Over 450 early career researchers from more than 50 different nations joined a special event at the 13th International Congress on Mathematical Education in Hamburg, Germany. On July 24th, the Early Career Researcher Day (ECRD) of ICME-13 took place comprising, an intensive one-day program of 18 workshops, and 6 sub-plenary survey presentations. The welcoming address by Gabriele Kaiser as convenor ICME-13 and the opening speech by Ferdinando Arzarello as ICMI president set the stage for multiple, rich learning opportunities for early career researchers advancing their understanding of scientific research and o allowing them to interact with more than 40 international experts in mathematics education. During the day, ECRD participants had the opportunity to attend workshops on empirical methods and lectures on important mathematics educational themes, both given by international experts in the field. Workshops included: Design Research, Mixed Methods, Video-based Research, Qualitative Text Analysis, Grounded Theory, Large Scale Assessments, Socio-Cultural Studies, Ethnographic Studies, Argumentation Analyses, Interaction Analyses, and Networking Theories. Lectures included: Theoretical Aspects of Mathematics Education Research, Frameworks and Principles for Task Design in Mathematics Education, False Choices in Research Paradigms, International Comparative Studies, Professional Education and Development of Teachers, and Thinking about Mathematics as Discourse. The afternoon was marked by a panel presentation and discussion on major journals in mathematics education given by journal representatives (Merrilyn Goos (Educational Studies in Mathematics); Jinfa Cai (Journal for Research in Mathematics Education); Marcelo Borba (ZDM Mathematics Education); Carolyn Maher (Journal of Mathematical Behavior); Olive Chapman (Journal of Mathematics Teacher Education); Peter Liljedahl (International Journal of Science and Mathematics Education); Charalambos Charalambous (Mathematical Thinking and Learning), followed by workshops on academic writing and academic publishing (Richard Barwell, Helen Forgasz, Vince Geiger, Aiso Heinze, Jeremy Kilpatrick, Cynthia W. Langrall, Norma Presmeg). Alan H. Schoenfeld (University of California, Berkeley) provided a look ahead in his keynote presentation on ‘What Makes for Powerful Classrooms, and How Can We Support Teachers in Creating Them? A Story of Research and Practice, Productively Intertwined’. The welcoming reception in the Congress Center following the ECRD provided further opportunities to intensify networking and socializing among early career researchers and international experts.

These activities will hopefully contribute to the establishment of firm promotional structures of early career researchers at the level of ICMI and the next ICMEs.