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The desires to pursue personal goals, escape university pressures or get off the grant-writing treadmill convince some US professors to leave the security of a tenured post.
In its first ten years, the US National Postdoctoral Association has helped to raise the profile of postdocs. But championing their cause still presents challenges.
The second phase of the German Excellence Initiative is helping scientists and universities. But sustaining its gains in the long term could be a challenge.