The European Commission has issued a Communication on Better Careers and More Mobility: A European Partnership for Researchers. The aim of this partnership between the Member States and the Commission is to ensure that the necessary human resources in research are available to sustain and enhance the contribution of science and technology to a dynamic, knowledge based European society. The initiative was released by Commissioner Janez Potocnik on 27 May.

The European researchers' partnership is one of five policy initiatives planned by the Commission to follow up the 2007 Green Paper The European Research Area: New Perspectives. The results of the public consultation following the Green paper suggested that a single labour market for researchers should be the top priority for action at EU level. Highly skilled researchers are key agents for the production, transfer and exploitation of new knowledge and the partnership will address their needs by tackling the systemic human resources weaknesses in Europe's research system such as mobility of researchers.

The initiative is part of the overall Lisbon strategy aimed at transforming the EU economy towards more knowledge intensive activities. It is a process which complements and builds on planned or existing initiatives at national and Community levels.