At the 2026 EUA Council for Doctoral Education (EUA-CDE) Annual Meeting, held on 17–19 June in Galway, Ireland, Mili Markvartová from the University of Chemistry and Technology, Prague (UCT Prague), presented the Horizon Europe project CROSS and its latest achievements. The conference, which brought together representatives of doctoral education from across Europe, focused on the role of doctoral research and talent in addressing societal challenges and fostering innovation.
The presentation highlighted key outcomes of the CROSS project, including feedback gathered from private sector stakeholders on the relevance and usability of tools developed on the basis of the European ResearchComp framework. Particular attention was given to the competencies and transferable skills expected from early-career researchers and to the importance of better aligning doctoral training with the needs of employers beyond academia.
The discussion demonstrated the growing importance of strengthening collaboration between higher education institutions and non-academic sectors to support diverse career pathways for doctoral candidates.
Participants were also introduced to the latest CROSS enhancements, including the Career Development Toolkit, the Career Development Companion Toolkit, and the CROSS Platform, which provide practical resources for researchers and institutions seeking to implement competence-based career development strategies. In addition, the presentation promoted the upcoming 2nd ResearchComp Community Café, which will offer another opportunity for stakeholders across Europe to exchange experiences and discuss the implementation of the European Competence Framework for Researchers.
The presentation provided an opportunity to share the project’s results with the European doctoral education community and to exchange experiences with colleagues from universities and organisations committed to improving doctoral training and researcher career development.
