27 January 2025

The first year of the pilot Mentoring Programme for Early-Career Scientists is being launched at Charles University. The programme connects experienced mentors with promising early-career researchers, creating a space for sharing experiences, supporting career development, and expanding professional networks.

The main goal of the Mentoring Programme is to support the professional growth of junior researchers. Mentees will have the opportunity to draw inspiration from the mentors' experiences, discuss key issues in their careers, and explore new opportunities for development both in academia and beyond. The programme also focuses on supporting women and promoting equal opportunities in science and research.

A total of 28 mentor-mentee pairs have been selected for the programme, and they will work together throughout the year to identify and achieve the professional goals of their junior colleagues. Among the mentees, there are 16 women and 12 men from nine different faculties at Charles University. In the role of mentors, there are 8 women and 20 men.

Mentoring sessions will take place both in person and online, offering flexibility to meet the individual needs of participants while also enabling the involvement of international mentors. The programme includes mentors from Charles University and other Czech universities, as well as from prestigious foreign academic institutions such as University of Oxford, Columbia University, University of Copenhagen, Universität Bremen, and University of Minnesota. It also includes mentors from non-academic institutions, such as Google DeepMind and others from the private sector, both from Czechia and abroad.

Motivation of participants

The key motivation for many mentees is to gain experience and recommendations from their more experienced colleagues regarding academic and research work. Another motivation for participating in the programme is career direction – whether it involves considering a change of field, creating a career plan, or navigating professional opportunities more effectively. Additionally, mentees are interested in expanding their professional networks, building contacts, broadening their research focus, learning about the private sector, starting a startup, or improving both technical and soft skills.

Mentees also wish to address personal topics related to their careers with their mentors, such as work-life balance, relocating abroad, and more. For international postdocs, a key motivation is to better navigate the Czech academic environment, while Czech researchers appreciate gaining insights into the functioning of foreign institutions.

For mentors, the programme provides a unique opportunity to develop their mentoring skills and contribute to cultivating a supportive environment at the university. Many mentors are also inspired by the new perspectives they gain through interactions with the younger generation of researchers.

The pilot cycle of the programme runs until December 2025. During this period, participants will attend approximately five meetings, where they will have the chance to work on specific career goals and develop their professional skills. The programme is designed to be flexible, so it will be tailored to the needs and expectations of each mentor-mentee pair.

We look forward to the inspiring stories and experiences that will emerge from this programme and wish all participants a successful year full of mutual enrichment!

For those interested in participating in the programme in the future, we have good news – another round of the Mentoring Programme is planned for next year. Stay tuned for updates here on the Postdoctoral Hub website, and follow us on our social media platforms: Facebook, Instagram, X, Bluesky and now also on LinkedIn. 

N.B. Funded by the European Union. Views and opinions expressed are however those of the author(s) only and do not necessarily reflect those of the European Union or the European Research Executive Agency. Neither the European Union nor the granting authority can be held responsible for them.