Newsletter No. 3

Following the completion of the baseline assessment, partners have moved into the next important phase of the project: preparing Strategic Action Plans for ESR Career Development. These plans will translate the identified needs and challenges into concrete actions aimed at improving working conditions and strengthening support for researchers across participating institutions.

In line with the project timeline, all Strategic Action Plans are expected to be formally adopted and publicly available by the end of August.

Instead of working in parallel, SMART Researchers is joining forces with sister projects under the Talent Ecosystems call to build a more coordinated and connected network. By sharing knowledge, aligning activities, and amplifying each other's impact, we aim to transform individual efforts into collective action.

Through collaboration with all sister projects, SMART Researchers is contributing to the development of a stronger ERA Talent ecosystem that better supports research talent development, skills enhancement, and mobility across Europe.

We have launched the "Voices of Researchers" campaign to highlight the experiences of early-stage researchers from Widening countries. Through a series of interviews, researchers share their journeys, challenges, and the support they need to progress in their careers. The aim of the campaign is to give visibility to their perspectives, strengthen peer learning and networking, and help shape more relevant training and support activities within the project.

The SMART Researchers project was represented at the 17th Asian Conference on the Social Sciences (ACSS2026), held from 9-13 May 2026 in Tokyo, Japan, where we had the opportunity to present our latest work and exchange ideas with the international research community.

The paper, "From Normative Ethics to Human Intelligence: A Five-Phase Model for Transforming Research Career Systems in Europe," co-authored by our coordinator Danijela Ćirić Lalić and partners Miroslav Vujicic, Uglješa Stankov, Ivana Bilic, and Sanja Tišma, explores a key question: why do well-designed frameworks so often fail to translate into research environments that effectively support researchers and their careers?

The paper proposes a five-phase model that moves beyond principle-based approaches and views research career systems as dynamic, human-centred environments rather than simply collections of policies and procedures. The focus is on understanding how institutional conditions are experienced in practice and how research systems can evolve towards greater coherence, effectiveness, and support for researchers.

This perspective strongly reflects the mission of SMART Researchers: moving beyond creating more frameworks and towards building better-functioning systems that enable sustainable and meaningful research careers.

We are grateful to the ACSS2026 community for the inspiring discussions, valuable exchanges, and new perspectives shared during the conference in Tokyo.

As part of the Managerial Decision-Making course for third-year students in the Professional Undergraduate Study Programme at the Faculty of Economics, Business and Tourism - University of Split, Prof. Ivana Bulog presented the SMART Researchers project, its main objectives, consortium activities, and expected impact on the development of research careers across Europe. The session gave students valuable insight into research career pathways and highlighted the importance of developing both disciplinary and transversal competences. For many, it was their first introduction to ERA initiatives and researcher support mechanisms, making it especially impactful in raising awareness and sparking interest.

The project was also presented within the lecture "Communication and Presentation Skills" of the TRIBE PhD programme at the University of Split School of Medicine. Prof. Dr. Sc. Ivana Bilic introduced the SMART Researchers project, highlighting its main objectives and activities aimed at supporting early-stage researchers through structured training, competence development, mentoring, and career support. The event helped raise awareness about the importance of transversal and research-related competences, encouraged engagement in research careers, and inspired active participation in upcoming project activities.

Our coordinating team from the Faculty of Technical Sciences, University of Novi Sad, delivered a presentation titled "Driving Innovation Through International Grants: The Faculty of Technical Sciences Case Study," emphasising the importance of moving beyond "isolated islands of excellence" toward a strong institutional research and innovation ecosystem. As part of the presentation, the role of the SMART Researchers project was highlighted in strengthening research support infrastructure and building sustainable talent ecosystems for ESRs in Widening Countries.

Our partners from the European Academy presented the SMART Researchers project at the Culture, Creativity and Inclusive Society Matchmaking Event.

It was organised by Crowdhelix and SOAS University of London to support collaboration within Horizon Europe Cluster 2. The event brought together universities, research organisations, education providers, SMEs, NGOs, policy stakeholders, and innovation actors interested in developing strong consortia for the 2026 calls. During the event, our partners highlighted SMART Researchers' focus on building sustainable talent development ecosystems for early-stage researchers, addressing key themes such as lifelong learning, skills recognition, institutional transformation, research excellence, career development, widening participation, and the future of European research talent.

Every month, one of the SMART Researchers consortium partners shares a practical tip for researchers, covering topics that can support their professional development and research journey.

Hear advice from:

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