URJC launches a new mentoring program for researchers

Raúl García Hémonnet/Editor

A total of 18 participants will have the support of 18 qualified mentors with extensive experience in the academic-research environment. These professionals will guide and accompany young researchers in the development of their career at the university institution.

The objectives of EURICLEA are: to inform about career options, to facilitate career development, to develop workplace relationships, to cultivate individual career plans, to improve leadership skills and to provide peer support by sharing knowledge and experience.

The pilot program will run until December 2022. Subsequently, an evaluation will be carried out to analyze the degree of satisfaction of the EURICLEA participants, draw conclusions and good practices, and, if necessary, adapt the program to the needs detected in order to implement it. in the rest of the research community.

Mentors and mentees with different profiles from the point of view of the areas of knowledge have been involved in order to test the program before launching it to the university community next year.

Connect generations of researchers

According to Lydia González Serrano, deputy vice-rector for innovation, transfer and business relations, “it has been shown that mentoring is a beneficial strategy for participants, mentors and for the institution itself. The EURICLEA program is a rewarding experience and an opportunity to reflect on one's professional career, skills and knowledge. It allows mentors to connect with the next generation of researchers and researchers.”

For the mentors, explains González Serrano, this initiative is an opportunity to
“support young researchers to identify and achieve their professional goals and develop them with confidence, generate a new perspective on the research career, help shape the future of their profession and community, improve leadership skills and reconnect and close ties with the university.

While, for the researchers participating in the mentoring, adds the vice-rector, EURICLEA “encourages them to develop a career plan and align objectives with personal values. It helps to gain confidence and define a professional direction. It allows knowing and broadening the horizons to explore new opportunities. It offers the possibility of learning from a consolidated professional, how to successfully approach the research path, and increases the chances of advancing in the career”.

This initiative is framed within the  Human Resources for Researchers Strategy - HRS4R, launched by the European Commission with the aim of supporting universities and research institutions and the organizations that finance them in the application of the European Researcher's Charter and the Code of conduct for the recruitment of researchers. 

The Rey Juan Carlos University obtained the HRS4R Seal at the initiative of the European Commission in July 2020. This fact represents a recognition of the commitment of the URJC to develop, in accordance with its internal policies, its human resources strategies, adhering to the recommendations and the principles set forth in the Charter and the Code,

This emblem identifies the institutions that generate and support the existence of a stimulating and favorable environment for the researcher's work. Thus, the URJC guarantees transparency, accessibility, fairness and the search for excellence in the hiring of this type of personnel.