Each Member organisation may tailor the employer and employee contribution levels to its specific objectives and available budget. The benefit structure can also be flexible with the only limitations imposed by local (country-specific) Social and Labour Law regulations.
RESAVER can offer free of charge guidance to joining organisations when designing the specific features of the pension scheme i.e. benefits to be provided, payment forms, investment options, etc.
The vesting period refers to the time it takes for an employee's rights to employer contributions to become non-forfeitable. RESAVER has no vesting period, meaning that even if an employee receives only one monthly contribution, they will not lose these contributions upon leaving their employer.
Currently, the countries that are signed up to the RESAVER Pension Fund are Austria, Belgium, Cyprus, France, Hungary, Italy, and the Netherlands. In 2024, RESAVER will also be operational in Spain and the Czech Republic.
RESAVER is continuously expanding geographically and aims to welcome organisations from all countries of the European Economic Area (the Member States of the European Union, Iceland, Liechtenstein and Norway). Contact us if you wish to learn if RESAVER will soon be operational in your country.
Legal entity of RESAVER is located in Brussels, Belgium. Selection of this location was based on a comprehensive study that supported the selection of RESAVER’s Home Country. However, as RESAVER is a pan-European pension fund, its administrative and operational activities stretch cross-border and are managed through global service providers in various European locations.
A RESAVER Member is a research performing organisation (employer) who enrolled in the RESAVER Pension Fund by setting up a pension plan for its employees.
If your organisation employs staff conducting research, your organisation is eligible to join the RESAVER Pension Fund.
The Frascati definition of research: Research and experimental development (R&D) comprise creative and systematic work undertaken in order to increase the stock of knowledge – including knowledge of humankind, culture and society – and to devise new applications of available knowledge.
Eligibility to join RESAVER is not limited to research staff; member organisations can enrol all their staff members.
A RESAVER Participant is an active or former employee of a RESAVER Member organisation who is eligible to accrue pension savings in a pension plan set up by their employer and managed by RESAVER and is entitled to the value of their individual pension account at retirement age (or in some cases earlier).
Each Member organisation decides on the eligibility criteria of individuals or groups within their own workforce when offering participation in RESAVER.
As a pension fund operating across multiple European countries, RESAVER must comply with national and EU regulatory frameworks. This means it is subject to oversight by financial supervisory authorities in each country where it operates, as well as by relevant EU bodies that regulate pension fund operations.
Please contact us to find out the list of organisations who are members of the RESAVER Pension Fund.
Yes, Intergovernmental organisations can join RESAVER, provided that they employ staff conducting research and that they have a registered office in the European Economic Area.
MyRESAVER is an online member portal designed to provide plan participants instant access to their RESAVER pension account information and related services. It offers a range of tools and features to help participants manage their pension contributions, monitor investment performance and plan for retirement.
In MY RESAVER you can:
- Keep all pension documents in a central place from the description of the benefits to template request forms to initiate actions;
- Handle multiple currencies and multiple pension accounts related to different employers;
- Create specific investment profiles and make investment choices according to your attitude to risk;
- Have access to annual reports of your savings, investment returns and expenses applied;
- Use a projection tool to estimate the level of income you can expect at retirement;
Check the video for more information.
RESAVER is designed as a Defined Contribution (DC) pension scheme. This means that the value of the benefits the participant receives upon retirement depends on the amount of contributions made and the investment performance of those contributions. The contributions are typically defined as a fixed amount or a percentage of salary and can be paid by both the employee and the employer.
The European Commission plays a significant role in the development and support of the RESAVER Pension Fund.
The European Commission initiated RESAVER as part of its broader objective to facilitate the free movement of knowledge and talent within the European Research Area (ERA).
The European Commission provides funding and a policy framework that supports the operation of RESAVER. Finally, the European Commission raises awareness about RESAVER among research institutions across Europe.
Joining the RESAVER Pension Fund offers several key benefits for organisations. These advantages help organisations to not only attract and retain top talent but also to streamline the administrative aspects of offering a pension plan.
- RESAVER is specifically designed to address the needs of mobile researchers. By offering a pension solution that allows employees of RESAVER’s participating employers to consolidate their pension rights across different countries, research institutions can attract top international researchers who may otherwise be reluctant to relocate due to pension concerns.
- Managing pension plans across different countries can be complex and resource-intensive. RESAVER provides a centralised solution that simplifies the administrative burden, handling compliance with various national regulations through one single pension scheme. Therefore organisations can reduce the costs associated with managing separate pension plans, including administrative fees, compliance costs and expenses of managing investments.
- For organisations with staff in multiple countries, RESAVER harmonises pension provisions as much as country-specific regulations allow, ensuring that employees have consistent pension benefits regardless of where they work.
- Offering a robust pension plan through RESAVER helps employees feel more secure about their financial future, boosting morale and job satisfaction.
RESAVER has no initial setup costs to be borne by employers, but it does require the joining organisations to set up the administrative infrastructure to participate in RESAVER, including establishing accounts, implementing payroll procedures and integrating with existing HR systems.
RESAVER and its pension administration provideroffer support to joining organisations free of charge during the implementation phase. However, some tasks still need to be carried out by the joining organisations themselves.
Recurring costs of RESAVER membership vary depending on several factors, including the size of the organisation, the number of employees participating, division of costs between employer and employees and the choice of investment strategy.
RESAVER provides transparent information about its recurring costs, which can be found on the Pension Fund page.
As a non-profit organisation, RESAVER utilises membership fees to finance its pension fund operations.