What is the postdoc for? At the present, postdocs find themselves in a grey area, which is neither training nor a secure first step in a research career. As numbers of postdocs have grown much more than the number of tenured or tenure-track positions, researchers risk to find themselves with a series of postdoc positions as ‘early stage researchers’ for many years, perhaps waiting in vain for a permanent position. However, universities need postdocs to broaden and complement their research expertise, and postdoc positions can be an opportunity for obtaining additional experience for a number of careers. The focus group will attempt to identify existing or potential good practices for using postdoc positions to the benefit of institutions and researchers alike.