The European University Association (EUA) published the report ‘Key principles for attractive and sustainable academic careers: Final report of the EUA Task-and-Finish Group on Academic Careers’ on 27 May 2025. The main message of the report is that a reform of academic careers is needed in Europe to ensure that academia remains an attractive career option and place of excellence.
According to the report, academic careers have always been competitive, but Europe’s higher education sector now faces numerous challenges such as demographic shifts and funding cuts, precarious contracts and working conditions. The report presents five key principles for higher education institutions’ efforts to ensure that academic careers remain attractive and sustainable in the long term. They address: 1) the role of professional development, rewards and recognition in shaping careers; 2) the need for academic careers to reflect the diversity and inclusivity of higher education in Europe; 3) the vital role of the institution as a space that balances competition and collegiality; 4) the role and needs of early-career academics as the most vulnerable group of academics; and 5) the links between academic careers and the societal embeddedness of higher education.