Career Day
The career day is one of the core activities of the ENABLE event and participants will have the opportunity to develop their professional future as young scientists. At ENABLE 2021 we will make sure to cover the aspects we believe are critical, especially in our career chats.
Participants will have the chance to broaden their horizons and expand their capabilities through three complementary career activities: insightful discussions with experts from different career paths in the career chats section, workshops aimed at building new skills, and an opportunity fair hosting potential employment options from the academia, start-up, biotechnological and pharmaceutical companies.
The career day will be done virtually, through different platforms that will give participants the opportunity not only to listen and learn but also to interact, since we consider that active participation is essential for this part of the conference.
Career chats
Career chats overcome the classical format of career development round tables providing more direct interaction between PhD and Postdocs and experts with different profiles from academia and industry, such as PIs, industry CEOs, medical science liaison, medical advisor, regulatory affairs manager, science management consultants, editors or science communicators.
In small groups of 7-8 people, participants will have the opportunity to interact with professionals and learn more about their individual career paths, including obstacles and surprising opportunities, during intimate, online career chat sessions.
To make sure every participant gets the chance to talk to the career chatter he/she would like to meet, we take inspiration from the speed dating idea. Small groups of participants will have brief sessions with each professional. Switch your career chatter every 20 minutes and network to the fullest! If you have additional questions for the career chatters, get in touch with them via email!
Morning session
- Alberti Silvia, Technology Transfer for Pharma/Biotech, Thermo Fisher Scientific
- Colosio Arianna , Editor, EClinicalMedicine
- Iavarone Claudia/Capozzo Ilaria, Patenting, IEO
- Magro Maria Grazia, Science Management, Human Technopole
- Morini Marco Francesco, Regulatory Affairs, Novartis
- Ruffell Daniela, Editor, FEBS
Afternoon session
- Argenzio Elisabetta, Editor, EMBO
- Facciotti Federica, Group leader, IEO
- Pina David, EU grant managment, European Commission
- Rossi Pier Luigi, Brand Manager, Novartis
- Saccheri Fabiana, Medical Advisor, Novartis
- Spinelli Pietro, Project manager of Start-up, EpsilenBio
Workshops
Workshops during the ENABLE career day are intensive courses for small groups to help the personal and professional development of young researchers.
Improve your transferable skills and achieve your professional goals, by taking part in one of the 12 workshops that will be offered!
For more info, check the following descriptions of ENABLE2021 workshops:
Morning session
A career that can save lives– how and where to become a successful translational researcher
Rebecca Ludwig, European Infrastructure for Translational Medicine (EATRIS), Amsterdam
This interactive workshop will introduce you to the world of Translational Research. In this workshop we will explore why translational scientists have the potential to become lifesavers, what skills it takes to be a successful translational scientist and the wide range of employing organizations including European Research Infrastructures. You will be introduced to a technique to discover and explore your natural talents and how to use them for job hunting.
Number of participants: 25
How to prepare a competitive application for funding schemes in cancer research
Sara Rizzitano & Alessandra Mazzoni, AIRC Foundation for Cancer Research, Milan
The workshop will provide an overview of AIRC activities and funding opportunities, with a particular focus on those dedicated to young scientists. We will then share useful tips for the preparation of a competitive application. Both fellowships and grants will be thoroughly discussed, with practical examples. Participants will have the possibility to ask questions and interact with the speakers. AIRC supports cancer researchers in all phases of their career through grants and fellowships awarded after a selective peer review.
Number of participants: 50
Science Communication 101
Lucas Sánchez, Scienseed, Madrid
In this course created specifically for researchers, you will learn the principles of effective science communication and public engagement. Understand the features of different communication formats and narratives to develop your own practice and reach wider audiences.
Number of participants: 25
Technology transfer, exploiting the potential of research results
Marzia Fumagalli, European Institute of Oncology, Milan
During this workshop, you will be guided through the basic processes of technology transfer applied to biomedical research – from patenting to pitching for investment, and negotiating deals.
Number of participants: 25
Transferable skills
Irene Nagel & Franck Fourniol, hfp consulting, Heidelberg
Transferable skills are competences that are acquired and can be transferred into a different career setting. The good news is that scientists, at this stage of career, have already lots of transferable skills that they acquired through their academic path, education, internships, formal and informal training.
The goals of this module are to:
- raise awareness of own skill set
- develop a competences profile
Number of participants: 16
“What’s next?”
Dana Galili & Yuvalal Liron, hfp consulting, Heidelberg
Scientists are often trap in the loop of not knowing what to do next in their career path, being this inside or outside academia. In this module, we aim at guiding participants to understand where their interests lie, reflect on their goals and better assess which jobs might suit them most.
The goals of this module are to:
- enable participants to make an informed decision about their future career
- stimulate a more proactive approach towards career choices
Number of participants: 16
Afternoon session
Building Personal Resilience and Handling Stress
Irene Nagel & Franck Fourniol, hfp consulting, Heidelberg
Personal resilience and effective stress management are key skills that help scientists to successfully navigate their way through this competitive career stage. Sharpening the awareness for the external and internal drivers of stress and understanding one’s own needs fosters building personal resilience. This process supports a healthy and self-supporting work-life-integration.
Number of participants: 16
Goal setting and time management
Dana Galili & Lior Noy, hfp consulting, Heidelberg
Participants will learn what are the characteristics of good goals are and how to set them properly, in career-related decision making and in their scientific projects. Setting clear goals has a direct impact on the way we manage our time and our quality of life. We will introduce a framework for organizing the work productively, setting priorities efficiently and managing time proactively.
The goals of this workshop are to:
• Practice useful techniques for goal setting in scientific projects and career choices.
• Equip participants with a strategy for managing their time more efficiently.
Number of participants: 16
Let’s talk about sex
Susanna Chiocca, European Institute of Oncology, Milan
Despite the prevalence of sexual dimorphism in mammalian phenotypic traits, sex has often been overlooked in biomedical studies. Indeed, sex and gender are two potentially critical factors in experimental design. Strong evidence is now available regarding the damages produced by the underestimation of gender and sex variables, ranging from low quality research, inefficacy of new drugs, inaccurate or late diagnosis, waste of resources and investments, and preventable deaths and pain. Recently, a movement in science is supporting the “Sex/Gender Dimension of Research”: I will discuss and show the impo
Number of participants: 25
Linkedin and the power of social networking
Sonia Anania, Personal Branding & Digital Reputation Strategist, Milan
How to communicate your personal brand on LinkedIn and benefit from a good professional networking. The webinar intends to provide participants with an overview of the potential of LinkedIn as a tool to promote one’s personal brand, develop relationships and find professional opportunities.
Number of participants: 50
“Talk that science!” – Tips for science communication and outreach
Agense Collino & Chiara Segré, Umberto Veronesi Foundation, Milan
Nowadays we live in the so called “knowledge society”, which bases its sustainment and growth on research, innovation and technology. Knowledge therefore assumes a central role in the life of each individual from an economic, social and political point of view. Sharing of research results thus becomes crucial to make knowledge a tool available to all. In this context, the researcher is called to cross the boundaries of the laboratory and to take on a fundamental role in society: to promote the dialogue between the scientific community and different types of public. This meeting is designed to help scientists improve their ability to talk about their research to a lay audience, starting with a quick overview on how science communication is evolving, what are its difficulties and the approaches used. Practical suggestions for effective communication will be provided: the role of the public, the power of metaphors and storytelling, mistakes to be avoided. This is no small responsibility: as we are experiencing at this very moment in history, communication carried out in the wrong way may cause many problems.
Number of participants: 50
Transforming a patent into a company: a long but exciting journey
Thiago Oliveira Botelho, IRB, Barcelona
During this workshop, we will overview the process of entrepreneurship, focusing on the key aspects to take into consideration in the creation of spin-off companies. We will continue the journey of monetizing research by navigating between creating value, complementing skills, convincing investors and multitasking.
Number of participants: 25
Opportunity Fair
Where will the next challenge be in your career? The ENABLE opportunity fair will be a unique occasion for young and talented researchers to meet with companies and public organizations and build up constructive interactions with people from various life science sectors. Representatives will be present from:
- Academia
- Start-up
- Job recruiters
- Biotech companies
Check the list of our opportunity fair partners here.
This project has received funding from the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme under grant agreement No 724115.
