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The pan-European Researcher's Mobility Portal

Considerable progress has been made in recent years in order to facilitate the mobility of researchers in Europe. However, despite the efforts being made on all levels, many obstacles still remain. One of the major obstacles is the lack of adequate information – information on available grants, fellowships and other professional opportunities but also on questions related to visa, social security rights, fiscal matters and practical aspects of everyday life in a foreign country.

In response to this situation, the European Commission in collaboration with the 33 countries participating in the European Union's Sixth Framework Programme for Research and Technological Development have developped a one-stop internet portal. The purpose of this pan-European Researcher’s Mobility Portal is to help European researchers to find answers to all kinds of questions related to transnational mobility. At the same time it aims to create a more favourable environment for the career development especially of younger researchers by providing the necessary structured information as proposed by the Commission Communication "A Mobility Strategy for the European Research Area". The most relevant international, national and sectoral research organisations are being mobilised towards the interconnection at European level of their databases and information sources.

As a community of mobile researchers, the MCFA strongly supports this initiative and has committed itself to contributing to the further development and maintenance of the Portal through continuous feedback and by acting as an information provider.


What services does the Researcher’s Mobility Portal offer?

  • General information about research fellowship and grants, both at national/regional and at European/international level.

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  • Job offers and professional opportunities provided by the different actors of the European research community (academic institutions, research organisations, industry and business, public administration, foundations, etc.).

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  • Practical information about administrative and legal issues when moving from one country to another (conditions of entry, social security and tax schemes, etc.) as well as about cultural/intercultural and family related aspects (housing, schooling, child-care, language courses, etc.).

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  • General information about science policy issues relevant for the career development of researcher in Europe.

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In addition to the information provided through the above-mentioned links, the Portal also offers the following services:

  • Research organisations may advertise their research related jobs and search for suitable candidates to recruit. This service is completely free of charge.
  • Researchers may add their CVs to the Portal's CV Database.

  • A discussion forum allows the exchange of opinions and ideas regarding science policy issues of European relevance, while a various mailing lists provides regular news related to European research.

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Customised assistance

In addition to the internet portal a European network of Mobility Centres will be launched in the not so distant future. These centres will assist (mobile) researchers in all matters related to their professional and daily lives, including practical information on housing, schooling, day-care facilities or language courses.

Your feedback is needed!

We would like to hear your opinion about this undertaking – what is your opinion of the Portal so far? Are there any aspects that have not yet been addressed and that you consider particularly important? Do you know of any reliable and well maintained web sites with information relevant to (mobile) researchers that should get connected to the portal? If so, please use the feedback form to tell us about them. We will periodically bundle up the comments received and pass them on to the Commission. A first collection of ideas and recommendations that was submitted in December 2002 can be found here. Please feel free to comment on this document as well.

The Portal can be accessed here:  http://europa.eu.int/eracareers


For further information:
European Commission - Directorate General for Research
Directorate D: The Human Factor, Mobility and Marie Curie Actions

The contact person within the MCFA is Dagmar M. Meyer.


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