"Precariousness and insecurity do not promote innovation". Interview with actionuni co-president Hannah Schoch

Actionuni's newly-elected co-president Hannah Schoch in conversation with Kadermarkt as to how fighting precariousness and insecurity for mid-level academic staff is a win-win for all.

Food for thought-Avuba’s 2020 postdoc snapshot

Our member from the University of Basel, avuba, has just published a comprehensive survey of UniBasel postdocs, carried out in 2020, a year we are unlikely to forget.

The data is impressive and shows how much change is needed for mid-level staff, and specifically postdoc, employment, support and promotion.

An overview of the datasets in German or in English and the survey itself and a summary of results in German and English are now publicly available. Talk of food for thought…..

Covid-19: The Quiet Crisis of PhDs and COVID-19

Please follow this link to read this sobering research article from Australia where the authors “….found that 75% of students expect to experience financial hardship as a result of the pandemic. Consequently, 45% report being pushed beyond their financial capacities and expect to be forced to disengage from their research within six months. Comparative pre-COVID data from an Australian national survey, reports research student disengagement of 20% over four years. The 25% increase of expected disengagement, in a much-reduced period, signals a deeper PhD crisis. Swift intervention is required to avert substantial impacts to the pipeline of research talent.”

The immigration limitation initiative is a losing game for us all

The limitation initiative, including the termination initiative, affects the universities to a high degree: it jeopardizes two bilateral agreements that are important for the Swiss universities: The free movement of persons and the European research framework programmes.

We would like to draw your attention to the following media release from swissuniversities:

DE:  https://www.swissuniversities.ch/aktuell/nein-zur-begrenzungsinitiative-schweizer-hochschulen-sind-erfolgreich-dank-ihrer-vernetzung

FR:  https://www.swissuniversities.ch/fr/actualite/non-a-linitiative-de-limitation-le-succes-des-hautes-ecoles-suisses-depend-de-leur-mise-en-reseau

IT : https://www.swissuniversities.ch/it/attualita/no-alliniziativa-per-la-limitazione-le-scuole-universitarie-svizzere-hanno-successo-grazie-alla-loro-interconnessione