As many may have already noticed, we EURAXESS launched a totally renewed version of our portal in late 2016, for a better user experience and adding some new, very useful features. At this occasion, we had an interview with Mr Notis Pikros, Intrasoft International; Technical Responsible for the EURAXESS Portal.
FInd also the euraxess_new_portal_presentation_24.11.2016.pdf here.
- Notis, you and your team have been working very hard to design the new EURAXESS portal that has recently been launched. In a nutshell, which are the most important features of this new portal?
Job opportunities, funding as well as personalised services and training are known to be fundamental to a successful research career. At EURAXESS we have adapted to the ever-growing needs of the research landscape by redesigning the EURAXESS portal, a platform for researchers, entrepreneurs, universities and businesses to interact with each other.
On the new EURAXESS portal, researchers, research institutions and companies will be pleased to find a consistent palette of new and improved functionalities designed especially for them. To mention a few, we have a responsive design: the EURAXESS platform will adapt to any type of device from mobile to tablet and desktop. The portal will also address to two new target groups: entrepreneurs and businesses.
Another very important aspect of the revamped portal will be a new type of offer. Aside from job opportunities, visitors to the portal will be able to search for funding, hosting, internship and training offers! Moreover, the new EURAXESS dashboard/private area has been especially designed to match registered users with the best collaboration, job and hosting opportunities. The search functionality has been improved to allow for both free text and pre-defined search, all this in order to guarantee a better search experience.
Last but not least, the brand new collaboration tool called “Partnering” will help people and organisations connect, while the Science4Refugees Research Buddy Programme will support refugee scientists in finding European researchers to discuss problems, find solutions and study together, by matching their research field, scientific studies and interests.
In a nutshell, it has been quite a ride! We've surely enjoyed the process, we've gained a lot of experience along the way and we are now extremely proud to have launched this portal.
- As a researcher how can the portal help me find a research position? Or a research funding opportunity?
If you are a researcher looking for a job or funding opportunity in Europe, EURAXESS is the best place to start your search! At EURAXESS, researchers will be able to browse through a collection of thousands of research related job vacancies as well as funding opportunities. The search for offers does not necessarily require registration, meaning that researchers will be able to search for opportunities in a free and easy way without having to create a profile. Both the job and the funding offers are accessible via the pre-defined search functionality (at the top of the EURAXESS homepage), the JOBS & FUNDING section, or the free text search functionality (at the top right hand side of the homepage menu). Once the researcher has found the offer suiting him/her the most, he/she can apply by following the instructions under the "Apply" button.
It is important to note that the institutions publishing on EURAXESS will provide the necessary details for application (e.g. e-mail address, website etc.) but the application itself will always happen outside the EURAXESS portal.
Apart from searching for offers, we also invite researchers to edit/upload their CV at EURAXESS, thus making it available to the thousands of potential recruiters registered in our database. Once they have created a researcher profile via the LOGIN/REGISTER section, they will easily be able to edit/upload their CV via the MY EURAXESS private area.
Last but not least, another very important aspect of the EURAXESS initiative, that I would like to stress is that once the researcher has found his/her dream job, he/she can beneficiate from the free, personalised assistance of the EURAXESS Centres, a network of more than 500 units spread across Europe that assist researchers relocate to a foreign country for their new assignment. Researchers can also access the EURAXESS Career Development Centres which are ready to support them with regards to their career development.
- Can I use the portal to find international research collaborators for my research project? How so?
Absolutely! We are extremely proud to introduce the PARTNERING section as part of the new portal. This is a tool specially designed to help our visitors - whether they are researchers, entrepreneurs, research institutions/universities or businesses – connect and collaborate. PARTNERING will allow all registered users to search for both individuals and research organisations or businesses, as well as look for CVs.
- Is the portal open to universities and research institutes? What about companies?
Yes, all that and more! The new EURAXESS portal addresses four target groups – out of which two are new. They are researchers, entrepreneurs (new), universities/research institutes, and businesses (new). Universities/research institutes and businesses will be able to post job, funding and hosting opportunities, find the best talent by browsing through the collection of CVs, as well as search for funding opportunities and collaborators.
- How can companies use the portal to recruit research talent?
Businesses that have created a profile on EURAXESS will be able to post their research vacancies and will have access to the collection of CVs in the EURAXESS database. Moreover, adverts published on EURAXESS will also be displayed on one of the 40 national EURAXESS web sites and on Science AAAS, AlumniPortal.de and Career.edu, with whom we mutually exchange job vacancies on a daily basis.
- Please tell us more about the section of the portal focused on entrepreneurs.
Indeed, entrepreneurs are one of EURAXESS' new target groups. The new EURAXESS portal offers entrepreneurs with great ideas the possibility of finding partners in business and academia to help them get started, to develop their project, as well as access to the EURAXESS funding database and information about EU funded programs.
- Does it cost me to join the portal?
No, registration is free. EURAXESS is a pan-European initiative and all available services are free of charge.
- How do I join the portal and the EURAXESS Japan community?
In order to join the EURAXESS community and benefit from the extensive and ever-growing range of free services EURAXESS has to offer, you will need to register an account via the LOGIN/REGISTER section. Once you have registered you will be welcomed to your own EURAXESS private area which is where you manage your profile, offers, CV data, and much more. Registration is quick and simple and we warmly invite you to register now, and you will have your own EURAXESS account in no time!
If you are already a member of the EURAXESS Japan community (if for example you directly receive Flashnotes from EURAXESS Japan), you do not need to do anything. In early 2017 you will receive an email from us with instructions on how to make sure that your membership is not discontinued in the newEURAXESS Portal.