About Us

Project factsheet

Strategic Micro-Credentialing and Skills Recognition for a Dynamic Early-Stage Researcher Talent Ecosystem

  • Funding Program: Horizon Europe

  • Call: HORIZON-WIDERA-2024-ERA-02

  • Grant Agreement (GA) No.: 101216967

  • Type of Action: CSA

  • Duration: Sep 2025 - Aug 2028

  • EC Funding: € 1 875 375.00

  • Consortium: 9 partners from 4 countries

  • Coordinator: niversity of Novi Sad Faculty of Technical Sciences

SMART Researchers is a Horizon Europe initiative designed to empower the next generation of scientists. We help early-stage researchers build sustainable, rewarding careers through training, mentorship, and cross-sector mobility. By combining structured support with real-world opportunities, the project creates a skilled community ready to drive scientific, economic, and societal change across Europe.

At the heart of the project are Career Support Centers (CSCs) – hubs of guidance, mentoring, and tailored training. Each center develops Strategic Action Plans that align institutional HR practices with European standards such as the European Framework for Research Careers and the European Charter for Researchers.

A key innovation of SMART Researchers is the micro-credentialing and certification framework, built on the European Competence Framework for Researchers (ResearchComp). This system enables researchers to gain recognition for their advanced skills and prepare for interdisciplinary careers that meet the demands of Europe’s green and digital transitions.

By supporting both researchers and institutions, SMART Researchers strengthens career development, training capacity, and talent circulation across Europe’s research and innovation landscape.

Researchers play an active role in every step of the project – from competency mapping to policy design – ensuring that every solution reflects their real challenges. Together, we’re shaping a more stable, rewarding, and sustainable future for research careers in Europe.

SMART RESEARCHERS is not just a project-it’s a shift in how Europe does science.

Transparency
Drives Trust

SMART Researchers promotes open access to publications and data, ensuring scientific work is transparent, verifiable, and trusted by the public and the academic community.

No More Reinventing
the Wheel

By enabling open data sharing, the project reduces duplication of efforts and enables researchers to build upon existing results, fostering cumulative innovation.

Europe Competes
Through Science

Enhanced access to research infrastructures strengthens the EU’s position as a global leader in science, innovation, and technology-driven progress.

Facts Shape
Better Policies

Research data and results shared through SMART Researchers empower evidence-based policy-making at EU, national, and local levels.