Back from the 2025 MSCA Presidency Conference in Denmark

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Strategic Alignment with ABG’s Mission

Highlights of the MSCA Presidency Conference Program

Fostering New Career Pathways for PhDs

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ABG - Association Bernard Gregory, committed to serving doctoral excellence and bridging academia with the economic sector, actively participated in the MSCA Presidency Conference 2025 and satelite event entitles "Pathways Forward: Building your Career Post-Fellowship 2025" organized by the Denmark Chapter of the Marie Curie Alumni Association - MCAA in collaboration with the MCAA Sweden Chapter, the Career Development MCAA Working Group and the Bridging Science and Business MCAA Working Group. The events took place on September 18-19 in Lyngby, Denmark, hosted by the Technical University of Denmark (DTU) during the Danish Presidency of the EU Council. It gathered key players from the European doctoral ecosystem to discuss attracting and retaining top research talent and shaping the future of doctoral education.
 

Strategic Alignment with ABG’s Mission

ABG represented by Dr. Dominika Foretek, International Cooperation and Training Officer, reflects the association’s strategic direction and values related to supporting career development of researchers and intersectoral mobility that was a main theme of one of panel debates during the conference. The MCAA satelite event "Pathways Forward: Building your Career Post-Fellowship 2025" provided an additional opportunity to exchange with young researchers about different opportunities for PhD holders outside of academia. Dr. Foretek notably animated a workshop titled "The Benefits of a PhD & Networking in Job Hunting". Active participation of researchers during this interactive wokshop further confirms the importance of dialog between the two sectors and ABG’s role as a pivotal link between academic excellence and market needs.

Highlights of the MSCA PresideNCY CONFERENCE PROGRAM

The presentations, round tables and panel discussions duirng the conference focused on:

1. The purpose-driven university as a destination of choice for academic talent.
    
2. New trends in research(er) evaluation and the impact on ECRs.
    
3. Academic talent programmes.
    
4. Working together for intersectoral mobility.
    
5. Workplace culture, DEI and well-being.

This selected themes shows the exceptional character of Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions that is open for a dialog with researchers and institutions to adapt and answer the needs from the community. A perfect example showing how MSCA programs differ from other funding schemes were mentioned during the session related to work culture and inclusivity:

• Equal Pay and Enhanced Inclusion: salaries equal across all genders, specific aid for accommodations for people with disabilities.
   
• Openness to LGBTQ+ Communities: family alowance including any type of family model.
   
• Female Leadership in Research: with 46% female researchers among doctoral candidates, MSCA programs surpass other European funding initiatives in gender parity.

Fostering New Career Pathways for PhDs

Strategic opportunities for PhD holders were also a core focus of the event:

• Discussion on non-academic placements and intersectoral mobility to better integrate PhDs into the private sector, an area historically aligned with ABG’s expertise.
   
• Exploration of hybrid career models combining research, industry, entrepreneurship, and innovation, matching ABG-supported profiles.
   
• Promoting "purpose-driven universities," emphasizing the potential social and environmental impact of research, presented by Prof. Debbie Haski-Leventhal and Dr. Victoria Hurth.

ABG’s International Strategy and Vision

This conference shows ABG’s interest in international research community and collaborations:

• Anticipating European program developments to better advise international PhDs.
   
• Building strategic partnerships within the European doctoral employment landscape.
   
• Enhancing the visibility of ABG's PhD career expertise globally.

As Christine Nellemann noted at the closing :

perfectly resonating with ABG’s mission to empower PhDs as change agents within academia and the socio-economic sector.