It is with great pleasure and a heart full of gratitude that I welcome you to the pages of IRRADIUM, our annual magazine. While I write this message, I am filled with immense pride for all that we, as the Marie Curie Alumni Association, have achieved together over the past years.
READ MOREThis year holds significant importance in the history of the MCAA as we celebrate its 10-year anniversary. The content of this IRRADIUM is dedicated to commemorating this milestone, highlighting the impact the MCAA has made, and giving recognition to a dedicated group of former and current active MCAA members. All of you, despite being volunteers, have helped the organisation grow from the ground up.
READ MOREThe human being is not meant to live alone, but rather in communities to provide the necessary support for possible challenges. Local groups or Chapters are the main pillars of the Marie Curie Alumni Association (MCAA), where we can connect with researchers and create a supportive community to face issues or advocate for better actions.
READ MOREClaire Morel is the Head of Unit in charge of the Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions for the mobility and training of researchers including the development of excellent doctoral programmes, at the European Commission’s Directorate General (DG) for Education, Culture, Youth and Sport. Before that, she was the Head of Unit for international cooperation in the same DG, with a particular focus on the international dimension of the Erasmus+ programme and international policy dialogues in higher education and youth issues with various partners of the EU in the world.
READ MOREThe perception of time is somehow subjective. Was 2014 just ten years ago, or is it another geological era? Both options may be true, but personally, I would opt for the second one. and highlights the role the Association will play in the future in fostering a change in the research culture and in promoting the actions needed at the political level.
READ MORENine years ago, my journey with the MCAA General Assembly began in Porto, Portugal. As the founding vice-chair of the German Chapter and a member of the Policy Working Group, I was part of a dynamic group of nearly 60 researchers. Our enthusiasm was palpable, united by a common goal of transcending traditional academic boundaries. Most of the energy in the meeting came from being aware of the opportunity we had to develop ourselves outside of the typical academic path. We did not discuss much science back then. Our focus was rather on how we could contribute to building a potentially large organisation, how we could leverage our close contact with the Directorate-General for Education and Culture. Our aim was to ensure the voice of researchers would be heard by policymakers, and to open up additional career paths for our members.
READ MOREThe MCAA is turning 10, a testament to the hard work and motivation of volunteer members who have dedicated an important part of their lives to making the MCAA what it is. Why do this on a volunteer basis? Because of its people and because of what you get to learn and experiment with, which you would not necessarily be able to do elsewhere.
READ MOREOne of the most challenging times in a PhD is the midway mark. You are far enough into the programme that the initial enamorment for your research is gone, and gone too is that sense of novelty and excitement. You are also too early for things to start working, which usually happens just a few months or weeks before the end. There in the middle, experiments are one failure after another, you don’t have enough material for publishing, and yet people are starting to ask you about your thesis.
READ MOREI came with my previous board experience as an ordinary Board member during COVID time and decided to take on the challenge as vice chair as this period had been a bit frustrating for all because of the restrictions. Thus, I thought I could give back more to the Association in a second mandate.
READ MOREThe Agreement on Research Assessment Reform sets out a shared direction outlining changes in evaluating research, scholars and research organisations. to pave the way towards a systemic reform of assessment of research, researchers and research organisations that recognises the diverse outputs, practices and activities that maximise the quality and impact of research. It defines the principles, commitments and a timeline for implementing these reforms. Furthermore, it establishes the core values for a coalition of organisations dedicated to working towards these transformations. So far, this initiative gained support from 622 organisations (their number is constantly growing) endorsing the agreement and of them, nearly 600 organisations forming a coalition called CoARA (Coalition for Advancing Research Assessment).
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