very high extent

Interpretation – Part E – Working Conditions

Interpretation

• In nearly all of the 12 countries, respondents have a time frame with a specific amount of maximum time for completing their doctorate.

• Although the Charter & Code refers to it in its “Contractual and legal obligations”, a relatively large proportion of doctoral candidates do not have the right to use their own findings.

• Not only women feel disadvantaged in academia because of their gender.

Interpretation

• Large differences exist across countries concerning the possibility to put a contract on hold while being with a maternity/paternity leave of absence.

• It is in the most well-known “family friendly” countries that, according to report’s findings, the pressure to postpone having children seems to be the highest.

• Yet, a majority of young researchers coming from Scandinavian countries declares feeling pressured to postpone having children.


EURODOC Survey I:Geographical and Inter-sectorial Mobility

September 30, 2011Snežana Krstić

1. Questions2. Findings3. Interpretation

Questions – Part G – Mobility

Questions

• G1. During your course of study before your doctorate: Did you spend any time abroad for study?

• G2. To what extent are you interested in going abroad with regard to your doctorate for the following reasons? (Data collection for research, research project, doctoral programme courses, joint degree courses, finishing dissertation, etc.)

• G5. Are/ were you pursuing your doctorate abroad?• G6. Are/ were you receiving any additional funding

for your doctorate abroad?

Questions

• G7. If you are/ were receiving funding for pursuing your doctorate abroad, was it difficult to get?

• G8. Please tick the most important sources (up to three sources) of funding your doctorate abroad.

• G10. Do you intend to move abroad or stay abroad for work related purposes after you finish your doctorate?

• G12. How important are the following motivational reasons for your mobility? (Better financial conditions, better research facilities, better career prospects, etc.)

Findings – Part G – Mobility

G2. To what extent are you interested in going abroad with regard to your doctorate for the following reasons? (part I)


AT BE HR FI FR DE NL NO PT SI ES SE%

10%

20%

30%

40%

50%

60%

70%

80%

90%

100%

Data collection for research Research project Doctoral programme coursesJoint degree programmes Finishing dissertation Teaching activitiesSearch in a library

G2. To what extent are you interested in going abroad with regard to your doctorate for the following reasons? (part II)



10%

20%

30%

40%

50%

60%

70%

80%

90%

100%

Conferences without active participation Conferences with active participationSummer schools without active participation Summer schools with active participationWorkshops without active participation Workshops with active participationOther

G8. Please tick the most important sources (up to three sources) of funding your doctorate abroad. (part I)



10%

20%

30%

40%

50%

60%

70%

80%

90%

100%

ScholarshipEmploymentExchange programmeMy study/ research abroad was a part of my official doctoral programme (e. g. cotutelle)Support by relatives (parents, friends, wife/ husband, etc.)

G8. Please tick the most important sources (up to three sources) of funding your doctorate abroad. (part II)



10%

20%

30%

40%

50%

60%

70%

80%

90%

100%

Government loan Personal savings Bank loanUnemployment benefit Social welfare

G12. How important are the following motivational reasons for your mobility? (part I)



10%

20%

30%

40%

50%

60%

70%

80%

90%

100%

Better financial conditions Better research facilities abroad Better career prospectsBetter recognition of profession Better social security

G12. How important are the following motivational reasons for your mobility? (part II)



10%

20%

30%

40%

50%

60%

70%

80%

90%

100%

Cooperation with prominent scientists Better training prospectsProfessional plans of my family members Wanting to live/ work in another culture

Interpretation – Part G – Mobility

Interpretation

• The majority of students (G1) and of doctoral candidates (G5) are still not going abroad.

• The motivational reasons for going abroad are quite clear and focused (G2).

• One of the reasons may be that there is not enough funding available (G6). And when available, it is difficult to get (G7).

• Transparency and availability of exchange programmes (G8) should be increased on the national and international level to foster mobility effectively.

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EURODOC Survey I: Situation of Doctoral Candidates and Early Stage Researchers in Europe