Advanced Human Capital for Europe Rector Lauritz Holm-Nielsen Gothenborg AARHUS UNIVERSITY AARHUS UNIVERSITY Advanced Human Capital for Europe Rector Lauritz B. Holm-Nielsen

Advanced Human Capital for Europe Rector Lauritz Holm-Nielsen Gothenborg AARHUS UNIVERSITY Europe demands advanced human capital  Innovation Union 2020: new research jobs  ERAB 2030 recommendations:  50% of EC research funding should go to frontier, high-risk R&D  20% of EU doctoral candidates working outside their home country  5% of GDP is spend on R&D. Private investments accounts for 2/3  EU+member states triple spending on higher education to 3.3% of GDP  Half of the adult population has achieved tertiary education

Advanced Human Capital for Europe Rector Lauritz Holm-Nielsen Gothenborg AARHUS UNIVERSITY Scientific staff increasingly on the move Share of foreign-born human resources in science and technology, aged years in EU-27 and selected countries, 2006 Source: Eurostat HRST data base

Advanced Human Capital for Europe Rector Lauritz Holm-Nielsen Gothenborg AARHUS UNIVERSITY International mobility of talent  Attracting researchers is not simply a question of pecuniary rewards  Opportunities for career development  Autonomy to pursue the unexpected  Well-financed positions (tenure track)  Importance of creating attractive research environments Source: Holm-Nielsen & Thorn, 2008

Advanced Human Capital for Europe Rector Lauritz Holm-Nielsen Gothenborg AARHUS UNIVERSITY How attractive are different university systems? Criteria  Degree of independence  Guidance received from superior or coworkers  Salary  Holiday entitlement  Health-care benefits  Maternity or paternity leave  Retirement plan  Total hours worked per week Source: Nature Vol June 2010

Advanced Human Capital for Europe Rector Lauritz Holm-Nielsen Gothenborg AARHUS UNIVERSITY How can European Universities contribute?

Advanced Human Capital for Europe Rector Lauritz Holm-Nielsen Gothenborg AARHUS UNIVERSITY Early identification of research talent - Bologna and PhD programs Bologna Classic Bologna Danese

Advanced Human Capital for Europe Rector Lauritz Holm-Nielsen Gothenborg AARHUS UNIVERSITY Principles guiding career development at Aarhus University  Clearly defined pathways  Support for high-flying individuals  Incentives for scientific staff to work across scientific disciplines  Recognition of alternative career tracks (e.g. industrial PhD program)  Early warning when permanent employment is unlikely to be realized Early recruitment PhD Post doc Early career Advanced career

Advanced Human Capital for Europe Rector Lauritz Holm-Nielsen Gothenborg AARHUS UNIVERSITY Nurturing young researchers  Grants for screening potential PhDs and post docs  Provide young staff freedom to conduct independent research  Proactive assistance from research support office e.g. in identifying and applying for competitive funding  Allocate time for training in transferable skills and international collaboration

Knowledge exchange Education Research Talent development The Humboldt UniversityThe Triple Helix University The Modern University PhDs Post docsStudents Studies Lifelong learning Contracts Research programmes Research projects Professors

Advanced Human Capital for Europe Rector Lauritz Holm-Nielsen Gothenborg AARHUS UNIVERSITY Strategic use of university resources  Strategic use of the university research foundation and central resources  Award potential and not always exclusively an extensive track record  Starting grants for young potential researchers  Support the recruitment of highly accomplished scientists and foreign professors Nobel Laureate Dale T. Mortensen NWU and Aarhus University The Nobel Prize in Economics, 2010

Advanced Human Capital for Europe Rector Lauritz Holm-Nielsen Gothenborg AARHUS UNIVERSITY Recruitment  Need to avoid “cannibalism” by promoting brain circulation and refraining from charitable recruitment  Post all research positions- including entry-level posts, openly and internationally  Headhunting and active use of search committees  Be willing to share the best Prof. Francis Fukuyama, Stanford and Aarhus University

Advanced Human Capital for Europe Rector Lauritz Holm-Nielsen Gothenborg AARHUS UNIVERSITY Fair brain circulation and building capacity  Well-managed universities in developing countries  Local knowledge production and innovation  Local availability of highly skilled graduates  How may Europe’s university sector contribute to capacity building in a fair and effective ?  Can we stimulate brain circulation? 13

Advanced Human Capital for Europe Rector Lauritz Holm-Nielsen Gothenborg AARHUS UNIVERSITY For the world’s top universities the real challenge is not funding but competing for the most advanced human capital… Nobel Laureate Jens Christian Skou, Aarhus University The Nobel Prize in Chemistry, 1997

Advanced Human Capital for Europe Rector Lauritz Holm-Nielsen Gothenborg AARHUS UNIVERSITY 15 Thank you Rector Lauritz B. Holm-Nielsen