ReACT Project

As @ReACT_2024, we have developed an online, self-paced psychological support programme for researchers, aimed at enhancing their well-being. It is being piloted, and we appreciate it if you could go through it and share your feedback 🥰 . About the programme: • It consists of 8 modules, each taking approximately 30–40 minutes to complete; • It can be completed over one month, at a pace of two modules per week, or at any other pace that suits you; • It includes practical exercises, moments for reflection, and audio-visual materials; • At the beginning and at the end, you will be asked to complete a few questionnaires and a feedback and evaluation form (all responses are confidential). Afterwards, you will receive a PDF version of the entire programme, including the personalised plan you will have developed along the way. . Your feedback will help us understand how the programme is received by the people it is designed for and identify what needs to be improved in terms of content and design before its public launch in six languages. . If you would like to participate in this pilot test, you can access the programme directly here, after creating an account 👉 intervention.researchersact.…

Universities do not just shape knowledge. They shape who is able to produce it, and on what terms. For too long the voices of working-class academics have struggled to feel belonging. . Full read: theconversation.com/working-…

Using data from 4,026 European researchers from the @ReMO_COST STAIRCASE survey, May Thet Nu Noe and colleagues analysed predictors of academic burnout. Main findings: 👉 Resilience, role clarity, job security, and sense of community were associated with lower burnout in both junior and senior researchers. 👉 Work-related stress, work–family conflict, and illegitimate tasks were associated with higher burnout. Manageable workloads, more stable contracts, and clearer roles are needed for a better mental health in academia. . #ReACT #MentalHealthAwareness #mentalhealth #academia

🟣🟡 Today is Day 1 of our fourth Transnational Project Meeting! What's new? 🙌 We launched the pilot trial of @ReACT_2024 programme to foster researcher wellbeing. Sign in, test it, and share your feedback 👉 intervention.researchersact.… 🙌 We submitted our systematic review to a scientific journal. 🙌 We reviewed tasks from WP2-WP4. . ReACT is co-funded by the European Union under Erasmus+ KA2-HED. #researcherwellbeing #AcademicWellbeing #ReACT #ErasmusPlus

🔥 🔥 Our online program to enhance researchers’ wellbeing is ready! And may we say, it looks rather great! ✨ ✨ ✨

💜 Together for mental health at work, in research too 💛 On 13 October, the European Agency for Safety and Health at Work (EU-OSHA) launched its Healthy Workplaces Campaign 2026–2028, “Together for mental health at work”. The campaign helps employers and organisations prevent, assess and manage psychosocial risks at work. According to EU-OSHA, nearly half (45%) of workers in the EU report risks to their mental wellbeing at work. 💛 Universities and research organisations are workplaces too, and the campaign’s logic applies to them. Its starting point is the assessment and management of psychosocial risks. Supporting mental health at work comes alongside it, through open dialogue, less stigma and early support. 💛 ReACT relates most directly to that last priority. It is designed to help researchers develop psychological flexibility through a free program in six languages. It does not replace the assessment and management of psychosocial risks, which remain the responsibility of institutions. ReACT will also develop policy recommendations for higher education institutions, so that what the project learns can inform institutional prevention. 💛This post closes our Erasmus Days series. We close with the idea that psychological flexibility can be learned and healthy research environments are built by institutions. 💜 The full ReACT presentation is available on our YouTube channel: youtube.com/watch?v=ci_EaojS… 💜 FUNDING Erasmus+ KA220-HED, project no. 2024-1-RO01-KA220-HED-000250043. Funded by the European Union. Views and opinions expressed are however those of the author(s) only and do not necessarily reflect those of the European Union or the Romanian National Agency (ANPCDEFP). Neither the European Union nor ANPCDEFP can be held responsible for them. #ErasmusDays #EUhealthyworkplaces #ReACTproject #Erasmusplusproject #EuropeanUnion #psychosocialrisks #researcherwellbeing #researchermentalhealth #stressmanagement

🤝Making psychological support accessible: what research institutions can do 👥 Offering support is not the same as making it accessible, since accessible support combines several levels: 1) Digital programs. Self-guided tools reach researchers wherever they work and fit around their schedules. Institutions can include them in the regular training offer of doctoral schools and staff development programs, so researchers do not have to find them alone. 2) Peer support. In-person formats, such as peer support groups and cross-departmental networks, give researchers space to discuss difficulties with colleagues who face the same pressures. 3) Professional psychological support. Some researchers need more than a self-guided program. Counselling services need enough capacity and practitioners who understand academic work. 4) Working conditions. The measures on workload and working conditions discussed yesterday are also part of access. Support is easier to use when it does not compete with an unmanageable workload. 👥 Accessible support also has to be usable: - participation in support activities can count as part of working time, not as an addition to it. - design one visible place where researchers can find what exists, how to access it and whom to contact. Wellbeing officers or researcher advocates in departments can link staff and university services. - create a safe culture, in which asking for help is not seen as weakness and does not affect evaluation or career progression. 🟪 ReACT is designed as one of these levels: a free digital program in six languages that institutions can offer alongside peer support, professional services and organisational measures. It does not replace psychotherapy or crisis intervention. 🟨 FUNDING Erasmus+ KA220-HED, project no. 2024-1-RO01-KA220-HED-000250043. Funded by the European Union. Views and opinions expressed are however those of the author(s) only and do not necessarily reflect those of the European Union or the Romanian National Agency (ANPCDEFP). Neither the European Union nor ANPCDEFP can be held responsible for them. #ErasmusDays #ReACTproject #Erasmusplusproject #EuropeanUnion #psychologicalsupport #highereducation #researcherwellbeing #researchermentalhealth #stressmanagement

⚖️ 🏛️ Individual skills complement institutional prevention. They do not replace it. 🌱 Psychological flexibility can help researchers respond to pressure. It does not remove the sources of that pressure. 🏛️ For research institutions, a first step is to assess and improve psychosocial working conditions, before individual programs or alongside them. Five areas matter in particular: 1) Workload - allocation that counts teaching, supervision, administration and service, not only research output. 2) Role clarity - clear expectations about tasks, supervision, and the criteria used in evaluation and promotion. 3) Resources - time, funding and administrative support that match what is expected of researchers. 4) Career development - access to mentoring, professional development and transparent career paths. 5) Collegiality - inclusion in decision-making, and recognition of less visible contributions such as mentoring and service. 📋These conditions are not the same for everyone. Academic work combines high autonomy with high demands, and the demands differ by career stage and contract type. Doctoral candidates depend heavily on the quality of supervision. Postdocs on fixed-term contracts face funding instability and short planning horizons. Permanent staff often accumulate teaching, administrative and leadership duties. As such, support works best when it is adapted to these differences. 🟨FUNDING Erasmus+ KA220-HED, project no. 2024-1-RO01-KA220-HED-000250043. Funded by the European Union. Views and opinions expressed are however those of the author(s) only and do not necessarily reflect those of the European Union or the Romanian National Agency (ANPCDEFP). Neither the European Union nor ANPCDEFP can be held responsible for them. #ErasmusDays #ReACTproject #Erasmusplusproject #EuropeanUnion #psychosocialrisks #researcherwellbeing #researchermentalhealth #stressmanagement

🟣 🟡 Psychological flexibility shows up in ordinary moments of academic work. Here are three examples from the ReACT modules: ✅ A critical review arrives, and the mind says: “I’ll never be good enough.” Responding flexibly means noticing the thought as a thought, making room for the disappointment, and returning to the review when it can be read with a clearer mind. ✅ Deadlines overlap, contracts are uncertain, and attention drifts between past rejections and future evaluations. Responding flexibly means coming back to the task at hand, and recognising that “I’m falling behind” is a story the mind tells, not a definition of who you are. ✅ An article stays unsubmitted because “I’m not ready yet.” Responding flexibly means acting on what matters while doubt is still present: fifteen minutes of outlining today, or one email to a collaborator. 🟣 In ReACT, these examples correspond to the three personal competences in the EU’s LifeComp framework: self-regulation, flexibility and wellbeing. None of these responses removes the pressure. They change how researchers respond to it. 🟡 Tomorrow's post will be about why individual skills are not enough on their own. 🟡 FUNDING Erasmus+ KA220-HED, project no. 2024-1-RO01-KA220-HED-000250043. Funded by the European Union. Views and opinions expressed are however those of the author(s) only and do not necessarily reflect those of the European Union or the Romanian National Agency (ANPCDEFP). Neither the European Union nor ANPCDEFP can be held responsible for them. #ErasmusDays #ReACTproject #Erasmusplusproject #EuropeanUnion #psychologicalflexibility #researcherwellbeing #researchermentalhealth #stressmanagement

🟣 Psychological flexibility: three short practices for the academic day 🟡 Yesterday, we presented ReACT for Erasmus Days 2026, “Learning and growing: skills for tomorrow”. Psychological flexibility is one of these skills: the capacity to stay present, open and guided by one’s values under pressure. Like any skill, it develops through practice. 🟡 Here are three short practices from the ReACT modules that fit into an academic day: ✅ STOP and notice (1 minute). Stop what you are doing. Take a couple of breaths and feel your body. Observe what you are thinking and feeling, without trying to change it. Then choose your next action with intention. This is useful before replying to an email, entering a lecture or giving feedback on a draft. ✅ Mindful transitions (3 breaths). Academics switch contexts constantly, and attention from the previous task often lingers. When moving between research, teaching and home, pause for three deep breaths and set a small intention for the next task, such as “Listen fully” or “Take it step by step”. ✅ Mini check-in (30–60 seconds). Add a recurring calendar alert: “Pause. What matters now?” When it appears, ask yourself three questions. What is here right now? What matters most in this next moment? What is one small step in that direction? 🟡 These practices are a way of returning, again and again, to the task at hand and to what matters. 🟡 Over the next days, we will share posts on psychological flexibility in academic work and on what research institutions can do to support researchers. 🟨FUNDING Erasmus+ KA220-HED, project no. 2024-1-RO01-KA220-HED-000250043. Funded by the European Union. Views and opinions expressed are however those of the author(s) only and do not necessarily reflect those of the European Union or the Romanian National Agency (ANPCDEFP). Neither the European Union nor ANPCDEFP can be held responsible for them. #ErasmusDays #ReACTproject #Erasmusplusproject #EuropeanUnion #psychologicalflexibility #mindfulness #researcherwellbeing #researchermentalhealth #stressmanagement

🟪 Psychological Flexibility as a Skill for Tomorrow’s Academia ✅ For the first day of Erasmus Days 2026, we are sharing our video presentation “Psychological Flexibility as a Skill for Tomorrow’s Academia”. Iacob Claudia, project coordinator (University of Bucharest), discusses why researcher well-being is an institutional matter, how psychological flexibility can be developed as a skill, and what higher education institutions can do to support researchers. The talk responds to this year’s Erasmus Days theme, “Learning and growing: skills for tomorrow”. 📌 Watch the presentation here: youtube.com/watch?v=ci_EaojS… ✅During Erasmus Days week, we will share short posts on stress management and psychological flexibility as a skill for academic work. 🟨FUNDING Erasmus+ KA220-HED, project no. 2024-1-RO01-KA220-HED-000250043. Funded by the European Union. Views and opinions expressed are however those of the author(s) only and do not necessarily reflect those of the European Union or the Romanian National Agency (ANPCDEFP). Neither the European Union nor ANPCDEFP can be held responsible for them. #ErasmusDays #ReACTproject #Erasmusplusproject #EuropeanUnion #PsychologicalFlexibility #HigherEducation #researcherwellbeing #researchermentalhealth #stressmanagement

🌎💜World Mental Health Day 2026: Lived experiences heard 🟩This year’s World Mental Health Day theme, “Lived experiences heard: real voices, real change,” calls for the knowledge of people who live through mental health difficulties to shape the services designed for them. In academia, work-related stress is often carried quietly. In the ReACT pilot, researchers’ feedback is part of how the program takes its final form. 🟩The ReACT platform (Researchers’ ACT: Training for Psychological Flexibility and Work-Related Stress Management) is a free, multilingual psychoeducational web-based program. It is co-funded by the European Union (Erasmus+ KA220-HED, Grant No. 2024-1-RO01-KA220-HED-000250043). 🟩The platform is currently in its pilot phase, with researchers from partner institutions across five countries. After the program is evaluated and refined, it will be made available to the general public at the end of the year. #WorldMentalHealthDay #WMHD2026 #LivedExperience #ReACTproject #Erasmusplusproject #EuropeanUnion #researcherwellbeing #researchermentalhealth #stressmanagement

ReACT at #ErasmusDays 2026 On 12 October, ReACT joins Erasmus Days 2026, held this year under the theme "Learning and growing: skills for tomorrow". We will publish a video presentation on the ReACT YouTube channel: "ReACT: Psychological Flexibility as a Skill for Tomorrow's Academia". The video outlines the relevance of the project for higher education institutions, the work completed so far and the pilot study currently underway. Event page: erasmusdays.eu/event/react-p… The ReACT platform will be a free, multilingual psychoeducational web-based program grounded in Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT), co-funded by the European Union (Erasmus+ KA220-HED, Grant No. 2024-1-RO01-KA220-HED-000250043). The pilot phase is currently underway, and the platform will be made available to the general public at the end of the year. #ErasmusDays #ReACTproject #Erasmusplusproject #EuropeanUnion #researcherwellbeing #researchermentalhealth #stressmanagement #psychologicalflexibility

Important reflections about mental health in academia from the World Congress on Public Health: ⛔ Universities preparing public health professionals are themselves making people unwell. ⛔ Mental health cannot be reduced to resilience, yoga, and mindfulness. Universities have to fix unhealthy structures and cultures. ⛔ Universities often measure how well students and staff cope with the system. Instead, they should measure how well the system supports students and staff. #academia #universities #mentalhealth #ReACT

One of the largest survey of researchers today shows that academic success - measured through prestige or citations - undermines well-being. . academic.oup.com/rev/article…

It’s not you. It’s the system. And you are not alone. 👉 A broken academic job market, crumbling university system, pulled funding streams, departmental closures, shrinking opportunities, and increasingly precarious career paths create conditions where even excellent scholars struggle to find jobs and stability. 👉 We need to stop turning structural problems into individual failures. 👉 Academia does not need more “resilient” researchers who must endure stress tests of precarity, permanent mobility, and hypercompetition just to find work. It needs a system with enough resources to allow researchers to build sustainable careers. . Full text: nature.com/articles/d41586-0… #mentalhealth #academia #ReACT

A new meta-analysis shows that: 🛑The prevalence of depressive or anxiety symptoms in early career researchers (ECRs) was up to 5 times higher than in age-matched general-population. 🛑 Demographic and individual characteristics played no role. 👉 These findings point to the systematic nature of mental health problems in academia and the need for structural reforms in academia to support ERCs' wellbeing. . Full paper: nature.com/articles/s41562-0… #mentalhealth #academia

📷📷 Mental Health During the PhD Journey Our colleague, Psiholog Claudia Iacob, coordinator of the ReACT Project, recently participated as a speaker at Research Freshmen – 2nd Edition, an event organized by Science Ongoing online, where she discussed the topic of mental health during doctoral studies. Pursuing a PhD is an exciting opportunity for academic and professional growth, but it also comes with challenges, including high workload, uncertainty about career prospects, isolation, work-life imbalance, and the risk of burnout. 📷 Learn more about the event (in Romanian): stiinta-cercetare.ro/.../res… #ReACTProject #ResearcherWellbeing #MentalHealth #PhDLife #DoctoralResearchers #ScienceOngoing #ResearchFreshmen #WellbeingInAcademia #EUfunded #UniversityOfBucharest