Science Europe Response to the Call for Evidence on the Skills Portability Initiative

Science Europe has submitted its response to the European Commission’s Call for Evidence on the Skills Portability Initiative. 

In its contribution, Science Europe stresses that better recognition and portability of qualifications and skills are essential to support the mobility of research professionals and strengthen the European Research Area (ERA). It calls for alignment with the forthcoming ERA Act, the Fair Labour Mobility Package, and ongoing reforms in research assessment and open science.

The response highlights the need to recognise a broad range of skills, including those developed beyond academia; and to ensure that mobility is encouraged where beneficial, but not required for career progression. It also advocates measures such as automatic recognition of academic qualifications, improved portability of social rights, and simplified visa procedures.

By ensuring that skills and qualifications are transparently recognised and portable across borders, the EU can remove persistent barriers to researcher mobility and strengthen the foundations of a truly integrated European Research Area. A coherent approach across related initiatives will be key to creating stable, attractive, and future-proof research careers that enable talent to circulate, thrive, and contribute to Europe’s long-term scientific excellence and societal resilience.