YUFE4Postdocs is an ambitious postdoctoral training program launched by the University of Antwerp in a partnership with eight other universities of the YUFE Alliance. The project was motivated by the need to deepen R&I collaborations within the Alliance and is developed as an instrument of the Alliance’s joint R&I agenda with the following objectives:
- attract excellent early-career researchers to the YUFE universities
- instigate or further develop (ongoing) research collaboration between partner universities
- develop a novel training program for junior postdoctoral researchers
- support research that contributes to societal challenges framed in an urban context, linked to any of the Alliance’s focus areas: digital societies; sustainability, citizen’s wellbeing and European identity
As important components of community-engaged research and innovation (CERI), interaction with stakeholders, Open Science (OS) and Open Innovation run as a red thread throughout the program. Stakeholders contribute in the evaluation and selection process; in the supervision of the research projects providing fresh perspectives; and within the training program.
The program generates impact on various levels:
On Alliance level it contributes to promoting YUFE as a leading European initiative for excellent research training and mobility. In synergy with the work within the alliance on joint postdoctoral training (also led by the University of Antwerpen) YUFE4Postdocs acts as a frontrunner in developing joint training standards and showcasing best practices. It contributes to setting a standard for advanced postdoctoral learning and career development at a European level with stakeholder interactions and community engagement at its core.
On the level of the Partner universities, the program’s two calls secured a substantial number of additional researchers. It boosts the capacity of the hosting groups and creates new cross-border relations. Spillover effects of the training program are expected, as the experiences gained will improve or expand local training portfolios. By involving societal stakeholders within the supervising team of the postdocs, the program will create new or deepen existing collaborations with a variety of non-academic partners within the university’s local ecosystems and beyond.
The fifty-five research projects are expected to contribute to societal opportunities and challenges on local, regional and national levels. With research framed within the overarching theme urban opportunities and challenges connected to YUFE focus areas, the projects are relevant for a broad range of stakeholders. The project’s output will be carefully tracked. Outcomes are expected to generate benefits beyond the research community. Benefits will materialise via coordinated facilities for knowledge and skills transfer.
On the level of the researchers, the training is intended to develop researchers in becoming future-proof knowledge workers prepared to embark upon an knowledge-intensive career, with a variety of employment opportunities to pursue in industry, public institutions, civil society and (local) governments. Furthermore, the fostered entrepreneurial mindset will stimulate postdocs to explore different kinds of valorisation opportunities.
