
Welcome to the COST Action ENTER Early Career Investigator Network!
Interested in learning more about our activities or joining in? Contact the ECIN Coordinators Elodie Thevenin for more information.
Our goals
The objective of this network is two-fold: First, it aims at developing an inter- and multi-disciplinary network of Early Career Investigators (ECI). Our funder, the COST Association, defines an Early Career Investigator as “an individual who is within a time span of up to 8 years from the date they obtained their PhD/doctorate (full-time equivalent).” Second, as a consequence of this growing network, it will establish new professional contacts for ECIs intended at potential future collaborations in the form of workshops or panels at international academic conferences, for instance. Both these activities and the establishment of new professional contacts will provide new opportunities for ECI scholars to deepen and widen their methodological, analytical and organizational skills.
Our activities
A range of activities are at the core of this ECI network. Activities include the organization of inter- and multi-disciplinary panels at international academic conferences within the fields of European Studies and European Foreign Policy. The topics of proposed panels revolve around the themes of the working groups of this consortium. The work packages focus on new realities, contestation and perception in EU foreign policy as well on the EU’s relations with third states. The aim of these panels is to bring young academics at diverse stages of their developing careers, such as PhD students, recent graduates and already more established academics together to provide a framework for gaining new methodological and empirical insights.
The joint-production of policy briefs intend to summarise main findings of research conducted by early career scholars both within and outside the working groups of this consortium. At the same time, their intended drafting of policy recommendations seeks to contribute towards facilitating dialogue between academics and practitioners of EU policy making. This dialogue is enhanced by round-table discussions involving academics and policy makers within this consortium.
How to participate
Everyone with a research expertise in EU foreign policy can participate in this ECI network.
This consortium also seeks to create opportunities for young scholars from countries with whom COST has not yet established cooperation. These so called Inclusiveness Target Countries are Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, the Baltic States, Croatia, Cyprus, Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, Hungary, Luxemburg, Malta, Montenegro, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Serbia, Slovakia, Slovenia and Turkey.
You can join the ECI network by sending an e-mail to its coordinator Elodie Thevenin. The request for funding of participation in any of the planned activities of this network is subject to the regulations by COST.