Researchers are on the move: but it’s a rocky road

Researchers in Europe face some daunting obstacles when they decide to spend time abroad to conduct their research. Besides the obvious issues related to the job itself, housing, travel, partners and children, they need to worry about some not so obvious, technical, legal and other tricky matters.

For example, correct information about what happens to their health insurance and pension rights may be difficult to get, and complex to understand. Worse, they may risk losing part or all of their family benefits, or of their pensions, when they go abroad.

The situation is particularly hard on early-stage researchers, who, because of the particular employment conditions in which they tend to finding themselves working, often do not enjoy the same level of social protection as those who are more advanced in their careers.

These issues also apply – and are often exacerbated – in the case of non-EU researchers when they want to move to and inside the EU, and when they return to their home country. Family benefits (especially when relatives stay behind in the country of origin) and pension arrangements are often lost because they cannot be exported outside the EU.

What is to be done about mobile researchers’ social security problems?  It is important to realise that there is little room to manoeuvre. These limits result mainly from three factors:

• national sovereignty in matters of social security and labour conditions of researchers, which are competencies that the EU cannot change;

• EU law, and in particular the general coordination regulations for all migrant workers, with which any specific measures for researchers need to be in line;

• the variety of researcher profiles (for example, depending on the type of employer), the specificities of which call for a differentiated approach.

It is within this framework that actions by the EU, its member states and other parties can and should be taken.

One pressing need is for the EU and its member states to make sure that the new EU coordination regulations on social security, which will become operational in May 2010, are interpreted and implemented in ways that are consistent with the way in which the world of research is organised.

For example, a French archaeologist could be doing field work in Egypt while employed by a Swedish university, so terminology such as residence, place of work and employer, needs to be interpreted appropriately. This will require close consultation with universities and other research performing organisations.

Another issue is ensuring that all early-stage researchers receive adequate social security protection, including health care coverage, family allowances and minimal protection in case of incapacity to work. These “young” researchers, who incidentally tend to study longer and be “older” by the time they enter the labour market, often have an unclear status in between student and employee, and typically work under a succession of varying short-term grants, contracts or scholarships. Their social security coverage is often suboptimal at best. They should also get access to pension insurance as early as possible.

For all researchers actually, solutions need to be found to let supplementary (second and third pillar) pensions better absorb the negative social security consequences of a typical research career.

There are a number of other action points. Third country national researchers active in an EU member state should enjoy fully equal treatment with researchers who are EU citizens. In this regard, the EU should make bilateral agreements with the principal countries that attract researchers to the EU. A network of independent advisers should be developed throughout Europe to provide information and counselling on social security matters. These advisers should be easy to find and be able to provide a tailored response to the specific needs of individual researchers.

Finally, it is important to not treat researchers as a special case, but rather as a pilot that could be applied to other classes of highly mobile workers, such as transport workers and journalists.

Why is it a big deal? Social security issues may only be one element in the puzzle of ensuring attractive research careers. But they are an important one: Europe wants its researchers to be mobile, and that is a good thing, so it should work hard to ensure that the obstacles to mobility are eliminated.

And with estimates that 700,000 researchers will be needed in Europe in the coming years to address the needs of our knowledge society, coupled with alarming trends of stalling or declining investment in research in Europe in stark contrast with massive investment in China and other new competitors, the time has come for urgent, decisive and multiple actions.

These actions will help to create Europe’s so-called fifth freedom, that of free circulation of knowledge, and fit perfectly with the EU’s new and improved “EU 2020” strategy, which replaces the tragically deceased Lisbon strategy. Success will depend on significant political stamina, an efficient action strategy and a choice of the most appropriate instruments.

The conclusions of a recent meeting of the EU Ministers responsible for employment, joined by their colleagues responsible for research, lead us to believe that the political will for action is there. We will watch with keen interest to see whether effective actions and appropriate instruments will follow.

Danny Pieters is Professor of social security law, KU Leuven; Paul Schoukens is Professor of social security law, KU Leuven, Katrien Maes is Chief Policy Officer, LERU.