The 20 postdoctoral fellows will be expected to perform a secondment at a non-academic organization as part of their 2-year research project, as discussed earlier in this proposal. Through the secondments, the fellows will be matched with a non-academic supervisor, the so-called “impact supervisor” who will be able to show concrete and valuable insights regarding impact development and creation. The secondment will also open up a new network of non-academic contacts, expanding their career opportunities.
VUB has already identified several potential organisations who have already expressed their interest in welcoming the fellows, including collaborating with other organizations throughout the project whenever the possibility arises. The strength of collaborating with these organisations is that they are advocates for connecting science with society, which translates into the products or services they offer. They are all oriented towards providing solutions for tomorrow’s societal challenges in Europe, whether they do it from the perspective of physical sciences and engineering, life sciences or social sciences, humanities and the arts.
The details and specific organisation where the postdoctoral fellows will be seconded will be discussed and agreed upon during the training and research programme.