Litouws voorzitterschap houdt conferentie over gebruik onderzoeksfondsen in EU (en)

On 14-15 November around 200 European researchers and experts gather in Vilnius to discuss new funding and career opportunities for researchers. The international conference “Invest in Research”, one of the main events of the Lithuanian Presidency of the EU Council dedicated to research promotion, will examine challenges of the European human resources in research with a special focus on young researchers and successful use of available financial resources.

“Although Europe has a strong science and research base, we need more young people to join the force. One of the major challenges for the EU is to provide a more attractive environment for creative and innovative researchers. Therefore a further harmonization of efforts is required to improve and to balance the attractiveness of various regions within the EU”, says Lithuanian Viceminister of Education and Science Rimantas Vaitkus.

“This conference gives us all an excellent opportunity to talk about different funding sources combinations, including Horizon 2020 measures to widen participation, Structural Funds and Marie Skłodowska Curie Actions to boost investment in human resources for R&D and innovation in Europe. It is of crucial importance that countries and researchers make best use of the available resources”, says Viceminister R. Vaitkus.

The discussions at the conference will be focused on making research careers more attractive and promoting research mobility within the EU. New approaches to doctoral training and generating research-related jobs will be presented. Experts, researchers and policy makers will exchange examples of good practice using European Structural and Investment Funds, enhancing lifelong professional development for researchers and fostering research networks.