The Eurodoc 2009 conference

Innovations in Europe: From Academia to Practice and Back

The annual Eurodoc conference took place from March 26 till March 28, 2009 in Banská Bystrica, Slovakia. This major European gathering of young researchers and policy makers was co-organised by ADS, the Slovak Association of Doctorands, and SKRVŠ, the Czech Association of Doctoral Candidates.
Eurodoc is the voice of doctoral candidates and young researchers in Europe; it is a permanent partner of the European Commission with regard to the European Research Area and the European Higher Education. This year’s event was of significant importance since for the first time in Eurodoc’s existence it was held in one of the new member states of the European Union. The subject of this year’s conference was ‘Innovations in Europe: From Academia to Practice and Back’.  
After the opening speeches of the rector of Matej Bel University in Banská Bystrica, Beata Kosová, and the city’s vice-major, Róbert Kazík the first plenary session with as topic "Academia in the Era of Knowledge Based Economy" started. The keynote speakers in this session were the Slovak Republic’s Deputy Prime Minister for Knowledge-Based Society Dušan Čaplovič, the General Director of the Ministry of Education of the Slovak Republic Peter Plavčan, the Deputy Director-General of the DG Research of the European Commission Anneli Pauli and Jean-Patrick Connerade, Emiritus Professor of the Imperial College in London and well-known expert on the field of higher education and research.
The Eurodoc delegates and other participants discussed - during roundtables and workshops - policy recommendations on ‘Doctoral Programmes in Europe – Their Role in a Knowledge-Based Economy’, ‘Fostering Cooperation Between University and Industry’, ‘Success Stories of Intersectorial Mobility - Doctoral Candidates’ Views’, ’Lisbon Strategy and Innovation Policy within the EU’ and ’The Role of Universities in the Innovative Economy’. The conference finished with a plenary session in which also the impact of the current world wide economic crisis on the funding of education and research was
discussed.  
The most important conclusion of the conference is that in order to reach the Lisbon and Bologna aims 'action' is needed. The Member States and the institutions were provided with a theoretical framework. It is up to them to put theory into practice. However until now little of these improvements have been implemented; only small steps have been taken and this in a fragmented and random way. In order to achieve the aims of the Lisbon/Bologna process, political will, political pressure and funding is needed.
Eurodoc is determined to contribute to this process by, amongst others, developing practical policies that can easily be adopted and implemented like its ’Five Principles and Recommendations towards a More Open European Labour Market for Researchers’.  
Moreover, to make policy on doctoral researchers work, policy makers should know what young researchers think and want. Thus it is of the utmost importance that policy makers on all levels (local, regional, national, and international) involve young researchers when drafting and implementing policies that affect these young reseachers. This conference re-assured the status of Eurodoc as key partner and main voice of young researchers on the European level. Therefore we call on the European Union to grant Eurodoc an even stronger position within the the ERA and EHEA.  
The next Eurodoc Conference will take place in Vienna on March 11-15, 2010. The conference theme will be “Stocktaking and Prospects: Doctoral Training and Research – the Link between EHEA and ERA”.   

The Eurodoc Annual General Meeting 2009
Banská Bystrica, Slovakia

At the General Assembly, which took place directly after the annual Eurodoc conference in Banská Bystrica (SK) a new Eurodoc board was elected. The new President of Eurodoc is Nikola Macharová, doctoral candidate at Nitra, Slovak Republic. Nikola, coming from a position in the Slovak Doctorands Association’s board, is working on her doctoral thesis on "Life Long Learning in Management of Cultural Institutions". 
The composition of the newly elected Board is the following: 
• President: Nikola Macharová (Slovakia) 
• Vice president: Nadia Koltcheva (Bulgaria) 
• Secretary: Elena Xeni (Cyprus) 
• Treasurer: Darius Köster (France) 
• General Board Member: Ing-Marie Ahl (Sweden) 
• General Board Member: Zaza Nadia Lee Hansen (Denmark) 
• General Board Member: Sverre Lundemo (Norway) 
The most important aim of this year's Eurodoc board will be the strengthening of the position of Eurodoc as well-recognised stakeholder in the European Research Area and the European Higher Education Area by representing the voice of Europe’s doctoral candidates and young researchers. The General Assembly showed resolve by taking up a resolution to the board to aim at the harmonisation of doctoral programs across Europe. 
Currently, Eurodoc is conducting what can be considered the most elaborate survey until now on the situation of young researchers in Europe. The results will be presented at the Eurodoc Conferece in 2010. Furthermore, the General Assembly agreed to make a strong statement to claim the importance of investing into the future by investing in education and research, also and especially in times of economic crisis. 
The relevance of Eurodoc and of the community it represents was witnessed by the increasing recognition of young researchers as core stakeholders and partners in policy debates and actions at the national and European level during the last period, and is expected to rise significantly over the next years. 
The next General Assembly will take place right after the Eurodoc Conference on “Stocktaking and Prospects: Doctoral Training and Research – the Link between EHEA and ERA”. It will take place in Vienna on March 11-15, 2010.