Periodic Reporting for period 1 - YUFE4Postdocs (Young Universities for the Future of Europe - Postdoc programme)
Periodo di rendicontazione: 2023-01-01 al 2024-12-31
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.
- 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.
A novel selection procedure inspired by the principles of the Coalition for Advancing Research Assessment (CoARA), assessing applicants on a broad and qualitative set of criteria. The procedure comprised a thorough peer-review followed by a final selection by two interdisciplinary Selection Committees set up for each call. These consisted of academic members and a number of societal members of municipalities/business organisations or civil society organisations. They co-decided on the selection by assessing the potential contribution of the project to societal and/or economic impact and the proposed stakeholder interaction during the project.
Fifty-five postdoctoral researchers are recruited, with excellent longer term (36 months) projects with societal relevance. The partner universities deploy a common approach on supervision and mentorship. Each postdoc is supervised by a team involving (at least) one societal stakeholder, with a Career Development Plan as their individual roadmap. A three-pillar structured training program inspired by the DIOSI model (Developing and Implementing hands-on training on Open Science and Open Innovation for Early Career Researchers). The program features interactive workshops (Pillar 1) joint transferable skills trainings (Pillar 2) and complementary courses in the host universities (Pillar 3). Four physical workshops take place between October 2024 and May 2026. The first addresses OS and CERI and includes pitches to societal stakeholders. The second addresses science communication and entrepreneurship. Pillar 2 offers joint training with compulsory modules on ‘Equality, Diversity and Inclusivity’ and on ‘Research Ethics and Integrity’. In addition, the postdocs can take further training ‘a la carte’. Upon completion of the program, the postdocs will have acquired a valuable skill set, international mindset and an expanded network of academic and stakeholder contacts.
This complex partnership project is carried out in a multilayered management structure, implemented by a Project Group with one anchor (Navigators) in each partner university. Led by the University of Antwerpen’s Management Team, this PG ascertains a program execution with harmonised approaches on remuneration, training and counseling, research data management, ethics, output tracking and communication and dissemination.
Fifty-five postdoctoral researchers are recruited, with excellent longer term (36 months) projects with societal relevance. The partner universities deploy a common approach on supervision and mentorship. Each postdoc is supervised by a team involving (at least) one societal stakeholder, with a Career Development Plan as their individual roadmap. A three-pillar structured training program inspired by the DIOSI model (Developing and Implementing hands-on training on Open Science and Open Innovation for Early Career Researchers). The program features interactive workshops (Pillar 1) joint transferable skills trainings (Pillar 2) and complementary courses in the host universities (Pillar 3). Four physical workshops take place between October 2024 and May 2026. The first addresses OS and CERI and includes pitches to societal stakeholders. The second addresses science communication and entrepreneurship. Pillar 2 offers joint training with compulsory modules on ‘Equality, Diversity and Inclusivity’ and on ‘Research Ethics and Integrity’. In addition, the postdocs can take further training ‘a la carte’. Upon completion of the program, the postdocs will have acquired a valuable skill set, international mindset and an expanded network of academic and stakeholder contacts.
This complex partnership project is carried out in a multilayered management structure, implemented by a Project Group with one anchor (Navigators) in each partner university. Led by the University of Antwerpen’s Management Team, this PG ascertains a program execution with harmonised approaches on remuneration, training and counseling, research data management, ethics, output tracking and communication and dissemination.
YUFE4Postdocs builds upon previous ground work in the DIOSI project (No 101006318), two smaller pilot calls (2019-2023) and the activities on community engaged research & innovation in the YUFERING project (No. 101016967). YUFE4Postdocs goes one step further by finetuning, enriching, upscaling, or piloting conceptual work undertaken in the previous projects.
The acquired experience with the primarily qualitative selection procedure for young researchers implemented in YUFE4Postdocs, can be valorized by the Alliance in a future program for attracting and training postdocs. But a more sustainable impact of YUFE4Postdocs lies in the broader mainstreaming of harmonized procedures on training, and of procedures on ethical screening, research data management and knowledge valorization within the partner universities of the Alliance and the approach towards stakeholder interaction as part of its further R&I agenda.
The acquired experience with the primarily qualitative selection procedure for young researchers implemented in YUFE4Postdocs, can be valorized by the Alliance in a future program for attracting and training postdocs. But a more sustainable impact of YUFE4Postdocs lies in the broader mainstreaming of harmonized procedures on training, and of procedures on ethical screening, research data management and knowledge valorization within the partner universities of the Alliance and the approach towards stakeholder interaction as part of its further R&I agenda.