The Research Year - a unique opportunity but the pay falls behind
The Research Year gives students an opportunity to gain experience with research. However, the pay has not kept up with the times, and it is time to reconsider the conditions for future researchers.
"Two side of the same coin": A column in Inside Health
In Two sides of the same coin, chair of the Academic Council Søren Dinesen Østergaard provides insight into the debates that take place in the council.
The column addresses topics that are up for debate in the council – often issues that also spark discussion in the academic environments at Health.
At the Academic Council meeting on February 20, Health’s Student Research Prize was awarded to four talented students. This prompted the following reflection on the advantages and disadvantages of the research year.
Most things are good
The research year is an excellent opportunity to get acquainted with research without committing to a three-year PhD program. Most research year students have positive and productive experiences, and many are subsequently enrolled at the Graduate school of Health.
But the monthly salary is too low
When I was a research year student 20 years ago, the monthly salary was 10,000 DKK. That amount remains unchanged today. While Denmark does not have a formal minimal wage, very few 20- to 25-year-olds would likely be satisfied with an hourly wage of less than 130 DKK. The research year student’s salary of 10,000 DKK translates to an hourly wage of 62 DKK. This is something we need to change – and the faculty management is already on the case.
A salary increase might mean that fewer research years can be offered. I hope this can be avoided by encouraging the foundations that fund research years to allocate additional resources to this important initiative.
Contact
Professor og forperson Søren Dinesen Østergaard
Aarhus University, Department of Clinical Medicine
Academic Council
sdo@clin.au.dk
Phone: +45 61282753