Research mentoring

Mentoring of Deans, Leaders of Research Groups and their members

Mentor: Professor Hans Siggaard Jensen, Aarhus Universitet

In a world where research plays a central role and is seen as an important driver in innovation and economic growth, it is important to be able to handle research methods and research system issues. The research landscape is changing rapidly e.g. because new research areas emerge and new forms of producing knowledge appear. It is of importance to research groups and their leaders to make sure that they keep abreast with current issues that face research from interdisciplinarity over use and misuse of research to understanding how research is part of shaping policies and strategies.

Purpose:  The purpose of any one given mentoring will be taylored to the challenges facing a Research Leader and Research Group or Deans and relevant group. The process will start by establishing a baseline in both quality and substance. Then depending on where the leader and group experience issues, this will be addressed through different kinds of presentations combined with analytic assignments that the group is required to work on between meetings. The mentoring process establishes different perspectives on the challenges at hands, be it external or internal.

Typical research dilemmas can be:

  • To balance reaching the expected production of research qualitatively and quantitatively and at the same time secure that innovation is taking place,
  • To be able to work with interdisciplinary and across ones own organization and at the same time sustain a healthy academic identity in a research landscape under constant change,
  • To navigate in a political research landscape consisting of both universities and industry as well as local and global institutions.

The process: The mentoring consists of 3 - 5 half-day workshops. 1. Setting the baseline – agreeing on the scope of the mentoring and choosing the objectives of  the mentorring. The following workshops are examples and subject to change depending on the result of the first workshop 2. The external challenges – finding the right place in the global research landscape. 3. The cross organisational and personal challenges of the group. 4. Mapping the research journey of the years to come. Price for the mentoring will be between DKK 50.000 – 70.000 - depending on the scope and number of workshops.

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