Post-doctoral researcher

One calls often enquiring post-doctoral an Enquiring , having obtained a Doctorat (generally since less than ten years) and engaged in Limited time contract. This heading does not indicate however a statute or a particular function.

The researchers not-holders are very widespread in the Anglo-Saxon countries (“post-doctoral researcher”). They are generally engaged for one to five years with evolution of the wages during their career and sometimes possibility of establishment at the end of the contract (like Teacher-researcher in particular). A post of post-doctoral researcher can be associated with a contract with research suitable for the research unit or obtained with personal capacity via an organization with financing with research.

In France, their number is much more reduced, the post offices of the public research in front of in theory be occupied by Fonctionnaire S, recruited by a contest on file and hearing. Nevertheless, the current political will is to increase the number of contractual post-doctoral researchers.

According to the Code of conduct for the recruitment of the researchers recommended by the Commission of the European Communities, “the institutions which name titular researchers of a doctorate should lay down clear rules and orientations explicit for the recruitment and the nomination of the researchers postdoctorat, including the maximum duration and the objectives of these nominations. These orientations should take account of the time spent in preceding postdoctorat nominations in other institutions, and owing to the fact that the statute postdoctorat should be transitory, in the original intention offer additional possibilities of professional development for a career of researcher within the framework of prospects for long-term advance. ”

National characteristics

In France

In France, there exists a growing number of young doctors exerting on stations of nontitular agent of public law of the State.

In 1999, the ministry for research set up a financial transaction of 100 one 12 months duration nontitular stations each year for foreign doctors, with a net payment of 1830 euros.

At the beginning of 2003, the ministry for Research installation a new operation of creation of 400 nontitular stations of agent for young French or foreign doctors. A certain number of EPST and EPIC (IRD, CNRS, INSERM, CEMAGREF, INRETS, INRA, LCPC, INRIA, CIRAD, BRGM, ECA) receive within this framework a specific equipment which enables them to finance a certain number of CDD of public law. They have the responsibility for management of these contracts being able to concern researchers exerting in their own laboratories, in university laboratories which theirs are associated or which are recognized by the ministry for research like unit of reception. Each establishment defines the methods of attribution of these contracts in the laboratories and recruitment of doctors on these contracts.

The National center of the scientific research has thus engaged for a few years a growing number of nontitular contractual researchers of public law (236 offers by CNRS in 2007,328 nontitular researchers listed by CNRS at the 12/31/2005, less than 60 before 2003). They are currently recruited on file and sometimes hearing for one duration of 1 possibly renewable years once or 2 years. The young nontitular researchers exert the same functions as a Chargé with research or than a titular engineer of research, with a remuneration independent of the experiment and seniority. For the contracts managed by CNRS, the candidate must be a doctor since less than two years to postulate, the contract is one year possibly renewable a year with wages (at the 9/1/07) 30.000 € gross/years. The contracts managed by the INRA (41 offers in 2007) are two years with a remuneration of 25.800 € brut/an and is addressed to the doctors of less than 40 years. The contracts managed by the INSERM are either one one year duration with wages of 25.800 € brut/an, or one 5 years duration with wages of 38.640 € brut/an. The contracts managed by the INRIA are one 2 years maximum duration with wages of 27.840 €/an gross. The contracts managed by the CEMAGREF are of in more the 18 months with wages of 25.800 € brut/an.

The finance law 2007 creates 100 additional positions (budgetary increase in 1,86 M€) being added to 700 already existing for total costs of 27.85 M € (representing average annual total costs of 34 812,5 € per station).

Apart from the uses of researchers not-holders financed by the ministry for Research via the EPST and the EPIC, the research teams have also employed for a few years of the nontitular researchers in CDD paid on the budget of the contracts of research financed in particular by the National agency of research or European Union (PCRD).

The finance law 2007 also lays down the launching of new dispostif baptized " convention for the innovation and the promotion of research in entreprise" (in summary CIPRE), aiming at supporting the insertion of the doctors in company. A budget of 910.000 € is envisaged for this purpose in order to financing 100 conventions. It is considered that the company receives a subsidy for one three years period, accounting for 50% of the minimum wage (35 000 €) the first year and 25% two following years. The cost unit annual in charge of a convention would be estimated on this basis at 17.500€ the first year and of 8.750 € them two years following. The device will be started in 2007 with 100 new conventions financed in semi-year.

In the United Kingdom

The researcher post-doctoral under limited time contract there are numerous, and account for 93% of the researchers full-time. The relative precariousness of these researchers is criticized by the trade unions and a big part of the academic sector, and a regulation of 2002 has forced to regard as holder any continuous employment in the same institution for more than four years.

The gross salary of a post-doctoral researcher beginning (the first employment after obtaining a Doctorate) is approximately 24.000 pounds sterling per annum (that is to say approximately 35.000 Euro S), fixed by a national grid. It increases with the experience gained in the same way that for a titular or a Teacher-researcher (approximately 800 pounds sterling per year), and can be increased arbitrarily due to “exceptional results”.

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