Introduction

A change is needed. Work at a university is much more than getting a PhD, publishing and obtaining a grant. Teaching, leadership, teamwork and, for some, the combination with patient care should carry at least as much weight. As an academic, what impact do you have on society through these different roles? As far as we are concerned, that is the crucial question.

We are glad that this position is receiving broad support. In fact, the results of the Recognition & Rewards culture barometer demonstrate that respondents believe that research-related activities could be given a little less attention for making a new career move. In contrast, respondents indicate that teaching, Open Education, team spirit and Open Science should be much more important. That is exactly what we aim for with the Recognition & Rewards programme: room for everyone’s talent.

Unfortunately, the results also show that academics still often consider themselves as ‘a Jack of all trades’. In fact, almost three quarters of the respondents say they have to be good in all domains. This is in contrast to the ambitions we are pursuing. That is why we think it is important that supervisors and managers show true leadership by paying attention to both the individual development of employees and the development of the team.

The various personal stories in this e-magazine highlight that change is now really happening. For example, the interview with Steffen Eriksen nicely demonstrates that things can also be done differently: an appointment as associate professor based on a teaching profile. Hopefully, his story will inspire other academics to continue pursuing their ideal career path. Of course, we also hope that other institutions will consider this a natural move. We remain committed to work on that in the coming period!

Jeroen Geurts and Rianne Letschert, chairs of the national Recognition & Rewards steering group