PEP-CV – An open peer-exchange platform for writing Narrative-style CVs

20 March 2024

On March 15th, the peer-mentorship exchange platform PEP-CV officially launched, providing a space for creating mentorships to support the writing of narrative-style CVs.

This initiative is a collaboration between six research funding agencies, the Marie Curie Alumni Association (MCAA), and the Young Academy of Europe (YAE) to provide support for the global research and innovation community in presenting the diverse set of experiences, achievements, and careers in the format of narrative-style CVs.

PEP-CV is a free and open resource for everyone in the Research & Innovation sector, buttressing existing guidance on narrative-style CVs, while supporting efforts to further develop their use and implementation globally. To this end, the PEP-CV platform aims to support the broader recognition of activities and outputs in research, in line with ongoing responsible research assessment initiatives such as the Declaration on Research Assessment (DORA) and the Coalition on Advancing Research Assessment (CoARA).

PEP-CV will be an open resource to bring the community together and provide peer-mentoring

Many funders and institutions around the world use narrative-style CVs, but feedback from researchers underscores the need for more guidance and understanding of what a “good” CV looks like. As a CV is highly dependent on the experiences, achievements, and expertise of the writer, the ideal CV should be personalized and unique to the individual. Individual peer-to-peer mentoring on how to select and present achievements and experiences is, therefore, the ideal next step to augment currently available resources and support individuals in evaluations they face in their career.

PEP-CV is a platform to support the ongoing adoption of narrative-style CVs found across the globe through fostering peer-mentorship activities, and to provide space for discussion around a broader range of career pathways and research outputs to ensure they are adequately articulated in narrative-style CVs. It is open to everyone in the research and innovation ecosystem and is based on the values of collaboration, openness, collegiality, diversity, and inclusion.

The platform is a collaboration between six funding agencies (FNR, NWO, SFI, SNSF, UKRI, Wellcome) and two researcher groups (MCAA and YAE). The funders involved already require narrative-style CVs in their funding programmes, and these countries have researchers who can already contribute to PEP-CV as mentors. As more researchers write and evaluate a broader set of achievements and experiences, more mentors will join and help grow the platform.

 More about mentorship in Luxembourg

PEP-CV will benefit mentees, mentors, and supporting institutions

Through fostering mentorship exchanges, PEP-CV will provide added value for mentors, mentees, and supporting institutions. Mentors will engage in global networking and mutual learning through their activities, while building their CV and mentorship experience. Mentees will learn to write a more effective narrative-style CV, highlighting the strengths of their individual profiles and receiving insight from experienced colleagues. Both mentors and mentees will be fostering a more equitable, diverse, and inclusive research and innovation environment.

Institutions supporting PEP-CV through promotion and financial support will enhance their reputation and credibility around responsible research assessment practices as well as demonstrate the fulfilment of CoARA commitments. In addition, they will help support staff in developing their narrative-style CVs, recognizing their broad contributions to the research and innovation ecosystem and making it more inclusive.

PEP-CV aligns with ongoing initiatives in responsible research assessment, including CoARA and DORA

Initiatives such as DORA and CoARA  strongly advocate for the recognition of a broader range of activities and contributions to research, and the narrative-style CV is currently one of the ideal forms for an individual to showcase these diverse outputs and activities. PEP-CV is a resource that individuals and institutions can use to evidence their support for responsible research assessment and the importance of recognizing a broader range of outcomes and activities in research and innovation. In addition, PEP-CV contributes to the use of the narrative-style CV formats across different research and innovation ecosystems, simplifying the transition or supporting existing resources.

For more information, contact Pooja Khurana, the PEP-CV community manager: PEP-CV[AT]mariecuriealumni.eu

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