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TRAIN@Ed

Periodic Reporting for period 2 - TRAINEd (TRAIN@Ed)

Reporting period: 2020-06-01 to 2023-11-30

Train@Ed delivered in important areas of experienced researcher development in the EU: Firstly, it provided a highly visible research opportunity for experienced researchers, with secure employment for three years. A lack of personal research funding for junior researchers, particularly those which bridge industry and academia, had been repeatedly highlighted by reports on researcher careers in the EU, and by researchers themselves. By emphasising the links with industry and the transferable skill training provided, this programme complemented opportunities through ERC grants. Secondly, Train@Ed addressed a major gap in opportunities for early career researchers to collaborate with industry. The ERA progress report (2013) noted there was a relative lack of researchers employed in industry in Europe, with the net result that many PhD graduates are ‘ill-prepared for the labour market” and innovation in industry is compromised. In Train@Ed, researchers had the opportunity to spend time in the industry of their choice, gain understanding of the needs of industry, tackle the challenges the industrial research sector faces, and gain the skills and experience for effective industrial collaboration. Thirdly, Train@Ed complied with best practice in supporting researcher careers. Our selection and recruitment process was fully transparent: selection was based entirely on merit, and we encouraged participation of traditionally under-represented groups. Assistance in visa applications, with relocation expenses (including relocation of families), and funded provision of health care and pension contributions also removed identified barriers to researcher mobility. Once appointed, the researchers entered a world-class research programme with supportive line management from an established academic (UEDIN) and a non-academic advisor. All experienced researchers developed a personalised career development plan (in collaboration with their advisors), which included transferable skill development and public engagement opportunities as well as training in state-of-the-art research techniques and equipment.

Objective: Train@Ed was a research fellowship programme for 19 experienced researchers (around 4 -6 years after gaining their primary degree) which provided researchers with an international, interdisciplinary and inter-sectoral mobility experience.
Objective: The Train@Ed programme educated experienced researchers in research excellence and transferable skills. The Train@Ed Fellows had an employment contract with UEDIN for a research fellowship for up to three years.
Objective: The Train@Ed fellows pursued research and transferable skill training at UEDIN, and also spent some time in the industry of their choice.
Objective: The values of the scheme aligned with those held by Horizon 2020: Excellent Sciences, Industrial Leadership and addressing Societal Challenges. The Train@Ed values also aligned with those of the Marie-Skłodowska Curie Actions: i.e. provide excellent, innovative research training and career progression, knowledge exchange and mobility opportunities.
All 19 Train@ED Fellows that were appointed were given 3-year employment contracts. The vast majority of the Fellows stayed for at least 80% of their contract duration. Initial cohort forming activities started in late 2019 and early 2020 with a series of “show and tell” meetings where Fellows presented their research to each other. During the COVID-19 pandemic, the Fellows were all working remotely. Training and cohort development rapidly pivoted online. A Microsoft TEAMS group was set up for the Fellows and a bespoke online training programme began in March 2020. The commitment to delivering support to the Fellows facilitated the rapid establishment of the “Pop-Up IAD” online training library. The library of recorded workshops and supporting materials is openly available to all researchers. All Fellows developed strong links with at least one external partner organisation who were committed to their career development. These interactions were virtual during the pandemic, but the partner engagement remained strong. As noted above, the foundation for a strong cohort experience was set. The COVID-19 restrictions meant this shifted online but it was working relatively well. Online coaching, mentoring and careers advice were offered in addition to training courses and industry visits. Fellows were actively encouraged to participate in public engagement, with a relevant course being developed especially for them in Autumn 2020. An online summer programme was delivered with a focus on building credibility and reputation, and developing partnerships (particularly with industry and commercial organisations). Moreover, the Fellows' personal development was further enhanced via the transferrable skills training provided by the external provider MyConsultants. Through the Train@Ed projects, the Fellows produced 75 peer-reviewed scientific publications. Train@Ed helped them participate in 50 conferences and 13 workshops, reaching out to a diverse audience including representatives of the scientific community (Higher Education, Research), industry, civil society, general public and policy makers.
The greatest impact generated via Train@Ed has undoubtedly been what the Fellows have gained in terms of research excellence and transferrable skills. To gain a comprehensive understanding of this impact, we contacted as many of the Fellows as possible to see if they would be willing to share their fellowship experience. It was encouraging to hear how the vast majority of Fellows described their Train@Ed time as a fantastic experience, providing lots of opportunities to conduct cutting-edge research and contributed to advances in their field and beyond. Through their projects, the Fellows produced 75 peer-reviewed scientific publications. Collectively the Fellows pursued more public-based engagements, including social media posts (on both personal accounts and Train@Ed Twitter and LinkedIn accounts), blog posts, production of video content aimed at the general public, podcasts, and news articles. In pursuing public engagement activities that extend beyond the academic community, the Train@Ed programme has made a valuable contribution to connecting scientific activities with the public and raised awareness on how research can contribute to and improve everyday life. The Train@Ed fellowship supported Fellows not previously based in the UK/EU (i.e. not holding UK/EU citizenships) to enter, under a very prestigious fellowship contract, into the UK/EU academia and industry. What is more, a significant number of these Fellows have remained within the UK. The Fellows stressed how their Train@Ed fellowship helped them secure impressive, permanent positions in their area of expertise. In addition to the above, long-term impact for UEDIN will be gained via the compilation of the valuable lessons learned from the Train@Ed programme. The lessons learned, along with the improvement of processes and institutional change they inevitably bring, are detailed in Section 3 of this report. We are expecting this long-term impact to extend beyond the boundaries of the Train@Ed hosting institution (UEDIN), as we are in the process of compiling a common Lessons Learned brief in collaboration with the DTA3/COFUND Doctoral Training Alliance Programme.
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