On the 18th of November, the Association of Hungarian PhD and DLA Students (DOSZ) marked its 30-year anniversary with an international conference on ‘Academic Competitiveness: The Future of European Higher Education, Research and Development’, held in the beautiful buildings of the Ludovika University of Public Service in Budapest. YAE’s Chair, Scott Bremer and Outgoing Chair, Katalin Solymosi were both invited to attend to take part in panels and lead group discussions, alongside members from partner organisations, such as the Marie Curie Alumni Association and Eurodoc.
The timing and the topic were poignant, at a moment when European science is pivoting toward a focus on competitiveness, and as science-policy stakeholders gathered in Budapest ahead of the World Science Forum. The conference opened with a set of engaging keynote talks from politicians and scientists on topics of techno-scientific innovation, which set the tone for the days discussion.
What distinguished this conference was how it sought to elevate the views of early-career researchers on Europe’s vision; what parts young scientists see that they play in this future. The conference was organised around taking up the different facets of these roles, on topics such as mental health (led by Scott Bremer), research diaspora, PhD quality assurance, or the organisation of research grants. The conference finished with a panel discussion including Katalin Solymosi, titled: ‘Early-Career Researchers as the Drivers of Change in the European Higher Education’.
Conferences such as this one are important meeting points for European science-policy stakeholders to meet, and it is laudable that this conference centred and elevate the early career perspective; something the YAE was excited to take part in.