EURAXESS Italy launched REBECA (Researchers Beyond Academia), a mentoring programme for researchers willing to explore professional alternatives with mentors working beyond academia.
This pilot organized within the framework of theEURAXESS TOP IV "Open EURAXESS" project, and managed by Area Science Park, aimed at:
- Supporting early stage researchers in their reflection about their career goals.
- Facilitating intergenerational an intersectoral networking of science professionals.
STEM (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics), social science or humanities professionals working beyond academia has been paired with early stage researchers interested in alternative career path. Topics recommended to address included:
- Business development
- Exploitation of research results
- Research and entrepreneurship
- Intersectoral mobility and International careers
- Developing career strategies and alternatives to academia for researchers
- Communication and Networking
9 mentor-mentee pairs partecipated in the italian programme. They met each other in person or virtually, for at least 6 times from July to December 2019.
A virtual training in English was offered for both mentors and mentees.