Universities must take better care of their young researchers, says Rathenau
Life is not easy for budding researchers, says the Rathenau Institute. They deserve better guidance and more understanding in case of illness or pregnancy. They still get little “recognition and appreciation.”
“The position of postdoc researchers is vulnerable. Support is needed,” concludes the Rathenau Institute in a study published today on junior researchers at universities and university medical centers.
The Institute echoes earlier conclusions from the OECD. The International Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development found in 2021 that young researchers often have temporary contracts. The pressure is high to publish results and raise research funds. Otherwise, they cannot stay with their institution.
Guidance
Over the past few years, the government has been pushing for additional permanent funding and more permanent jobs in higher education. It is not clear from the report whether entry-level researchers are already noticing this in practice.
The Rathenau Institute previously conducted research into the motivation of researchers and teachers. In it, it saw reason to take a closer look at entry-level researchers. In addition to postdocs, the Rathenau Institute also looked at PhD students and HBO researchers.
Postdocs and PhD students would benefit from better supervision and more clarity about the requirements they must meet. The Rathenau Institute cites previous research showing that good supervision contributes to fewer mental health issues among PhD students and postdocs.
Recognize and value
Universities should also “more often offer postdocs a contract extension when their project is delayed by, for example, pregnancy or illness,” the report states.
Uncertainty about their career prospects draws heavily on the private lives of postdocs, the young researchers tell the Rathenau Institute. Buying a house is put on the back burner, women postpone their desire for children and hobbies, social contacts and sports activities come under pressure.
Postdocs and PhD students say they do not yet notice much from the Recognize and Appreciate program. With this program, launched in 2019, universities want to reduce the pressure to publish and increase appreciation for researchers' teaching duties, for example. Half of the doctoral students do not know about the program. Sometimes their supervisors say the program does not apply to them.
HBO
The higher education researchers the Rathenau Institute spoke about face very different problems. They feel they are of great value to the practice they are researching, but are underappreciated by research funders and fellow university researchers, the Rathenau Institute writes.
University of Applied Sciences researchers also suffer from inadequate research facilities, such as limited access to scientific journals. They are also said to struggle with the unclear definition of practice-based research itself.
