New pan-European pension fund to boost researcher mobility

The European Commission is to boost the mobility of researchers in Europe with the launch of a new consortium that aims to establish a new pan-European pension arrangement.

The consortium plans to set up the pension arrangement (RESAVER) in 2015; it will enable researchers to remain affiliated to the same pension fund and to continue to accumulate pension benefits, even when changing jobs and moving between different countries. The initiative also aims to deliver lower overhead costs, and by participating in RESAVER, employers will be able to sponsor one single pension arrangement.

Máire Geoghegan-Quinn, European Commissioner for Research, Innovation and Science, said: “We have worked hard to boost the free movement of knowledge in Europe … Horizon 2020 was built with this in mind. Pensions are a serious barrier to free movement, but today that barrier has begun to crumble. I strongly encourage research organisations across Europe to join the consortium.”

Once implemented, the RESAVER initiative would mean that researchers could move freely without having to worry about preserving their supplementary pension benefits. The consortium will be an international not-for-profit association registered in Belgium, and the Commission will cover the initial set-up costs through a four-year framework contract that will be awarded before the end of 2014. It’s hoped the fund will help move closer to fully developing the European Research Area.