Whether it’s enhancing soft skills, exploring diverse career paths, or fostering international partnerships, students have a great variety of options when it comes to shaping their future. One of these paths is academia, but how do we shape its future in a way that’s inclusive, dynamic, and full of possibilities?
Ana and Camilla, founders of the EELISA Community “Re-shape Next Generation Academia” want to empower early-career researchers (ECRs) by opening up exciting opportunities for networking, skill-building, and cross-sector collaboration.
This ambitious and recently launched EELISA Community, has been one of the beneficiaries of the 4th EELISA Joint Call, after having their activity “Mapping Innovative Solutions for Displaced Academic Communities: Open Science and Education in Crisis Contexts” selected.
Q. What is the EELISA Community Re-shape Next Generation Academia and what motivated its creation?
A. The OECD’s study Nº.158 titled ‘’Promoting Diverse Career Pathways For Doctoral And Postdoctoral Researchers’’ revealed limited career support for early-career researchers (ECRs), with few resources directed toward diverse career paths for PhD and postdoctoral researchers. This gap leaves many ECRs facing job instability, often working in short-term or grant-dependent roles without a clear long-term trajectory. In addition, the “publish or perish” culture pressures ECRs to prioritize publication volume over research quality.
Supporting early-career researchers (ECRs) requires a multifaceted approach to address both immediate professional needs and broader systemic challenges.
The Re-shape Next Generation Academia community aim to bridge ECRs and a broader range of professional opportunities. Through networking and shared resources, this community encourages collaboration across academia and external sectors, offering an online hub for events, skill-building, and career development activities that help ECRs build resilience and broaden their career options within and beyond academia. By implementing these approaches, academia can create a more supportive environment that recognizes the value of early-career researchers and empowers them to succeed in different career trajectories.
Q. Can any PHD be part of this community and what benefits would gain by getting involved in your community?
A. Definitely yes! In fact, it is not only over for current PhD candidates but to master and postdoc profiles too! We want to focus on the early researcher figure as the person who is starting their academic career. We are still figuring out our own approach. This is about:
1) Topic wise, as we can address specific activities focused on a specific research field or transversal as we all are starting our academic careers.
2) Geographical focus, we can organize activities in collaboration with our correspondent Doctorate Department with a focus on the university itself.
Additionally, a national level could be interesting in order to foster the collaboration with other universities in each partners’ country. Lastly, activities organized in collaboration between different EELISA universities or additional international universities are expected to be implement. We all know how hard these early steps in an academic career can be. Each of us have different needs and we are doing our research on different fields, but it is key to have a place to go in case you have any doubt or request for help.
This is what this community was for and this is the main added value we can provide to our colleagues in other EELISA universities. A space where you can benefit from the networking side for congresses or research lines, in order to know who is studying the same field in other universities from this alliance, organization and participation in activities sometimes required by the department or even just to improve your soft skills such as communication or management.
Q. Why do you think is important to stay connected as a PHD and collaborate internationally?
A. Staying connected and collaborating internationally as a PhD candidate is crucial for enhancing research quality, expanding professional networks, and addressing global challenges. Such collaborations expose researchers to diverse perspectives and methodologies, which can lead to innovative solutions and more impactful research outcomes, often reflected in higher citation rates for co-authored papers across borders. Additionally, pooling resources and expertise fosters successful project outcomes, while networking with international peers opens doors to career advancement opportunities and funding. Overall, these collaborations enrich the academic experience and contribute to tackling complex issues that require a collective approach.
Q. What role does interdisciplinarity play in your community?
A. Diversity enriches ecosystems, which is why collaborating with students from different universities and research fields is essential. Each individual brings unique perspectives that add value to discussions, activities, and projects.
Interdisciplinarity is vital within communities like EELISA, as it drives innovation and enhances our ability to tackle complex societal challenges. By combining diverse methodologies and insights, researchers can create holistic solutions for pressing issues like climate change and health crises. This collaborative spirit not only strengthens the research process but also boosts creativity and problem-solving skills. Ultimately, fostering interdisciplinary interactions among early-career researchers cultivates fruitful partnerships and enriches the academic experience, paving the way for effective and sustainable solutions to global challenges.
Q. What actions and achievements do you expect to reach through this EELISA Community?
A. We want to offer different types of activities and services. Firstly, we want to organize specific actions for some research fields in order to boost the connectivity and knowledge sharing between the participants. Secondly, the discussion about some transversal aspects such as time management, oral communication and writing skills, pitching and so on, which are critical for an early researcher.
Thirdly, a space to help and sharing experiences between us! For example, if I know about any robotic congress in Spain and I know someone from the network is working on that field, I will share this information with this person to help. The same way that if someone is looking to complement their studies by a research stay in any place, we can launch this question to the network and foster the collaboration in this regard.
Lastly, the connection with relevant stakeholders not only from the academic side but beyond. We want to offer the opportunity to discuss more about the positions that the early researchers can approach. By doing this, we offer a complete overview for the student.
In the short term, we are happy to announce that our proposal titled ‘’Mapping Innovative Solutions for Displaced Academic Communities: Open Science and Education in Crisis Contexts’’ was selected for this last 4th Joint Call. In this proposal, we will work together with the Open Science Community and Ethics, Social Commitment & Entrepreneurship (ESCE) Community in order to dive into potential solutions for the displaced academic communities such as Ukraine.
Ana Horta BellidoShe is a Project Manager at the Technological Innovation Support Center (CAIT) of the Universidad Politécnica de Madrid (UPM). She manages European projects in technological innovation and entrepreneurship, such as Clean Cities Spain ClimAccelerator, a European acceleration program led by UPM and supported by EIT Climate-KIC. With a background in Biology and Business Management, Ana is pursuing a PhD focused on the collaboration between startups and public entities in the entrepreneurial ecosystem, specializing in acceleration stages. She was also featured in the Women Leaders of the Business Ecosystem Guide in 2024, developed by WITH in collaboration with Enisa, for her work in innovative entrepreneurship.
Camilla Roveri
She is a researcher at the Ontology Engineering Group (OEG) working on the AI4Gov project, where she focuses on human-centric AI to enhance public services. She holds a Master’s degree in AI for Public Services from Universidad Politécnica de Madrid and Politecnico di Milano, along with a degree in Strategies and Technologies for Development from Universidad Complutense de Madrid and Universidad Politécnica de Madrid. Her academic background is further enriched by a degree in International Relations and Diplomatic Affairs from the University of Bologna.
With years of NGO experience, Camilla bridges technology with community engagement and policy innovation. Her research on sustainable AI has contributed to policy recommendations and digital rights initiatives across Ibero-America. Currently pursuing a PhD in Organizational Engineering at UPM, Camilla is dedicated to developing collaborative ecosystems that drive inclusive digital transformation between governments, academia, and civil society.
