It will ease the contact between young researchers and more senior profiles with a complete vision of the scientific ecosystem.
The Talent Development Unit of the Institut de Ciències del Mar (ICM-CSIC) has launched the first edition of the 'MARINA' mentoring program, which aims to offer a top quality PhD experience at the Institute, facilitatating the acquisition of competencies and skills, as well as bringing to light new opportunities, to young researchers.
The initiative, aligned with European HRS4R strategy, is conceived and developed from a pilot experience carried out within the framework of the ResBios project. 'MARINA' mentoring program is framed within the 'ICM Cares' program, focused on the attraction and incorporation of talent, their welcome to the institute, the development of their competencies and the creation of a motivating environment where each person feels and understands how, with their daily effort, they are contributing to the ICM-CSIC’s excellence.
Periodical meetings will be held to explore the different horizons that the doctorate opens up and to work on the key skills for the students' future employment. In addition, plenary sessions are planned to share best practices, discuss the main impediments encountered by doctoral students and collect the training needs that emerge in these meetings.
"MARINA has arrived to stay and is part of the ICM-CSIC culture, which prioritizes the knowledge sharing among people at the Institute. We have no doubt that the program will be very enriching for each of the mentor-mentee pairs", states says Stefano Marinelli, from the ICM-CSIC Talent Development Unit.
To join the program, doctoral students have to be in their second or third year of doctoral studies, and they must be enrolled in a doctoral program and be carrying out their research at the ICM-CSIC.
For their part, mentors need to hold a PhD degree obtained at least four years in advance and have to have enough experience and a complete vision of the scientific ecosystem. The mentor-mentee relationship is foreseen for a total of two years, even though at the end of the first year it can be decided whether to continue within the program.