Many researchers across Europe face significant mental health challenges, with toxic work environments, job insecurity, hyper competition, and limited funding all part of the daily pressures. For too long, these issues have been marginalised or treated as personal struggles and/or incidents rather than systemic problems. The COST Action Researcher Mental Health (ReMO) aimed to change this.

By bringing these issues into the open, ReMO has been a driving force in changing the way mental health is perceived and discussed within academic institutions. Through conferences, webinars, and a strong online presence, ReMO created open spaces where researchers could share personal stories and develop practical solutions with mental health experts and institutional leaders.

Dr Gábor Kismihók, Chair of ReMO and Head of the Learning and Skill Analytics Lab at TIB, Germany, believes this shift in dialogue has been crucial. “ReMO has helped change the conversation about mental health in academia from a taboo topic to one that’s now recognised at the highest European policy level,” he said. By building bridges between researchers, institutions, and policymakers, ReMO has ensured that mental health is now firmly on the national and European research policy agenda.

Steps toward change: The STAIRCASE survey

One of ReMO’s most impactful contributions to the field is the STAIRCASE survey. Designed to go beyond individual anecdotes, the survey collected data from thousands of researchers in more than 30 countries. Its unique value lies in its scale, allowing analysis of the mental health challenges faced by researchers at personal, institutional, and national levels.

Watch the video here.

Dr. Stefan Mol of the University of Amsterdam, co-leader of the STAIRCASE survey, highlighted how the findings are expected to inform new policies and interventions that will contribute to healthier research environments. “We expect the findings to lead to policy recommendations and evidence-based interventions aimed at nurturing, sustaining, and protecting mental health at work,” Stefan said, adding that the goal is a research culture where well-being is seen as a shared responsibility.

“We expect the findings to lead to policy recommendations and evidence-based interventions aimed at nurturing, sustaining, and protecting mental health at work”. Dr. Stefan Mol, co-leader of the STAIRCASE survey

Beyond data collection, ReMO’s activities have helped to build a community based on mutual understanding and shared experiences. Stefan Mol reflected on the memorable conferences held, particularly in Budapest, where participants not only discussed academic research but also shared deeply personal stories of suffering from bullying, harassment, overwork and precariousness. These meetings created lasting links and a sense of solidarity among members, many of whom continue to work together beyond the project’s timeline.

ReMO also distinguished itself by giving a strong voice to researchers from Inclusiveness Target Countries (ITCs), where mental health is often even less supported in academia. Thanks to COST, ReMO ensured active participation from these regions, with more than half of the members of the Action’s Management Committee coming from ITCs.

Through this involvement, the Action participants brought forward the specific challenges faced by researchers in countries such as Romania and Turkey. In Romania, for example, researchers faced a lack of national campaigns to promote mental well-being and weak reporting systems. Factors such as high rates of tobacco and alcohol consumption and unhealthy diets compounded these challenges. Although Turkey has a National Mental Health Action Plan, the specific needs of researchers in a rapidly growing and overstretched academic sector remain overlooked.

“ReMO has helped change the conversation about mental health in academia from a taboo topic to one that’s now recognised at the highest European policy level”. Dr Gábor Kismihók, Chair of ReMO

These findings were not only valuable for the development of the STAIRCASE survey but also formed the basis of country-specific reports compiled by many Action members and published on Zenodo. The researcher mental health overview in Slovenia, Albania, Finland, Turkey, North Macedonia, Romania, and Montenegro raised awareness of inequalities across Europe and provided targeted recommendations for policymakers to address mental health more effectively in these national contexts.

In parallel, ReMO supported academics and researchers through its Ambassador Training Schools. These gatherings became opportunities for participants to develop strategies for advocating for change within their institutions. One outstanding example is Dr Anna Muro from the Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, who used her knowledge to develop a structured programme to ensure the well-being of researchers at her public university.

“Our approach has enabled just 12 certified trainers to reach 60 doctoral students with basic wellbeing management and positive mental health tools based on evidence-based psychological techniques”. Dr Anna Muro of the Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona

“Our ‘train the trainers’ methodology selects doctoral students in education and psychology who then deliver ‘The Third Half’ programme – teaching evidence-based wellbeing techniques to their peers”, explains Anna Muro. “This cascading approach has enabled just 12 certified trainers to reach 60 doctoral students with basic wellbeing management and positive mental health tools based on evidence-based psychological techniques. The effectiveness of all training has been validated and tested to ensure quality and impact. This peer-led approach builds sustainable wellbeing capacity and drives cultural change across our research community”.

The methodology she developed has now been widely disseminated, inspiring others to follow a similar path.

ReMO placed a strong emphasis on the well-being of early career researchers, recognising that they are particularly vulnerable within the hierarchical structures of academia. Around 300 young researchers benefited from ReMO’s capacity-building activities, receiving training in mental health awareness, leadership and advocacy.

Young researchers were also key players in ReMO’s leadership, leading working groups and managing initiatives such as the STAIRCASE survey. Their involvement led to the development of follow-on projects such as OSCAR and OEduverse. OSCAR used AI technology to deliver personalised mental health and career training via the eDoer platform, while OEduverse created a comprehensive training programme covering open science, mental health, and communication skills, aimed at empowering researchers to shape supportive and collaborative working environments.

“The COST brand is a door-opener. It is unlikely that our community could have achieved the same level of impact without the support of COST”. Gábor Kismihók

To support reusability, many of the lessons learned in the ReMO project are now also in the process of being translated into open-source training modules as part of the Scilink Foundation’s involvement in the PATTERN project.

ReMO’s influence continues to shape science after the end of the COST Action. The Researchers’ Mental Health Manifesto, now translated into 19 languages, has become a widely used resource to initiate discussions on mental health policy across Europe. Although not designed for a specific institution, it has been taken up by Eurodoc, where it has stimulated reflection on how supervisory and institutional structures can better support the mental well-being of researchers. ReMO resources are now listed as good practices and resources in the Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions Supervision Guidelines. According to the ReMO Chair, this is a major achievement: “The new MSCA Supervision Guidelines set the standard for modern, effective research supervision. I’m proud that key initiatives we’ve developed – the REMO mental health resources, the AI-powered OSCAR training and SciLink – are being recognised as part of this effort. These tools will empower researchers across Europe and beyond. The work on these fundamental issues goes on!”

The Manifesto has also been presented at high-profile events, including the 2022 and 2024 Euroscience Open Forums, further extending its reach and relevance.

In the scope of the agenda of the ReMO Manifesto, the focus was on creating a format that allowed the ReMO Conference 2024 participants to explore together the dilemmas regarding mental health in Academia and how to safeguard the academic dream.

Watch the short interviews and close-ups of participants engaging in the process.

In addition, ReMO’s work directly contributed to the explicit mention of mental health as a responsibility of research employers in the new European Charter for Researchers. The European Commission’s Successful and timely uptake of artificial intelligence in science in the EU also drew on ReMO’s evidence, highlighting mental health as a potential barrier to scientific progress, including in fields such as artificial intelligence.

“It is unlikely that our community could have achieved the same level of impact without the support of COST”, acknowledges the Action Chair. “The COST brand was often a door-opener, as people wanted to know more about how such a network works and produces results, and how we could use this interest to initiate discussions on academic working conditions”.

ReMO’s efforts have shown that supporting mental health is not just about individual well-being – it is about securing the future of research itself. Healthier research environments foster creativity, innovation and resilience, ensuring that talent is not only recruited, but nurtured and retained.

Additional information

Visit the Action website
Discover the Network website
ReMO on Zenodo
ReMO on LinkedIn
ReMO on YouTube
Follow the free online MOOC in Spanish ‘SOBREVIVE a tu doctorado con salud y éxito‘ (Tips to survive your PhD with health and success)