CBM MENTORING PROGRAM "CBMent"
Coordinator: Ginés Morata
The purpose of mentoring is to transfer the existing knowledge, skills, and experience of senior scientists to newly incorporated or less experienced researchers in order to guide and advance their careers.
With the CBMENT program, expert senior researchers working at CBMSO will meet with early career researchers (ECR) seeking for advice on scientific or career development practical issues. The aim of the CBMENT program is to aid researchers in growing their own skills, helping them gain new perspectives on their career and giving advice on how to make appropriate decisions on lab management, personnel hiring, grant applications…. Rather than learning through trial and error, mentees can refer to mentors at the CBMSO for direction and look to them as role models to follow.
Through the CBMENT program, the mentees may learn more quickly the research culture (policies, expectations…) at a research institute such as the CBMSO and, in general, at the Spanish research landscape, expand their research network, have expert help for problem-solving and, in general, increase their opportunities for a better career track. In addition, CBMENT Program will give a voice to early career researchers to speak directly with research leaders, breaking down potential barriers to communication, especially for newcomers at the CBMSO.
This mentorship program will take into account ongoing diversity, ensuring that all mentees feel heard and supported in developing their skills and increasing their leadership capabilities, contributing to foster an inclusive institutional culture.
Mentorship is a two-way process, and through the CBMENT Program, mentors will benefit from validation of their leadership skills, get recognition as expert advisors, gain new perspectives, participate in the institutional culture by helping train new scientists and have the opportunity to identify new talent for specific projects.
Initially, the CBMENT program will pursue the following objectives:
- Establish guidelines and procedures for the relation mentors-mentees.
- Identify mentors in each research area within the 4 Scientific Programs at CBMSO, as well as mentors with expertise in other aspects of a research-related career (scientific management, spin-offs, relations with pharma or biotech industry, science communication….)
- Promote the Program in a dedicated session
- Enrolment of candidate mentees
- Identify adequate matches mentors-mentees
- Annual follow-up of the program
Events initially included in the CBMENT program:
- NExT CBM meetings: annual or bi-annual one-morning workshop in which newly incorporated researchers present their ongoing projects and technological expertise, as wells as their future plans and opportunities for collaboration at the CBMSO.
- Repository of successful national and international grant applications (omitting when necessary confidential scientific data).
- Predocs-postdocs annual meeting.
- Communication skills workshop for ECR, on how to effectively communicate research in written and oral form to the lay public
- Meetings with journal editors/ AEI personnel/ members of ERC committees.
