Periodic Reporting for period 1 - IST-BRIDGE (IST-BRIDGE: International postdoctoral program)
Reporting period: 2021-11-01 to 2023-10-31
The IST-BRIDGE postdoctoral program will fund 60 fellows across the life sciences, mathematics and computer science, and the physical sciences recruited over 5 globally advertised calls. BRIDGE fellows will receive a 2 year contract, with up to 6 month extensions to encourage transferrable skills training through intersectoral secondments and intrasectoral placements.
Scientific Excellence
IST-BRIDGE will support excellent postdoctoral researchers with a broad and diverse scientific portfolio and provide them with the tools and support structures to maximize the chances for breakthroughs and build the strongest foundation on which discoveries can emerge. While in times of scarce resources it is tempting to prioritize investments that seem to offer a higher potential for direct returns, at ISTA we are convinced that truly excellent research will always lead to important outcomes. Thus IST-BRIDGE features a bottom-up approach throughout the whole program: fellows are free to propose any research topic within or cutting across the scientific fields represented on campus (Biology, Neuroscience, Mathematics, Data and Computer Science, Physics and Chemistry). There will be no compromise on excellence when it comes to the selection of fellows and their projects. Fellows will be supervised by world-class faculty at an institute that has the highest success rate in ERC grants in Europe, and will work with cutting-edge technical infrastructure.
Bridging the Experience Gap
IST-BRIDGE will provide postdoctoral researchers a unique opportunity to bridge their training and/or experience gap. Fellows will be enrolled in a Career Development Program, which is structured in four profiled tracks, a combination of desired career goals and concrete professional options. It will provide experienced researchers with the necessary information, tools, and opportunities to make informed career decisions. Fellows have the option to consolidate skills acquired through the Career Development Program through a broad secondment scheme consisting of 1) global academic secondments at BRIDGE network partners, 2) intersectoral secondments at intersectoral partners that best match the fellow’s career goals, and 3) intrasectoral placements within ISTA. Fellows will be provided with the framework (flexible agreements, existing partner networks, ISTA Alumni Initiative), experienced support services (Tech Transfer Office, HR, Grant Office) and guidance from intersectoral partners (IST Park, IST CUBE) to facilitate fellow-driven (i.e. bottom-up), dynamic interaction with actors from other fields and sectors. This should ultimately enable them to develop sustainable partnerships and their own scientific and professional network.
Promoting Innovation Transfer
“Chance favors only the prepared mind” (Louis Pasteur): As there is no way to know for sure which basic science projects will lead to major scientific advances, IST-BRIDGE will heavily invest in support structures to facilitate this process. Researchers need to be prepared to recognize and capitalize on opportunities when they come up. With its partners IST Cube, a tech-based incubator, and IST Park, the technology park adjacent to ISTA, the program will provide tailored support and coaching during the transition phase between proven academic research results and the exploitation of innovations. In this regard, supervisors and field-specific TTO experts will guide the fellows in identifying key target audiences for the results of their research and defining steps to ensure the visibility, accessibility and reusability of these results, while the larger innovation ecosystem around ISTA shall be available when commercialization opportunities arise.
Scientific Excellence
IST-BRIDGE will support excellent postdoctoral researchers with a broad and diverse scientific portfolio and provide them with the tools and support structures to maximize the chances for breakthroughs and build the strongest foundation on which discoveries can emerge. While in times of scarce resources it is tempting to prioritize investments that seem to offer a higher potential for direct returns, at ISTA we are convinced that truly excellent research will always lead to important outcomes. Thus IST-BRIDGE features a bottom-up approach throughout the whole program: fellows are free to propose any research topic within or cutting across the scientific fields represented on campus (Biology, Neuroscience, Mathematics, Data and Computer Science, Physics and Chemistry). There will be no compromise on excellence when it comes to the selection of fellows and their projects. Fellows will be supervised by world-class faculty at an institute that has the highest success rate in ERC grants in Europe, and will work with cutting-edge technical infrastructure.
Bridging the Experience Gap
IST-BRIDGE will provide postdoctoral researchers a unique opportunity to bridge their training and/or experience gap. Fellows will be enrolled in a Career Development Program, which is structured in four profiled tracks, a combination of desired career goals and concrete professional options. It will provide experienced researchers with the necessary information, tools, and opportunities to make informed career decisions. Fellows have the option to consolidate skills acquired through the Career Development Program through a broad secondment scheme consisting of 1) global academic secondments at BRIDGE network partners, 2) intersectoral secondments at intersectoral partners that best match the fellow’s career goals, and 3) intrasectoral placements within ISTA. Fellows will be provided with the framework (flexible agreements, existing partner networks, ISTA Alumni Initiative), experienced support services (Tech Transfer Office, HR, Grant Office) and guidance from intersectoral partners (IST Park, IST CUBE) to facilitate fellow-driven (i.e. bottom-up), dynamic interaction with actors from other fields and sectors. This should ultimately enable them to develop sustainable partnerships and their own scientific and professional network.
Promoting Innovation Transfer
“Chance favors only the prepared mind” (Louis Pasteur): As there is no way to know for sure which basic science projects will lead to major scientific advances, IST-BRIDGE will heavily invest in support structures to facilitate this process. Researchers need to be prepared to recognize and capitalize on opportunities when they come up. With its partners IST Cube, a tech-based incubator, and IST Park, the technology park adjacent to ISTA, the program will provide tailored support and coaching during the transition phase between proven academic research results and the exploitation of innovations. In this regard, supervisors and field-specific TTO experts will guide the fellows in identifying key target audiences for the results of their research and defining steps to ensure the visibility, accessibility and reusability of these results, while the larger innovation ecosystem around ISTA shall be available when commercialization opportunities arise.
Successfully completed four 'calls for applications', with 165 eligible and complete applications received. Each 'call for applications' encompassed dissemination of the call, answering applicant queries, preparing and launching the electronic submission portal, performing eligibility checks, evaluation by an international expert panel, an interview stage, and finally preparing fellowship offers and onboarding of successful recruits. Through the first four calls, 52 experienced researchers have accepted offers for two year fellowships, in line with the target of approx. 12 per call. One further call is planned with a deadline of 05/11/2023.
By the end of the IST-BRIDGE program we will have hired and trained over 60 experienced researchers, providing not only an outstanding environment in which to perform interdisciplinary basic research under exceptional mentorship, but also enhancing fellow's career prospects (both inside and outside of academia) post-fellowship. We will also have developed a career development program for experienced researchers for application to the wider postdoctoral community at ISTA, and far beyond lifetime of the IST-BRIDGE program. We will have both enhanced existing partnerships, and created novel new partnerships, with academic and non-academic institutions through the flexible secondment program.