European Expat Network

Weaving together research in Europe with European researchers in the US is the aim of a network the European Commission (EC) is launching this fall: the European Researchers Abroad Link (ERA-Link).

An estimated 115 000 researchers from the European Union’s 25 member states work in the US in the natural and social sciences, engineering, and the humanities. A planning paper for ERA-Link describes those researchers as “a patrimony of knowledge and experience, and a potential for transatlantic cooperation on which Europe could capitalise more effectively…. regardless of the reasons that brought them overseas, and of whether or not they intend to return.”

For their part, US-based European researchers are enthusiastic about the proposed network, a recent EC survey finds. Overwhelmingly, the nearly 2000 respondents across all fields and career levels said they are keen to forge closer ties with other European researchers in the US and with individual researchers and scientific organizations in Europe.

Initially, ERA-Link will consist of an electronic newsletter and website publicizing funding sources, visiting professorships, job postings in academia and industry, conferences, workshops, and student exchange opportunities in Europe. Later, it may be tailored to individual needs, says Alessandro Damiani, the science, technology, and education counselor in the EC’s Washington, DC, office. “We want to keep it interactive and flexible.”

For more information, or to join ERA-Link, see http://www.eurunion.org/legislat/ste/eralink.htm .