SYRI Mentoring Programme culminates at an event in Brno

"Although detailed evaluation results are forthcoming, we already know that the programme has had a major impact on the participants’ development. The one-on-one mentoring has provided mentees with a space for focused growth, the workshops have enhanced their practical skills and the peer-to-peer meetings have created a valuable support and know-how exchange network. In practice, we were able to test the possibilities and limits of interdisciplinary mentoring—for example, in the future, mentoring programmes should work separately with PhD students and postdocs, as the needs at these two career stages diverge," said Petra Guasti, head of the SYRI mentoring, at today's summary of the programme.

The SYRI mentoring programme involved 19 mentees from among SYRI’s junior researchers and 15 mentors from both Czech and international research institutions. Several mentees established long-term collaborations, resulting in valuable experience and expertise transfer, joint articles or internships abroad at their mentor’s home institutions.

Thanks to the programme, Anna Bromová, who works on social resilience in SYRI, had the opportunity to consult complex professional situations with her mentor—an experienced researcher who helped her find direction and fresh perspectives on problem solving. "Our collaboration proved successful, and we took it further. We conducted a literature review together and co-wrote an academic article. I also benefited greatly from a three-month research stay at my mentor's home university in Helsinki, where, in addition to working on joint research, I was able to further develop my professional skills in an international environment," said Bromová.

The mentoring programme also supported the career evolution of education researcher Tomáš Lintner from Masaryk University. He especially appreciates the collaboration with his international mentor, with whom he continues to work after completing both the SYRI mentoring programme and his PhD. "The mentoring programme included inspiring workshops with ERC grant holders," said Lintner.           

Beyond individual mentoring, the mentees had the opportunity to attend 13 workshops focused on developing soft and methodological skills. A series of workshops and panel discussions on applying for ERC Starting Grants proved particularly valuable, offering insights and inspiration essential for achieving scientific excellence. As part of this series, mentees had the rare opportunity to meet both ERC grant holders and evaluators, specifically in the field of social sciences and humanities. This series represents one of the most comprehensive and consistent forms of support for ERC Starting Grant applicants in this field in the Czech Republic, outside the official structures of the Prague Technology Centre.

The series will culminate this autumn with a final discussion focused on building and leading ERC research teams. The last of the programme’s three peer-to-peer events, the Mentee Day, will also take place this autumn.