Key principles for attractive and sustainable academic careers: final report of the EUA task-and-finish group on academic careers

Academic careers have always been competitive, but Europe’s higher education sector now faces numerous challenges such as demographic shifts and funding cuts, precarious contracts and working conditions. As European higher education institutions navigate this evolving landscape, this publication presents five key principles for their efforts to ensure that academic careers remain attractive and sustainable in the long term. They address: 1) the role of professional development, rewards and recognition in shaping careers; 2) the need for academic careers to reflect the diversity and inclusivity of higher education in Europe; 3) the vital role of the institution as a space that balances competition and collegiality; 4) the role and needs of early-career academics as the most vulnerable group of academics; and 5) the links between academic careers and the societal embeddedness of higher education. Although they may also serve as inspiration to policy makers, the key principles primarily aim to support higher education leadership and staff in reflecting on their own policies and practices in academic career management. As such, EUA calls on leaders within its large membership of European universities, and indeed across the wider higher education sector, to support the dissemination of these principles throughout their institutions. The development of this publication was guided by a dedicated EUA Task-and-Finish Group on Academic Careers, established in early 2024. This followed the Association highlighting the reform of academic careers as a priority for action in its vision for 2030, ‘Universities without walls’.