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Research Funding and European Competitiveness: Beyond the Myth of Competitive Excellence

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Research Funding and European Competitiveness: Beyond the Myth of Competitive Excellence

Academic research depends on public funds, generally obtained through competitive applications. While competitive funding structures aim to identify the best research projects, Luigi Capoani uses European case studies to weigh on the strengths and limitations of such structures.

12 Nov 2026 • 6 min read

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Research Funding and European Competitiveness: Beyond the Myth of Competitive Excellence

Research Funding and European Competitiveness: Beyond the Myth of Competitive Excellence

Academic research depends on public funds, generally obtained through competitive applications. While competitive funding structures aim to identify the best research projects, Luigi Capoani uses European case studies to weigh on the strengths and limitations of such structures.

12 Nov 2026 • 6 min read

Artificial Intelligence and Research: Beyond Productivity, Towards a New Geography of Science

Artificial Intelligence and Research: Beyond Productivity, Towards a New Geography of Science

Artificial intelligence (AI) is a technology with powerful capabilities. Here, Luigi Capoani and Chiara Ghirardini explain how scientific research could benefit from the conscious use of AI, as long as researchers understand its limitations.

Luigi Capoani, Chiara Ghirardini

15 Oct 2026 • 6 min read

Remote Work and Research: How the Geography of Talent Is Changing

Remote Work and Research: How the Geography of Talent Is Changing

The digital world allows us to communicate with our peers anywhere in the world and to perform different tasks without needing to be in the office. Here, Luigi Capoani and Chiara Ghirardini discuss how remote work provides opportunities for more collaborative and sustainable research.

Luigi Capoani, Chiara Ghirardini

1 Oct 2026 • 4 min read

Open Access: Truly Democratizing Scientific Knowledge

Open Access: Truly Democratizing Scientific Knowledge

Scientific knowledge is key to societal progress and is mostly supported by public funding. However, publications are not always accessible to everyone. Here, Luigi Capoani and Linda Rotondo advocate for Open Access and discuss future steps to make research more accessible.

Luigi Capoani, Linda Rotondo

17 Sep 2026 • 6 min read

Getting to know our editorial team: Karishma Gangwani

Getting to know our editorial team: Karishma Gangwani

Karishma is our newest editor! Thanks to her unique trajectory and communication skills, she acted as a bridge between technical and non-technical teams, including doctors, healthcare workers, scientists, clinicians, patients, engineers, and researchers. We are happy to have you!

ecrLife editors

3 Sep 2026 • 3 min read

How Science Learns from Itself: Leveraging an Interdisciplinary Background for Meta-Science

How Science Learns from Itself: Leveraging an Interdisciplinary Background for Meta-Science

Exploring different research fields as ECRs can empower us to tackle the gaps between disciplines. Here, Daniel Kristanto shares how he leverages his multidisciplinary background in his research and discusses how funding organizations should aim to support more multidisciplinary projects.

Daniel Kristanto

20 Aug 2026 • 5 min read

A Book That Transformed How We Advise Grant Writers

A Book That Transformed How We Advise Grant Writers

A must-read to learn how to center creativity in your research

Vinita Bharat, Crystal Botham

6 Aug 2026 • 5 min read

Learning through failure, evaluated by results

Learning through failure, evaluated by results

Uncertainty is ever-present in research because we want to learn about what is not yet known. However, it is hard to embrace uncertainty when evaluations expect a constant output of results. Here, Jung Uk Kang explains how this dichotomy affects ECRs and how it can limit creativity in science.

23 Jul 2026 • 4 min read

The Invisible Skills of a Postdoc: What No One Formally Teaches

The Invisible Skills of a Postdoc: What No One Formally Teaches

A postdoc comes with challenges and uncertainties that are different from those of a PhD. Here, Vartika Sharma shares how managing expectations and building a community are key skills that can help us navigate the new uncertainties of a postdoc.

9 Jul 2026 • 5 min read

When the data doesn’t behave: learning to embrace uncertainty in research

When the data doesn’t behave: learning to embrace uncertainty in research

The journey through a PhD is not a straight line. Along the way, we face uncertainty when experiments don’t go as planned. Here, Jennifer Loudon Moxen shares her story embracing such uncertainty. While it can be frustrating at times, we can use it to learn more from our data and ask new questions.

Jennifer Loudon Moxen

25 Jun 2026 • 4 min read

Featured interview with Dr. Marina Cano and Dr. Rosa García-Periago: Women, “Failure” and Academia

Featured interview with Dr. Marina Cano and Dr. Rosa García-Periago: Women, “Failure” and Academia

Failure happens often in academia, yet we rarely talk about it. Instead, academics appear to avoid admitting failure, as conversations center around announcements of our successes. Here, we interview Dr.

ecrLife editors

21 May 2026 • 8 min read

Of the Structural Pressures That Silence Academics

Of the Structural Pressures That Silence Academics

Since their inception, universities have been regarded as lighthouses guiding the storm-tossed ship of society. These institutions, tasked with generating ideas that shape and secure the future of societies,

Ali Farrokhi, Angel Cisneros

26 Feb 2026 • 5 min read

Getting to know our editorial team: Owen Ouyang

Getting to know our editorial team: Owen Ouyang

ecrLife editors

6 Nov 2025 • 3 min read

How to overcome your “academic midlife crisis” (Part 3 – Reshaping your skill sets to fit your career path(s))

How to overcome your “academic midlife crisis” (Part 3 – Reshaping your skill sets to fit your career path(s))

Nele Haelterman

15 Sep 2025 • 5 min read

Why desk rejections happen and how young researchers can avoid them: practical lessons from experience

Why desk rejections happen and how young researchers can avoid them: practical lessons from experience

17 Jul 2025 • 6 min read

Reaching Out to Senior Scientists: A Step Worth Taking

Reaching Out to Senior Scientists: A Step Worth Taking

3 Jul 2025 • 4 min read

Zigs Can Zag with Purpose: Finding My Calling in Science

Zigs Can Zag with Purpose: Finding My Calling in Science

Academic careers are full of surprises. Every step brings new questions that might involve navigating diverse fields. Here, Jonathan Tsay tells us how exploring multiple fields led him to the position where he is today.

17 Apr 2025 • 4 min read

How to overcome your “academic midlife crisis” (Part 2 - finding your path(s))

How to overcome your “academic midlife crisis” (Part 2 - finding your path(s))

The process of finding your ideal career path is not straightforward. Fortunately, there are many career options for PhDs. Here, Nele talks about how you can find career paths that excite you and learn from others' experiences.

Nele Haelterman

3 Apr 2025 • 5 min read

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