BOOST Project Launches Survey to Strengthen Research and Innovation Careers in Widening Countries

The BOOST project has launched a new survey designed to strengthen research and innovation (R&I) competences and career pathways for researchers and research support professionals in Widening countries, in line with European Research Area (ERA) priorities.

Widening countries (including Cyprus) demonstrate strong performance in academic and fundamental research but often face challenges in transforming research results into market-ready products and services. This gap affects sustainability, employability, and entrepreneurship, and contributes to the brain drain of talented researchers seeking opportunities abroad. At the same time, many institutions lack sufficient trained administrative, managerial, and technical staff, as well as dedicated technology transfer structures.

BOOST responds to these challenges by aiming to:

  • Strengthen the R&I capacities of organisations in Widening countries
  • Enhance career opportunities for researchers, innovators, and research-support professionals
  • Promote cross-sectoral mobility and collaboration between academia and industry
  • Build sustainable communities connecting widening and non-widening countries

Through specialised training programmes, international mobility opportunities, and an online collaboration platform, BOOST seeks to boost human capital, improve employability, and support knowledge transfer across Europe.

Take Part in the BOOST Survey

As part of this effort, the BOOST consortium invites researchers and research-support staff to participate in a short, anonymous survey developed by the University of Nicosia.

The survey aims to:

  • Identify current competence levels of R&I professionals
  • Understand which competences are considered most important for future career development
  • Detect competence gaps, which will directly inform the design of the BOOST training modules, secondments, and targeted capacity-building actions

For each competence area, participants are asked to:

  • Assess their current level of competence (based on the past 12 months), and
  • Rate the importance of that competence for their career over the next 3 years

A higher importance rating compared to current competence indicates a stronger development need. At an aggregate level, the results will help map competence gaps across roles, career stages, sectors, and demographic characteristics.

Take the survey here: https://ec.europa.eu/eusurvey/runner/BOOST_Project_Competences

Your contribution is essential to ensuring that BOOST develops targeted, relevant, and evidence based support measures that respond to real needs within the R&I ecosystem of Widening countries.

All BOOST project deliverables will be published on CORDIS: https://cordis.europa.eu/project/id/101217321

Disclaimer:

Funded by the European Union. Views and opinions expressed are however those of the author(s) only and do not necessarily reflect those of the European Union or the European Research Executive Agency. Neither the European Union nor the European Research Executive Agency can be held responsible for them [Grant Agreement ID: 101217321].