This presentation was held at the final meeting of #IDPbyNMR (www.IDPbyNMR.eu), a Scientific Initial Training Network #ITN supported by the European Union #FP7 #MarieCurieActions. It is summary of 10 years experience in training #graduates of European Universities in skills complementary to the work in research.
Novel graduate complementary, transferable, horizontal skill trainings at universities
1. IDPbyNMR Project Final Meeting Graduate curricula: support towards academic careers and beyond Ten years (four in IDPbyNMR) human resource training at universities. ̴ 600 students per year
Castiglione della Pescaia (Florence), Italy
21-26 September 2014
Dr. Andrea Degen, MD, Eurelations AG. Providing services for IDPbyNMR, East-NMR,
ERASMUS B-INNOVATIVE etc.
2. Content:
I.Definition: academic career
II.Political embedment
III.EU expectations from researchers
IV.Knowledge gap
V.Examples of graduate curricula
VI.Observations, lessons learned, future outlook
VII.The IDPbyNMR training courses
3. I. Definition: academic career
•Course or progress through professional life in academia (gr. Ἀκαδήμεια1) = universities (lat. universitas «the whole»)
•Formal education (undergraduate/postgraduate)
•Degrees (Bachelor/Master/PhD/PostDoc/Professorship)
•Academic Freedom 2,3
•Best educated R
1. Plato's school of philosophy, 385 BC: Meet, discuss, gain wisdom. Higher public or private learning institutions
2. «Constitutio habita», University of Bologna, 1158
3. Magna Charta Universitatum, 1988, signed by universities
4. II. Political embedment
•DG education and culture
•DG research
•DG innovation & industry
Balancing act: EDUCATION –
RESEARCH and INNOVATION in the globalised research, development & technology environment
4. Jeremy Rifkin:
•2004, The European Dream: How Europe's Vision of the Future is Quietly Eclipsing the American Dream, ISBN 1-58542-345-9
•2011, The Third Industrial Revolution: How Lateral Power Is Transforming Energy, the Economy, and the World, ISBN 978-0-230-11521-7
•2014, The Zero Marginal Cost Society: The internet of things, the collaborative commons, and the eclipse of capitalism, ISBN 978-1-137-27846-3
5. III. The role of education, research and innovation in EU Member States
•Key drivers of social and economic prosperity and of environmental sustainability
•Key drivers for industrial competitiveness: investment of 3 % of gross domestic product (GDP) by 2020 in order to attract private investment of up to 2/3 of total investments
•Key drivers for the European Research Area (ERA): cohesion policy, capacity-building and providing a stairway to excellence
5. Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union (Consolidated version 2012);
Art. 173, 183 and 188 paragraph 2
6. Horizon2020: Regulation 1291/2013
7. Europe2020, Innovation Union COM;2010
6. Ironically the privilege to be best educated makes the young EU researcher the elite and responsible for the «rest» of society. - Find solutions to financial crisis - create wealth & jobs - cure diseases - fight against nationalism as best example for positive impact immigration - etc. etc.
7. The needs for key drivers licenses: IV. Knowledge gap
•Mobility, relations across borders8
•Specific knowledge about scientific, social, economic benchmarks (impact)
•Specific goal (publications, patents, employment)
•Specific role (employee, team leader, spin-off entrepreneur,…)
•Specific rules or benchmarks related to research topic (clinical research, pharmaceutical development, sample assemblage, access an benefit sharing of natural resources,…)
8. EURAXESS - Researchers in Motion is a unique pan-European initiative providing access to a complete range of information and support services to researchers wishing to pursue their research careers in Europe or stay connected to it http://ec.europa.eu/euraxess/
8. Knowledge needed beyond science=horizontally/complementary/transferable/soft/…Trend: V. Example of curricula9
We knew what we know
We knew what we didn’t knew
We didn’t know what we didn’t know
-Mandated by universities
-Gender units organised the first courses
-Funded by third parties
-Constantly improve quality (ECTS)
-More and more focused
-Separate courses for PhDs and PostDocs
-Courses are fully booked
-PostDocs are willing to pay
-New needs: Social Networks, Code of conduct in science,…
9. Examples of Graduate Curricula: Institutional: Graduate Schools UniZURICH http://goo.gl/VbdgD9 , UniBASEL http://goo.gl/16cwRd , UniLUCERNE http://goo.gl/9Zvnp4 Departments: ETHZ Life science Graduate School http://www.lifesciencezurich.ch/ Thematic: Plant science http://www.plantsciences.uzh.ch/teaching.html
9. VI. Observations – and immediate corrections
1.An excellent undergraduate education comes first (HR units and Pis choose staff carefully)
2.Only a minority continues in science. As a consequence the content of the trainings should be applicable in other professions
3.People with academic ambitions need mentors 10
4.Separate teaching of PhDs and PostDocs
5.Diversity of fellows = high quality
6.Coherent curricula and a contextual programme is much better than «ad hoc» trainings without concept
7.The external expert is no expert. The involved parties are the experts. Fellows, trainers, organisers (middle management)
8.Technocratic knowledge shift is no value added. «It don’t mean a thing if it ain’t got that swing», Motivation and respect! Create a culture of innovation with ambitious visions. «Think big», shoot towards the moon…feed self confidence of fellows
10. Julia Richardson, Jelena Zikic, (2007) "The darker side of an international academic career", Career Development International, Vol. 12 Iss: 2, pp.164 - 186
10. Lessons learned – but hard to correct:
•Agree on horizontal education needs
•Agree on catalogue, common goal and basic-, advanced-, superior- knowledge for PhD and PostDocs
•Leadership and guidance by senior staff and university middle management
•Flat hierarchy
•Winning cooperation with third parties (e.g. Trainers)
•Keep longtherm connected (to IDPFellowsClub) and commit to need to make things move together
Connect to IDPbyNMR on Facebook!!!
11. Future outlook:
A university culture of teaching
A university culture of constant learning
An academy and open source of permanent innovation
12. VII. The IDPbyNMR CST trainings
Assessment of needs beforehand and quality check after each training:
1. St. Moritz (CH): 7-10 February 2011
Career Planning / Presentations Techniques / Self Management / Structuring your Thesis
2. Poggibonsi (IT): 25-28 October 2012
Paper Writing / Proposal Writing / Business Plan Writing
3. Zurich (CH): 3-6 September 2013
Entrepreneurship & NMR: From Science to Market / Meeting Nobel Prize Winner / Industry Visit / IPR Training
4. Castiglione della Pescaia (IT): 28-31 May 2014
National & International Fundraising / Industry Cooperation / Digital Job Hunting: Digital Fingerprint / Application Video / Social Media