11 December 2025

This autumn, the Postdoctoral Hub once again offered early-career researchers a series of training workshops. A total of 10 sessions focused on key skills for advancing a research career according to the European Competence Framework for Researchers (ResearchComp) with 89 participants across the university.

The autumn series included two sessions of Introduction to R, led by Lucie Hošková from the Central Library of Charles University. The seminar targeted both complete beginners and participants with some prior experience who wanted to build a solid foundation for working with R. The session provided practical skills for effective statistical analysis, data visualization, and data handling, without requiring any prior programming knowledge.

The workshop Introduction to Open Science & Publishing, led by Dagmar Hanzlíková and Milan Janíček from the Central Library, focused on the basics of open science. Participants were introduced to the principles of open access publishing and ways to make their research openly available and reusable. The session also covered copyright and licensing fundamentals, with special emphasis on Creative Commons licenses. Additional tools for the open publication process, such as preprints, preregistrations, and open peer review, were also presented.

Another workshop in the series, Excellence in International Networking, Teaming and Cooperation by Czexpats in Science, trained participants in communication strategies supporting inclusion, conflict resolution, and prevention of escalation. The session also provided insights into typical roles within teams based on psychology, emotional intelligence, and communication research.

Excellence in International Networking, Teaming and Cooperation workshop

The Science Communication seminar focused on effectively presenting scientific work. Participants learned principles of science communication and how to engage different target audiences. A practical training session with Pavla Hubálková is planned for the spring series for those interested in hands-on science communication practice.

The lecture Impact of Science on Policy and Society – UN SDGs offered a perspective on how scientific results contribute to addressing societal and environmental challenges. Michal Broža from UN Czechia introduced the UN Sustainable Development Goals and their relevance beyond science, while Samuel Sámel from Charles University’s sustainable development team presented specific university activities in sustainability. The session provided a comprehensive view of how research can help tackle global challenges.

A Research Data Management session, led again by Dagmar Hanzlíková and Milan Janíček from the Central Library, covered best practices for managing research data according to FAIR principles and creating a data management plan. The session also demonstrated how to make research outputs reusable and how to share data responsibly, following the principle “as open as possible, as closed as necessary.”

Interdisciplinary Research Principles and Practice workshop

The practical workshop Interdisciplinary Research Principles and Practice, led by Julia Mildorfová Leventon, focused on interdisciplinary research. Participants explored fundamental building blocks of research design, learned to combine methods and disciplines, and gained practical tools for addressing challenges in interdisciplinary collaboration.

A brand-new, hands-on workshop Open Access: Know What You Sign!, led by experts Žaneta Procházková and Matěj Uchytil from the Central Library, introduced participants to open access principles and how to read and understand publishing agreements, highlighting what to watch for when publishing. The session also presented the support available at Charles University for open publishing.

Open Access: Know What You Sign! workshop

The autumn series concluded with the workshop Supervising Graduate and Postgraduate Research Projects, delivered by Czexpats in Science. It focused on team leadership and developing leadership skills. Participants learned strategies for team management, conducting meetings, giving and receiving feedback, and setting goals in collaboration with supervisors, students, and colleagues. The session provided practical tools for effective leadership and team motivation in research projects.

The next training series is planned for spring 2026. The series will combine established workshops with new topics reflecting the current needs of researchers across disciplines. The program will again be based on the European Competence Framework for Researchers and will focus on skills applicable in both academic and non-academic contexts, including topics such as citizen science, well-being, potential career paths for PhD holders, and interactive dilemma games. Up-to-date information will be available on our website and on LinkedIn and Bluesky.

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.