POCARIM: Mapping the Population, Careers, Mobilities and Impacts of Advanced Research Degree Graduates in the Social Sciences and Humanities

Project manager: Prof. Marek Kupiszewski
Project staff: Dr Anna Kicinger
Project coordinator: Prof. Louise Ackers, University of Liverpool

POCARIM is an international comparative study involving 12 European countries and the US, funded by the DG for Research and Innovation under the Support Actions of the Seventh Framework Programme of the European Union. CEFMR acts as a Polish partner in the project and is also responsible as a work package leader for the design, implementation and analyses of the survey for advanced degree holders in SSH that is to be carried out in 2011.

The project aims to increase our understanding of the population, career paths, employment patterns and contribution of doctoral graduates in the social sciences and humanities (SSH) in Europe. Understanding the outcomes of investment in SSH training in terms of career paths, employment roles and economic and societal impact will play a key role in the process of assessing the role of SSH in the building of the Europe of Knowledge. The project seeks to capture the population of PhD holders in SSH and their basic characteristics including those who remain within or return to academic careers and those who leave academic research to apply their knowledge in other employment sectors.

Project's main objectives are:

• Identification of the dimensions of the population of SSH doctoral graduates and its core characteristics

• Assessment of trends in their employment and mobility

• Identification of the diversity of post-doctoral career paths of SSH doctoral graduates

• Assessment of the contribution that this diverse group of research-trained graduates make to Europe's knowledge-based economy and society

Project duration: 2012-2014.