Go Global with your Career in Research

EU News 493/2013

29 November 2013

The EU Delegation's Science and Technology Section on tour in Japan to promote mobility to Europe and to Germany

- Joint outreach action of the EU Delegation with the German Research Community (DFG) and the German 'Alexander von Humboldt Foundation'

 

Mobility figures of Japanese researchers declined dramatically during the last decade. This is due to a trend of young Japanese researchers often preferring to stay in Japan, not to miss their next career step. In the past two years however, Japanese mobility statistics showed a tiny increase in outgoing mobility numbers again, but only for the destination "Europe" (out bound figures for the US, and for Asia and others remain flat – see presentation).

The European philosophy on how to create an excellent career for young researchers is very much based on a necessary phase of mobility and the need to work in an international lab. Only then, young researchers learn to understand other countries' thinking, cultures, knowledge building systems and will gain in creativity.

Europeans would like to share this approach also with Japan and create more contacts, links and exchanges with Japanese institutions. Taking this shy momentum of slightly increasing figures, the German Research Community (DFG) and Alexander von Humboldt Foundation (AvH) together with the S&T section of the EU Delegation organized "Go Global with your Career in Research, " an outreach action for European, Japanese and other researchers in Japan. The most mobile researchers in Japan are often of foreign origin.

The EU contributed with a presentation of the Marie Sklodowska Curie Actions (MSCA) under the new European funding programme "Horizon2020" (2014-2020), and of the European Research Council (ERC) followed by discussions and individual advice sessions.

Joint Info Days were held on 25 October 2013 in Fukuoka, on 28 October in Tokyo and on 29 October in Sapporo, Hokkaido. Barbara Rhode gave a talk in Tokyo and Sapporo and Tom Kuczynski in Fukuoka. Many young and experienced researchers showed interest in the individual fellowships programmes, while University representatives were keen on learning about the structure and networks creating exchange actions, such as the "IRSES" (International Research Staff Exchange Scheme) or the "ITN" (Initial Training Networks).

  

References:

European Funding Guide for Researchers & Students in Japan (Winter 2011/2012)

"Go Global with your Career" Brochure

Presentation by the EU Delegation on Marie Sklodowska Curie Actions (MSCA)

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