We would like to invite all interested scientists to take part in the conference
What makes successful researchers? Supporting career development in science
organized jointly by the Foundation for Polish Science and the UK organization VITAE.
The conference is being held as part of the SKILLS project, on 19 September 2013 from 9 a.m. to 4:45 p.m., at the Novotel Centrum hotel in Warsaw, ul. Marszałkowska 94/98 map
The main objective is to initiate a discussion and give some thought to whether scientists working in Poland need support, and what kind in particular.
“The drive for success is just as strong in science as it is in other areas of human activity. What makes science different from other fields of activity is the still popular myth that a researcher’s success depends solely on that person’s individual abilities and hard work, and that the only sensible support we can offer scientists is funding for their research. Meanwhile, it is becoming increasingly apparent that the challenges which researchers face are not just financial, and that decisions made at consecutive stages of a research career have a significant impact on a scientist’s future. Choosing your thesis supervisor or the location of your postdoctoral fellowship, choosing your specialist field of research, or deciding to set up a research team, are just some of the challenges. Making appropriate choices and also the ability to carry out a plan are just as important for future success as obtaining one more grant or stipend. Thus, to be successful in science, it is worth being a conscious manager of one’s own research career”, Adam Zieliński, the FNP’s deputy director for programmes, explains the need for this discussion.
The conference will present tools already available to researchers to facilitate management of their careers, such as mentoring for example. In addition, we will invite the participants to a discussion on just how useful tools from other fields can be in science, one of them being coaching which is used successfully by business managers.
We have invited VITAE UK – a leading organization supporting the development of researchers from British universities and research institutes – to work with us on organizing the conference. VITAE has many tools on offer that can be helpful in planning and pursuing a career, not only in the research community but outside it as well. The conference will present the Researcher Development Framework (RDF), VITAE’s professional tool enabling scientists to assess the skills and knowledge they already have, the skills they still need to acquire to achieve their goals, and to plan their individual career and development. The RDF was developed by a large group of experts based on empirical data from studies among the British scientific community.
The conference will have a discussion/workshop format. We plan two panel discussions as well as workshop sessions. In order to create the best possible conditions for a broad discussion accounting for different points of view, we are inviting researchers at different stages of career development to take part.
To apply for participation in the conference, please use the online form https://konferencje.fnp.org.pl LINK; the deadline is 12 September.
Confirmation of participation will be sent out on 13 September.
The languages of the conference will be English and Polish (interpretation will be provided).