A cross-border coalition of researchers has formed to advocate for better working conditions and to inform and inspire policy. The International Consortium of Research Staff Associations (ICoRSA) will address early-career challenges including low wages, limited career prospects, mobility restrictions and inadequate recognition. “The same issues exist in almost every country, and we felt that they have to be addressed globally,” says Cathee Johnson Phillips, executive director of the US National Postdoctoral Association, one of ICoRSA's founding members. ICoRSA held its first meeting on 14 July at the 2012 Euroscience Open Forum in Dublin.