Researchers without borders (#EU4PHD)
On the 11th and 12th of December 2017 the two-day event “Researchers without borders” (#EU4PHD), organized in Paris by Association Bernard Gregory (ABG), the French-German University (FGU) and the French-Italian University (FIU) and supported by the European Commission, brought together representatives of companies, research institutes, mobility funding bodies and career advisors from different European countries to discuss about mobility and career development for PhDs in Europe.
The event, which was attended by 92 participants, was opened by Dr. Vincent Mignotte, Executive Director of the ABG, Prof. Dr. David Capitant, President of the FGU, Dr. Jean-Claude Arditti, Executive Committee Member of the FIU as well as Katrin Fehringer, Euraxess Coordinator. After the introduction, participants could two days running deepen their knowledge of the research landscape in Europe, the process of recruitment in Europe’s academic and industrial sectors, grants and funding for (post)doctoral mobility and career opportunities in Europe through plenary sessions, workshops, individual advisory sessions and a fair. The event was a great success. This was reflected not only by the quantitative evaluation form filled by the participants, speakers and exhibitors but also by the very positive testimonials in terms of quality.
Mobility and career development for PhDs in Europe, the topics of the event, are contemporary relevant issues to the FGU. That’s why the FGU conducted a survey in 2017 amongst 120 young scientists who have made joint PhD degrees (cotutelle de thèse) between Germany and France. One of the most important outcomes of the survey is that a lot of young scientists funded by the FGU have already been internationally mobile even before the cotutelle de thèse. So have completed already about 20% of them a joint degree program at french and german universities under the management of the FGU. After their cotutelle de thèse they also are generally mobile since approximately 70% of them are currently working in an international context. It was further found that they are usually quick to find a job. Most respondents (63 %) have already found a job appropriate to their skills and capacities during the first three months after the defence of their cotutelle de thèse. Furthermore, over 40 % of them occupy now leading positions with significant supervisory and project responsibilities. It therefore shows that doing a cotutelle de thèse has an instantly positive impact on employment and career development.