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What is ICoRSA

ICoRSA stands for the International Consortium of Research Staff Associations.

ICoRSA is an umbrella organisation for researchers and research staff associations, consisting and representing the interests of a variety of associations and organisations that in themselves represent the interests of their members.

ICoRSA has 5 categories of membership:

  1. Type 1: Individual researchers such as students, postdoctoral researchers, industry researchers, academics, permanent or fixed-term research staff, or interested laypersons
  2. Type 2: National research staff or postdoctoral associations
  3. Type 3: Self-governing, transnational research staff or postdoctoral associations with a focus on improving conditions for researchers
  4. Type 4: Allied organizations with an interest in supporting researchers such as associations, companies, funders, governing and oversight bodies, and trusts
  5. Type 5: Organizations within and components of professional societies that have an interest in supporting researchers, such as trainee councils

Currently ICoRSA consists of researcher staff associations (RSA) from:

– 11 National RSA

  • Europe: Ireland, UK, France, Spain, Portugal, Sweden, Austria, Ukraine
  • USA, Canada
  • Australia

– 2 International RSA

  • WAYS
  • WFSW

– 1 Research Centres RSA

  • EMBL

– 1 research career development association

  • Vitae UK

Who does ICoRSA represent

– Early stage researchers, post-docs to senior researchers. (not PhD candidates)

– Contract and permanent

– Academic and industry

– Researchers located

  • In their own country
  • Diaspora Researchers

VISION: Nurturing communities of researchers

ICoRSA will support the development of national associations by facilitating communication across borders and sharing of best practices. We envisage that the consortium will play an important role in the global research enterprise by enhancing the productivity and experiences of research staff, postdoctoral scholars, and early-career researchers, who together are the life-blood of the global research enterprise.

 

MISSION: Providing a global voice for research staff and postdoctoral scholars

Researchers are a highly mobile part of the global research enterprise. Policy concerning research careers is determined internationally through a variety of global organisations. At present, there is no consistent voice representing research staff and postdoctoral scholars in international policy. The International Consortium of Research Staff Associations (ICoRSA) will provide this collective voice, advocate on behalf of research staff and postdoctoral scholars, and inform international research policy. The UK Research Staff Association supported by Vitae, the US National Postdoctoral Association, and the Irish Research Staff Association are currently the driving force behind ICoRSA, with increasing involvement from other national and international associations that together constitute the founding membership.
The mission of ICoRSA is to expand its network among existing researcher associations, but more importantly to sow the seeds of formation of new associations in countries where RSA do not yet exist. In the emerging economies in particular, ICoRSA aims to play an ambassadorial role in developing new RSA and promoting research in general.

The Mission of ICoRSA is to provide a “Voice” for researchers internationally on policy.

– Researcher careers

  • Short term contracts
  • Precarious careers

– Mobility

  • International
  • Intersectoral

– Gender Equality and Diversity