Across Europe, the conversation around academic careers is evolving. In the Netherlands, the Recognition and Rewards programme has taken a pioneering role in rethinking how universities value and support their staff. By moving beyond narrow definitions of success based on research output alone, it offers a broader framework that embraces teaching, impact, leadership and collaboration.
At MapEEC, we share this vision. As an Erasmus+ cooperation partnership, our project focuses on a specific dimension of academic life that is deeply connected to the Recognition and Rewards agenda: the role of the engaged educator.
Engaged educators are those who connect academic work with societal needs, innovate in their teaching, lead through collaboration and extend the reach of higher education beyond the classroom. These contributions are vital to the mission of universities, yet they are not always fully recognised within existing career structures. MapEEC responds to this challenge by developing practical strategies that help institutions support and reward this kind of academic engagement.
Our work complements and reinforces the goals of Recognition and Rewards. Where the Dutch programme provides a national and institutional framework for change, MapEEC offers tools that can help bring that vision to life. These include the Engaged Educator Recognition and Promotion Matrix, which outlines pathways for recognising various forms of engagement, and Strategic Institutional Roadmaps, which support implementation at the university level.
Both MapEEC and Recognition and Rewards are driven by a shared set of principles:
- Valuing the full range of academic contributions
- Encouraging inclusive, qualitative and context-sensitive assessment
- Supporting flexible and meaningful career pathways
Rather than working in parallel, these efforts are mutually reinforcing. Recognition and Rewards lays the foundation for a more inclusive academic culture, while MapEEC offers practical ways to embed that culture into everyday academic life.
We believe that real change happens when broad policy ambitions are matched with actionable tools and local innovation. By working in alignment, initiatives like MapEEC and Recognition and Rewards can together build a more balanced and forward-looking academic environment—one where engagement is not just encouraged, but genuinely recognised and rewarded.
Author: Â Luca Barbera