The final conference and matchmaking event of the CARLiS project
The CARLiS project (cooperation between the academic and private sectors Vienna - Bratislava) was concluded with a conference and matchmaking event, which took place on November 23, 2022, in the premises of the Crowne Plaza Hotel in Bratislava. The event was organized by the main coordinator of the project – SAIA, n. o., with the participation of partner institutions (Slovak Academy of Sciences, Comenius University, Slovak University of Technology, and University of Vienna) and other experts from the academic or private field. In addition to the project's outputs, the event had a very varied program – it was discussed, for example, under what conditions doctoral students study and how the academic community helps them build their future careers.
The event was divided into two parts – a conference for project partners and a matchmaking event for researchers and companies. In the morning program, which was accompanied by the moderator Agáta Šústová Drelová, MLitt., PhD, from the Historical Institute of SAS, the coordinators of the CARLiS project (SAIA, n.o.) in collaboration with the University of Vienna opened the event and presented the project results. Subsequently, a panel discussion took place with members of the project's partner institutions on the topic of "Career support for early career researchers".
RNDr. Ľubica Lacinová, DrSc., took part in the panel discussion on behalf of the SAS, who spoke about the fact that doctoral students should rather move towards the private sector after completing their doctoral studies and not stay in the academia. She also added: “We are trying to build up the best environment for the education of highly qualified people, and we are trying to offer more and more possibilities for education outside of the specializations of their work or Ph.D. thesis. So, we are trying to offer them various opportunities to get training in soft skills so that they are prepared for all kinds of career paths they can choose.“
The keynote speaker of the event was Ing. Ján Tkáč, DrSc., from the Chemical Institute of the SAS, who talked about his beginnings in business, shared his experience in the founding of the Glycanostics company, the challenges he had to face, and the necessary perseverance at the beginning.
Participants could also listen to a discussion with professionals from the private sector, who talked about post-graduation options and how the academic sector, or other sectors, can collaborate to support researchers and their career development.
In the afternoon, a Networking fair took place, in which, in addition to the commercial sector, the Technology Transfer Office SAS also participated. Doctoral students had the opportunity to establish collaborations, and learn more about career opportunities outside the academia, or about advancement in their research. There were also interesting presentations by experts and their career paths, as well as special workshops at the end of the event.
The CARLiS project is now completed, but the cooperation between the project partners continues. In the coming years, SAS plans to continue with the training of doctoral students, in the form of seminars and workshops, which will also follow up the pilot training taking place this year.
Edited by Natália Feriančeková
Foto: Martin Bystriansky