Our vision for a stronger and future proof Ispra site is the creation of an EU Science for Policy Hub, hosting colleagues from other DGs, agencies, and organizations and creating added value by integrating their activities with those of JRC. This vision has been greeted positively by Commissioner Ivanova.
Through this transformation we aim to reinforce its scientific role, maintaining independence from national and international interests, enhancing the independence and role of the JRC as a keystone of the EU policy making process.
Fully independent science-based policy making can only succeed with properly financed infrastructure, and the dedication of highly qualified and enthusiastic staff.
Reinforcing JRC scientific competences is needed. This requires investment in and maintenance of the most modern research and laboratory infrastructures, including informatics. Enabling peer participation in EU research programmes as in the past will continue to be a focus for us, and our consistent messaging on this topic has been heard with the senior management looking into ways to get the JRC back inside FP research programmes in the future. Increased investment in exploratory research and hosting of doctoral students is also essential to ensure the JRC stays at its most creative. The JRC could take further advantage of its experience in the science for policy field by setting up a graduate school, or similar, at Ispra, to provide advance training to other DGs, members states, etc.
An objective, fair and efficient staff selection is critical to select the best potential future colleagues essential to the future of the JRC and the Ispra and Seville sites. The current dire situation of the European Personnel Selection Office (EPSO) which has experienced major difficulties in the last years, in large part related to the failures of remote testing needs to be turned around. R&D has for many years asked for regular competitions for both AST and AD scientific and technical staff and a much needed competition for scientific AD staff will finally be launched in 2024. We have been proposing to the JRC senior management that an increased role in future recruitment practices by the staff representatives will be needed considering a drastic simplification to the selection process recently applied by EPSO. In particular, the laureates on the reserve lists will have had no interviews at all, and their suitability for employment should therefore be adjudicated through a reinforcement of the recruitment process.
Supporting the career development of all staff, including Contractual Agents, is critical to recruiting and retaining the best staff. The attractiveness of the site, offering the most up to date research facilities, creative inspiration, and working environment is also critical.
Staff mobility is essential to ensure that colleagues can continue to perform the work they are most capable of and stimulated to perform, especially considering the rapid pace of change, and prioritisation exercises. The need to create an operational policy offering concrete opportunities for staff mobility at the Ispra site is therefore urgent, and we continue to call for the implementation of a workable approach.
We have paid close attention the ongoing JRC Organisational Transformation set in motion by the previous DG Stephen Quest and continued by the current acting DG Bernard Magenhann. The JRC organisational transformation is and will continue to have a big impact on the JRC’s scientific capabilities, as well on its staff and their jobs. The main aspects are the Reset, re-imagine, re-energise the JRC for future challenges (3R) initiative, the JRC reorganisation of 2022, the revitalised strategy 2030, the creation of the Portfolios, and the ongoing work on the new work programme. The implications of the incoming Commission and new Commission priorities on the JRC’s Work programme and on staff, and the negotiations on the next multi annual budget will also be a critical importance to the JRC and the Ispra and Seville sites.
