Tenure is gaining traction in Europe even as the system is slipping away in the United States, according to a study by the League of European Research Universities in Leuven, Belgium. The study surveyed 21 universities throughout Belgium, Finland, France, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, Sweden, Switzerland, Spain and the United Kingdom. It found that seven nations are now using tenure as a way to recruit internationally and to offer researchers a clearer career path. The paper defines tenure-track as a fixed-term contract that can lead to a permanent position. Institutions surveyed in the United Kingdom, France and Spain do not have tenure systems. Meanwhile, the proportion of tenure-track positions in the United States has declined in the past 30 years, notes the study.