From Franco-German cooperation to international openness: over fifteen years of international cooperation at ABG
Since its creation in 1980, ABG has been supporting PhD holders in their career integration. In response to the growing mobility of researchers and European challenges, international action has gradually become a strategic pillar of its activities.
2000-2007 : The first steps towards international outreach
In the early 2000s, ABG’s international initiatives already reflected a strong conviction: scientific careers transcend national borders.
The association is gradually establishing overseas correspondents, notably in Belgium, the United Kingdom, and Ireland, to enhance the dissemination of PhD and job offers. In parallel, ABG’s job portal is progressively expanding its international reach, while a mobility guide has been developed to support doctoral candidates and early-career PhDs in their projects abroad.
These initial initiatives laid the groundwork for a broader reflection on scientific mobility and the support provided to researchers in an international context.
2008 :The Franco-German turning point
The creation of the Franco-German ABG – Franco-German University (FGU) branch in 2008 marked a major turning point in ABG’s international development.
The goal was to facilitate the mobility of doctoral candidates and early-career researchers between France and Germany, while offering services tailored to higher education institutions, research organizations, and companies seeking to recruit internationally.
These initiatives demonstrate that career development issues are widely shared at the European level and pave the way for much broader international cooperation.
“Just as Europe was built primarily on Franco-German foundations, ABG relies on its Franco-German experience to extend its European reach.”
2012–2016
| An internationalizing training offer leveraging the ABG Development Center catalog: to prepare early-career researchers for international recruitment methods; Apéro Doc: fostering exchanges between PhDs and professionals; AvanThèse: supporting prospective doctoral candidates in their PhD projects; Franco-German Early-Career Researchers Days; France–Germany–Luxembourg Cross-Border Seminars: bringing together doctoral candidates and postdocs over several days to focus on career development, transferable skills, and international mobility. |
Structuring a European Ambition
International activities developed within the Franco-German framework were progressively adapted to other national contexts. ABG organizes workshops in Germany, Belgium, Spain, Italy, Luxembourg, and Poland, taking into account the specific features of each country through in-depth knowledge of local research ecosystems.
New formats also emerged, such as the France–Germany–Luxembourg Cross-Border Post-Doctoriales, bringing together researchers from several European countries around career development and international mobility. This period was also marked by the creation of the French EURAXESS network, to which ABG contributes alongside France Universités (then CPU) and the Cité internationale universitaire de Paris (CIUP), in order to strengthen the national coordination of services dedicated to researcher mobility.
In 2013–2014, ABG received support from the Ministry for Europe and Foreign Affairs (MEAE) to develop initiatives aimed at enhancing France’s attractiveness to international researchers.
Since 2016
European projects serving researchers
From 2016 onwards, ABG significantly strengthened its involvement in European Union-funded projects.
| Major achievements Development of programs dedicated to international and intersectoral mobility, integrating intercultural dimensions and researcher integration challenges. Organization of the international event “Researchers without Borders” in Paris. Franco-German Early-Career Researchers Days, in partnership with the French Embassy in Berlin, the Institut français de Berlin, and Campus France Deutschland. Franco-Italian Early-Career Researchers Days, in partnership with the Franco-Italian University and the University of Turin. Organization of the Franco-Quebec Days on PhD Employability, fostering exchanges between French and Quebec ecosystems, alongside Université Laval. Cross-posting of job, PhD, and internship offers across several partner platforms such as EURAXESS Jobs, Campus France, and ResearchJobs.cz. Contribution to the European HRS4R strategy. |
The association participates in COFUND, Interreg, Horizon 2020, Erasmus+, and COST projects as a partner, associate member, or service provider, and has developed recognized expertise in supporting MSCA project leads.
In 2017, ABG was designated a EURAXESS Career Development Center by the European Commission, a recognition that confirms its expertise in supporting researcher career development at the European level.
At the same time, the association is strengthening its institutional partnerships, notably with Campus France, and participating in the SME Innovation Associate program, thereby contributing to increasing the visibility of professional opportunities and promoting researcher mobility.
Since 2019, ABG has also been a partner of the PAUSE program, supporting the professional development of researchers hosted in France. This initiative is part of a broader European dynamic, extended through collaborations with Inspireurope+, EURAXESS Science4Refugees, and Scholars at Risk.
Today
A recognized expertise in Europe
Today, international activities constitute one of the key pillars of ABG’s work.
Each year, the association supports researchers, higher education institutions, research organizations, companies, and institutions in their international outreach projects. Its expertise is recognized across numerous European countries, where it contributes through training sessions, conferences (EURAXESS, ESOF, MSCA, etc.), European projects, and international networks.
