BACKGROUND
The funding of high quality PhD training and the improvement of career perspectives for young researchers are key objectives of the FNR. In order to shape our funding programmes to the needs of the future generation of researchers, we would like to know more about your aspirations and motivations to pursue a PhD – or research in general – , we would like to understand how you perceive your doctoral training and we would like to learn more about your post-graduation career plans.
To this end, we have introduced a series of surveys that (aspiring) researchers will be asked to complete at the beginning, during, and at the end of their PhD grant period, as well as a couple of years into the labour market. The surveys take only a couple of minutes to fill out, but they have the potential to have a big and long-lasting effect on future funding programs. These surveys are part of a wider research project on the impact of science funding and will be conducted by the FNR jointly with the Chair of Science of Science and Innovation Policy of the KU Leuven.
OBJECTIVE
The main goal of the surveys is to gain a better understanding of the career-paths of early stage career scientists. Through information on the doctoral candidates’ educational history, demographic characteristics, or postgraduation plans among other things, the results will build a foundation for the development of future career funding instruments and policies. Your participation is therefore crucial to boost the impact of FNR’s funding schemes, and more generally to improve the science systems. At the same time, this information provides valuable data for academic research on the conditions, motives and career perspectives of researchers.
Some questions that the survey allows us to address are for instance:
- How high is the retention rate in academia and how does the rate depend on personal characteristics (e.g., gender, age, family status), discipline, type of grant, etc.?
- What are the reasons for leaving academia? Have those reasons evolved over time, what may be the reasons for a change in career preference and what is the impact of FNR funding on careers both in- and outside of academia?
- How do the career paths of grantees differ from those of non-grantees?
- Are there gender specific challenges regarding the career development of early career scientists?
- …
We believe it to be vital to understand what drives PhD candidates and more generally early-stage career scientists, what might change those drives and motivations over time, and how funders and policy makers can respond to ensure optimum outcomes for all.
STUDY DESIGN
The study is set-up as a longitudinal panel survey. It is therefore important that you reply every time you receive the invitation since a high attrition rate would render further analyses impossible. The target group are all PhD candidates that are financed under an FNR funding scheme, and eventually hopefully the population of all PhD candidates in the Luxembourg system. This target group may be increased after this initial pilot study and the survey questions will be adapted accordingly.
Rest reassured: Your input in this survey has no bearing on the evaluation of current or future proposals with the FNR. Only the final analysed outputs will be shared, and those are based on averages or trends that are strictly unidentifiable.
CONFIDENTIALITY
The survey will be administered via Qualtrics. Once your data has been merged to bibliometric information by KU Leuven researchers, the data will be pseudonymized along all identifiable characteristics, rendering< identification or reidentification impossible.
Data storage and privacy rules are fully in line with EU GDPR rules, strictly implemented by both the KU Leuven and the FNR. For more information, please see the FNR Survey Privacy statement.
CONTACT
If you have questions at any time about the study or the procedures, please contact surveys@fnr.lu.