To What extend are Early Career Researchers the Harbingers of Change?

Abstract

This conference on open science is covering many aspects of strategic relevance to build the future of Europe, a future based on knowledge leading to more opportunities for younger generations to express their talent in attractive research careers, be it in universities, research organisations or industry. Some sessions will be dedicated to discussing the assessment of research and researchers' performance, which affects their behaviours. This debate is timely and justified.Most researchers are used to measuring in their labs when collecting and processing data. Scientists have to measure with accuracy to produce reliable and verifiable results. The Nobel laureate Richard Feynman started one of his famous lectures challenging his students about the complexity introduced over the centuries by using different measurement units. Measuring research and researchers' performance is of a different nature and more complex in many ways. It has direct impact on people and a far-reaching policy dimension for the European Research Area. We therefore agree on the need to ensure objectiveness and fairness as guiding principles and we can use assessment methodologies to support broader policy objectives, considering that we live in times of change, including in the scientific methods and the public perception of the role of science.Research processes are in constant evolution, accelerated by the current pandemic and the transition to a resilient, green and digital economy and an inclusive society. The variety of activities making increased use of advanced technologies puts us in a situation where research deliverables are richer and not limited to delivering and counting publications. Modern science delivers other outputs, mostly digital, like datasets, software, algorithms or protocols, and it delivers highly skilled people through specialised education and mentoring. Multidisciplinary collaborations are required to address new scientific questions arising from increased complexity and that is another aspect of this evolution. More and more researchers from different domains, from biology and physics to economics, anthropology or humanities, work together in the boundaries of areas of knowledge.