The EU and the Member States (MS) have called for the removal of barriers to the free movement of knowledge noting the need for action in several specific areas such as researcher mobility and an open researchers' labour market, further higher education reforms, fostering scientific excellence, the optimal use of intellectual property arising from public research, and building up a new generation of world-class research facilities. It is therefore essential to achieve an effective circulation of knowledge in order to render the European Research Area (ERA) a true open market for innovation and in order for Europe to become and remain a world-class location for R&D in the long term. “Brainpower circulation”is therefore at the heart of the EC’s policy on human resources in R&D.

The communication “Better Careers and More Mobility: A European Partnership for Researchers” adopted by the EC in May 2008 aims to address this issue. It is a partnership with and among Member States entailing a focussed framework to make rapid progress across Europe in key areas determining better careers and more mobility of researchers. The implementation of this partnership is followed by the ERA Steering Group for Human Resources and Mobility (SGHRM), which in addition to the 27 MS, include the twelve countries associated to the Framework Programme; thus, making it most relevant to the WBCs involved.

Within the framework of this partnership, the MS and the EC are committed to make more rapid, measurable progress to:

• systematically open recruitment;
• meet the social security and supplementary pensions needs of mobile researchers;
• provide attractive employment and working conditions; and
• enhance the training, skills and experience of researchers.

Several of the EC’s initiatives for the mobility and career of researchers were consolidated as of June 2008 under the overall brand name of “EURAXESSResearchers in Motion”.
This covers the following four initiatives:

• EURAXESS-Jobs: Helping researchers' mobility being a one-stop-shop for finding fellowships and research jobs
• EURAXESS-Services: Helping mobile researchers with practical issues like social security, residence, family, schools, etc.
• EURAXESS-Rights: Providing information on the European Charter for Researchers and the Code of Conduct for their recruitment
• EURAXESS-Links: A specific initiative for the scientific diaspora maintaining the link with European researchers abroad