The Blue Zone Consortium is partnering with the NTU Mentoring and Researcher Training Programme for post-doctoral research fellows (SMART PDRF) in 2024/2025

The first session of the 2024-2025 SMART PDRF programme will take place on Thursday the 26^th of September 2024 between 12:15-15:30.

Applications close 13th September

Fixed-term contract researchers often face challenges in accessing professional development due to several factors including, funding constraints, perception of roles, and lack of advocacy. High turnover rates due to the nature of the posts create a focus on research outputs rather than personal growth of early career researchers further limiting professional development opportunities for fixed-term contract researchers.

To address this, NTU has allocated funds to run a professional development programme specifically aimed at fixed-term contract researchers: the SMART PDRF programme. The SMART PDRF programme offers flexible development opportunities tailored to the needs of fixed-term researchers, supporting their professional growth and benefiting the research ecosystem.

As part of the Blue Zone Consortium commitment to continuing professional development for fixed-term contract researchers, we have teamed up with the NTU SMART PDRF programme for 2024/25. We are expanding this programme to open ten spaces to early career researchers from universities or research organisations outside of NTU.

Places on the programme are free, however you will need to pay for your own travel to and from NTU’s Clifton campus to attend the sessions. By signing up to this programme, applicants agree to attend a minimum of 80% of sessions throughout the year. We encourage consortium members who are given a place on this programme to discuss with their university how their institution can support researcher travel.

The programme is led by Dr  Samantha McLean and Dr Rebecca Dumbell, who work closely with a variety of external partners, including Anchored In and Murray International Partners, to deliver this initiative.

Programme outline

In person sessions run on Thursday afternoons once per month, beginning with lunch and networking (12:15-13:00), followed by workshops 13:00-15:30.

September session: kick-off workshop

• Introduction to the SMART PDRF programme
• Feedback and co-creation of future sessions
• Introduction to new members
• Networking with the current cohort

October session: Career pathways

• Careers panel with external partners from different post-doctoral career backgrounds
• Interactive work on careers available to post-doctoral researchers

November session: Introduction to mentorship and support

• Introduction to mentorship and being a mentee
• What do researchers want to achieve through mentorship
• Role models to support specific challenges

December session: Communication and pitching

• Communicating the value of your work
• Pitching your ideas to different stakeholders
• This session will include post-doctoral researcher as well as academics from a variety of career stages to develop communication skills across career stages

January session: Grant writing one

• Grant canvas: creating a complete grant application
• Stakeholder mapping
• Grant writing to a specific funder

February session: Grant writing two

• Impact generation
• Practical grant writing and peer review

March session: CV clinic

• Peer development of CV’s
• CV support for different targets
• Writing narrative CV’s

April session: Strategic research themes

• The role of post-doctoral researchers in inter- and transdisciplinary research

May session: Industry connections

• Commercial values and entrepreneurship
• How to develop relationships with industry partners
• Spin-out routes and Intellectual Property

June session: Leadership in post-doctoral research

• Recognition of post-doctoral researcher leadership:
  • UKCGE: Recognised Associate Supervisor Award
  • Advance HE: Associate Fellow of the Higher Education Academy
• Development of leadership skills

July session: Celebration event across all SMART programmes

• Celebration of the programme
• Feedback from the year
• Feed forward to next year
• This session is open to all strands of the SMART programme from early career researcher to associate professor

We also run short online sessions throughout the year via MS Teams. Sessions include topics such as:

• How to develop your online profile
• Funding available for fixed term contract researchers
• Dealing with fixed term contract – uncertainty and transition
• Outreach opportunities for skill and funding acquisition
• The iCURE programme

SMART PDRF programme participant feedback

Participant feedback from the 2023/2024 cohort:

• The communication session supported participants with being able to effectively communicate their research
• The programme has offered comprehensive support across various aspects of participant careers
• The panel discussion on different post-doctoral career paths was very beneficial
• The guidance on external research funding has provided all the essential skills to identify external resources, find funding opportunities, and receive support for effective grant writing
• Participants feel that the programme does not only benefit the new researchers but also contributes to the overall growth, image and research reputation of NTU
• Networking opportunities and building a community are invaluable

This feedback evidences the immediate impact of the programme on fixed-term researcher cohort identity, creating a supportive network for collaboration and development. Participants feel better able to communicate their work to diverse audiences and have gained confidence in identification and application for external funding opportunities.

Interested in joining the programme?

Applications to obtain a place on this programme are now open and will close on the 13^th of September. After this, applications will be accepted on a rolling basis as spaces become available. If you have any questions or would like to discuss this opportunity with the programme team, please email us at [email protected].

The first session of the 2024-2025 SMART PDRF programme will take place on Thursday the 26^th of September 2024 between 12:15-15:30.