Pension plan boosts researcher mobility and brings ERA closer

Employers of researchers in Europe should join a pension scheme specifically designed to support border-crossing careers, says Suzanne Miller-Delaney.

In September, the European Commission’s progress report on the European Research Area highlighted OECD data showing that the research impact of mobile researchers is nearly 20 per cent greater than that of those who have never moved abroad. The continued development of support for mobility in Europe is therefore intrinsic to the effectiveness and ultimate success of the ERA.

The lack of flexibility in supplementary pension benefits has remained a deterrent to cross-border mobility for many researchers. To address this issue, since 2014, the Commission has supported a consortium of employers in creating the Retirement Savings Vehicle for European Research Institutions, or Resaver, a single European pension arrangement that will offer a defined contribution plan specifically for research organisations and their employees.