International postdoctoral programme fosters cutting-edge medical research
The SRBSP is a large infrastructure that includes three major centres. The San Raffaele Hospital is one of the leading private hospitals in Italy, recognised by the Italian Ministry of Health as a research hospital, Institute for Research and Health Care (IRCCS). Also, the Università Vita-Salute San Raffaele (USR) is a vibrant acclaimed private university comprising faculties of medicine, psychology and philosophy and provides undergraduate education, masters and PhD training. The Fondazione Centro San Raffaele (FCSR), an internationally renowned molecular medicine research facility hosts a programme for Italian and international postdoctoral researchers. The support of EU funding to USR through the INVEST (International venue for postgraduate education) project further developed and expanded the postdoctoral programme. Overall, the aims were to foster research and transnational mobility, and support career development and training by increasing the international character of SRBSP postdoctoral community. Postdoctoral fellows were recruited through merit-based transparent selection procedures, and freely chose the topic of interest from among the SRBSP’s broad range of research areas. These span the fields of basic, applied, clinical and industrial research. Three international calls for applications were launched. In all, 21 fellowships were awarded, 17 of which were accepted. All fellows received support with administrative procedures and legal issues and were provided information on local facilities and activities. The public website was continuously updated to advertise and disseminate information about the three calls. It also promoted INVEST training activities and events. Several training activities were organised, and every postdoc was encouraged to participate in order to develop new research skills, exploit future career opportunities, and gain insight into specific themes and technologies. Training covered pioneering research domains and state-of-the art techniques in a highly supportive, intensely collaborative and interdisciplinary environment. INVEST’s postdoctoral fellowships attracted excellent candidates to SRBSP and provided them with valuable experience. This has led to lifelong career development prospects, offering researchers a unique opportunity to expand their technical and scientific skills by joining internationally renowned laboratories and collaborating in an international setting.
Keywords
Postdoctoral programme, medical research, San Raffaele Biomedical Science Park, INVEST, postgraduate education