TU Dublin’s Dr Mary Deasy Showcases European Project Supporting Early Career Scientists at Women+ Symposium
Dr Mary Deasy of TU Dublin showcased the newly funded Empowering Early Career Researchers with new Opportunities and Skills (ECROS) project at the inaugural Women+ in Early Career Research Symposium on the 6th of March 2026, marking International Women’s Day. The event, hosted at TU Dublin’s City Campus, brought together more than 50 early career researchers from across seven universities in Ireland, providing a vibrant platform to share research, spark interdisciplinary dialogue, and strengthen networks among women and gender-diverse researchers at the start of their careers.
ECROS, funded under Horizon Europe WIDERA programme (HORIZON-WIDERA-2024-ERA-02-03), officially launched on the 1st October 2025 for a 36 month period. The project aims to establish a pan European professional development ecosystem for early career researchers within the European University of Technology Alliance (EUt+), equipping doctoral and early postdoctoral researchers with the skills, networks, and guidance needed to thrive in both academic and industrial careers. It is one of ten projects funded across Europe under this competitive call, highlighting TU Dublin’s pivotal role in shaping innovative research talent pathways.
The ECROS consortium unites all nine EUt+ partner universities with early researcher associations, including the Spanish Junior Researchers Association (FJI-precarios) and Latvijas Jauno zinātnieku apvienība, alongside industry networks such as the Transylvania IT Association and Association Bernard Gregory. This collaborative approach ensures that the project responds directly to the real-world needs of early career researchers while aligning with industry demands and emerging career opportunities.
At TU Dublin, Dr Deasy will contribute across all five work packages and co-lead the Industrial Doctorates task, which will develop a roadmap for establishing industrial doctorates across the Alliance, pilot initiatives in ICT, and provide a sustainable framework, including a Memorandum of Understanding template for future collaborations. The project will also deliver an ECR professional development framework, a digital toolbox, a Young Researchers Statute, and industrial collaboration guides to strengthen career guidance, intersectoral mobility, and support networks for early career researchers.
Speaking at the Women+ Symposium, Dr Deasy emphasised how ECROS will open new opportunities for researchers to build skills, connect with peers, and engage with industry partners across Europe.
Learn more via ECROS.