The recent meeting of Working Group 2 (WG2) within the VOICES project, held on November 17, 2023, marked a significant milestone in the ongoing exploration of the inclusion of early career researchers in the decision-making bodies. Led by Prof. Liudvika Leisyte and Prof.  Christine Cross, the session included a comprehensive review of the second grant period, offering insights into the group’s achievements and the promising path that lies ahead.

Over the course of the grant period 2 of VOICES, WG2 engaged in a series of online – hybrid meetings, fostering collaborations and discussions. A notable outcome of these sessions was the establishment of a writing group tasked with writing an article based on documentary data analysis. The writing group convened for an online meeting on October 16, 2023, to discuss the progress of their initial paper with the ambition to develop a full draft by the end of the year.

In Spring 2023 the Methodology task force of WG2 prepared interview guidelines, consent forms, templates for interview analysis. This groundwork set the stage for the commencement of interview data collection in July 2023, with five countries already having submitted the collected data by October, 2023 and three countries are still in progress. During the meeting, Dovile Daunoraite presented the interview findings from Lithuania.

WG2 boasts a growing and diverse membership spanning numerous countries, including but not limited to Albania, Austria, Bosna and Herzegovina, Belgium, Bulgaria, Cyprus, Croatia, Denmark, Estonia, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Ireland, Israel, Italy, Jordan, Kosovo, Lithuania, Moldova, North Macedonia, Norway, the Netherlands, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Serbia, Switzerland, Slovenia, Turkey, and the United Kingdom.

Prof. Leisyte, co-lead WG2, introduced the planned activities of VOICES in the grant period 3 and also presented the plans of WG2, with next WG2 meeting taking place in a hybrid mode in Spring 2024. The members were encouraged to submit abstracts for the upcoming VOICES conference and to collaborate in presentations and publications.

For those seeking more information about WG2 members or the group’s activities, please reach out to WG2 Community Officer Vanya Rangelova at [email protected]

(by Panourgias Papaioannou, Communication Officer, WG2)