SMART Researchers launches baseline survey on research competencies

The SMART Researchers project, a Horizon Europe Coordination and Support Action running from September 2025 to August 2028, aims to build sustainable talent development ecosystems for Early-Stage Researchers (ESRs) in Widening Countries. Through structured training, mentorship, Career Support Centres, and a micro-credentialing framework based on ResearchComp, the project seeks to strengthen research careers, improve working conditions, and support the green and digital transitions across Europe.

As part of this mission, the project has officially launched the survey for Task 3.1 – Baseline Assessment and Competency Mapping, now available on the LimeSurvey platform. The survey marks an important step in the implementation of Work Package 3 (WP3), which focuses on building the project’s common framework for learning units, micro-credentials, assessment, and certification pathways grounded in ResearchComp.

The survey is a key preparatory activity for WP3. Its purpose is to generate a strong evidence base for the next phase of development, helping the consortium identify priority competency needs, skills gaps, and areas where targeted support is most needed. These findings will directly inform the design of future learning units and micro-credentials for researchers.

Developed jointly by the consortium and refined through partner feedback, the final survey applies an Importance-Performance Analysis (IPA) methodology aligned with the ResearchComp framework. It has been designed around two target groups:

Early-Stage Researchers (ESRs)
Mentors / Supervisors

By collecting input from both groups, the survey will help capture a more complete picture of current strengths, challenges, and development priorities in research competencies. This will support the design of more relevant, evidence-based, and coherent capacity-building pathways for researchers across Europe.

The data collection period will run for approximately one month. During this time, partners across the consortium will carry out coordinated dissemination activities through institutional channels, research networks, and social media, with the shared goal of ensuring broad participation and strong representation across countries and institutions.

The launch of this survey is also an important milestone for the wider SMART Researchers initiative. According to the project website, SMART Researchers is developing a long-term support ecosystem for ESRs that combines structured training, mentorship, mobility pathways, and a scalable Competence Lab, while also translating project findings into evidence-based recommendations for strengthening research careers across the European Research Area.

Take part in the survey: