Discover our CU.ecr in action

The CU.ecr offers a unique platform for sharing best practices and addressing challenges related to the training, mobility, and career development of Early-Career Researchers (ECRs) within our universities.

The CU.ecr was developed within the Circle U.'s Empowering Research Innovation Action project between 2021-2024, and was formerly known as the ECR Forum.

Community of Practice for Early-Career Reseachers (CU.ecr)

As a community of practice, the CU.ecr facilitates regular interaction among members to exchange experiences and identify areas for improvement. The CU.ecr has already conducted workshops and is creating digital tools to enhance communication among its members.

Membership includes ECRs, academic supervisors, and administrative staff supporting ECRs, such as heads or coordinators of Doctoral Schools and representatives from research institutes/centres or faculties. Building on the pioneering activities of CU ERIA, this community of practice aims to:

  • Support the skills and career development of early-career researchers.
  • Share good practices and discuss issues related to ECR training, mobility, and careers, including topics such as training content and mentoring.
  • Share and provide guidance on developing training sessions for ECRs.
  • Oversee the development of mobility schemes for ECRs and maximize mobility opportunities within the alliance.
  • Promote the use of the cotutelle de thèse model to enable ECRs to establish close ties with two CU universities for both training and research.

Fellowships

Mobility programme

Postdoc Mobility Programme

Looking to expand your research network across Europe? The Circle U. Postdoc Mobility Programme offers short-term fellowships to help postdocs find their future teams, prepare funding proposals, and take the next step in their academic careers.

Network

Circle U. Intersectoral Mobility Programme

Boost your career with Circle U.’s Intersectoral Mobility Programme: short stays for PhDs and postdocs to gain skills, expand networks, and collaborate beyond academia across Europe.

Courses

MUN_Illustration-26-27
BachelorMasterPhD 2 ECTS

Circle U. Delegation to MUN Rome and MUN Paris 2027

Circle U. is bringing together a delegation of students from across four of its partner universities to take part in the MUN Rome 2027 Conference and MUN Paris 2027 Conference, two of the largest United Nations simulations in Europe.
Student at her laptop
PhD 0 ECTS

Generative AI in Teaching

This online course is designed for PhD students and university faculty members who wish to integrate generative AI into their teaching in a pedagogically sound, critical, and responsible way. The course combines theoretical foundations, practical demonstrations, and hands-on activities to help participants understand both the opportunities and the limitations of generative AI in higher education.
Circle U. Group of Students sitting in a park and looking at a laptop
BachelorMaster 3 ECTS

Lecture Series: Changing Cities, Changing Societies

How can cities become more sustainable, resilient, and climate-neutral? Changing Cities, Changing Societies brings together researchers, policymakers, and practitioners to explore how urban transformation can create meaningful and lasting change.
Circle U. Course LLMs and the future of writing - Two people working on a high-tech tool
MasterPhD 10 ECTS

LLMs and the Future of Writing

In this course, we not only cover past works from the likes of Foucault, Flusser, and others, but also contemporary work in AI Ethics, which address the impact of LLM assistance on the skills and capacities needed to write well – recent topics of how LLMs influence epistemic agency, critical thinking, and reasoning.
Students in Pisa
MasterPhD 0 ECTS

Rethinking Healthy Ageing: Bridging Care, Community, and Innovation

This three-day interdisciplinary workshop, taking place in Pisa from 21 to 23 October, explores one of the major societal challenges facing Europe: demographic ageing. Through expert talks, collaborative problem-solving, and innovation-focused activities, students will gain insights into the opportunities and challenges of promoting healthy ageing in increasingly ageing populations.
Sustainable Development Goals
Bachelor 5 ECTS

The Politics of Sustainable Development

This course will introduce you to the major theoretical and empirical approaches to the study of sustainable development, including the contested nature of the sustainable development discourse at global and national levels.
Student life in the University Park at AU
17
Sep.
2026

CU.ecr Workshop: Career Development as a Core Academic Responsibility

UCL_CU.ecr Workshop_2026
23
Nov.
2026

CU.ecr Workshop - Transdisciplinary training in doctoral and postdoctoral education

women founder network
Past
04
May.
2026

WFN "From Potential to Power" Spring Track 2026

Photo Open conversation one health
Past
22
Apr.
2026

Open Conversation: One Planet–One Health? New Challenges for Medical Thinking in times of Climate Change

The alliance of 9 European Universities