What challenges did you encounter in the course of your 2-year MSCA fellowship?
The biggest challenge during my fellowship was to secure funding for the research activities from my project’s workplan. Focus group discussions bear a significant cost so it took me some time to look for external funding and adapt one-third of my project. Also, the lack of budget had an impact on my plan of attending certain conferences. In the end, I made it, and the research budget that was approved for the last part of my fellowship came as the icing on the cake and helped me finish in a positive note my project.
What were the most rewarding aspects of being a MSCA fellow in this IMPACT program?
I will mention two things here. The first is the academic freedom to do your project following your dreams and according to your plans, and I would suggest it to anyone to try it out. Two years to do only research, no teaching, next-to-zero administrative burden – such a privilege! Then, the opportunity to learn something new and different during five training sessions, when you forget about your everyday tasks, meet your colleagues and lecturers, and learn about entrepreneurship, leadership, and project design. That is rewarding.
In what way did the MSCA program (including the pitch of your business case) has helped or will help you in mapping out your next career path? Working on a business case was very beneficial for my career plan. Now I know that there are more than two paths that I can take, which indeed reduces stress. I think that working on a business case made me more resilient and more open to unpredictable life situations.