Starting from the awareness that the European Union aims to strengthen a highly competitive, innovative knowledge‑based economy, the newly adopted European Charter for Researchers (December 2023) now serves as the main instrument for addressing, in a comprehensive manner, the challenges related to the profession and career paths of researchers within the European Research Area.

The new Charter sets out an updated framework of principles and responsibilities designed to:

• enhance the attractiveness of research careers, helping to prevent shortages of researchers, particularly in strategic disciplines essential for Europe’s competitiveness;
• ensure the availability of highly qualified human resources in Research and Development, capable of contributing meaningfully to scientific and technological progress, improving citizens’ quality of life and well‑being, and strengthening Europe’s competitiveness;
• promote a positive public perception of the research profession, increasing awareness of its central role in Europe’s economic and social development;
• encourage young people to pursue careers in Research and Development, supporting the entry of new generations into the research sector;
• increase the participation of women in research, by fostering more sustainable, inclusive and appealing career conditions for female researchers;
• strengthen geographical, intersectoral and interdisciplinary mobility, recognising it as a key component of researchers’ professional development and promoting its full acknowledgement in career assessment and advancement systems.

The new European Charter for Researchers (2023) integrates, within a single document, the principles relating to ethics, integrity, researcher assessment and recruitment, working conditions, and career development. It provides a harmonised framework aimed at making the European research labour market more open, attractive, sustainable and competitive.