1st Edition of the Mentoring Program

To contribute to the successful development of the predoctoral stage of students from the different Doctoral Programs that are part of EDIUS. More specifically, the specific objectives of this program are:

• To facilitate contact and interaction between doctoral students and individuals who hold a PhD and have professional experience in the field of research and teaching or outside the academic sphere.
   
• To support those who are beginning their research career in making decisions that will affect its development.
   
• To provide an external perspective that helps students in their development with knowledge and skills based on experience, guiding them throughout the doctoral stage.

Students enrolled in any EDIUS doctoral programme are eligible to participate in this initiative (up to a maximum of 20 places).

With regard to mentors, all individuals holding a doctoral degree and possessing professional experience either in research and teaching (academic staff or postdoctoral researchers) or in non-academic sectors may participate.

Participation in the programme requires completion of the introductory and foundational training on the Mentorship Programme, which will take place in September. This training will consist of one session for mentors and one session for mentees, during which the basic principles for the proper implementation of the programme will be outlined.

Interested candidates must complete the declaration of interest form between 21 May and 28 June in order to take part in the Programme.

A mentor may be defined as an experienced individual who helps shape the beliefs and values of someone with less experience in a positive way, contributing to their self-awareness and personal development. Therefore, the mentor does not necessarily need to belong to the same profession or field of knowledge as the student.

Mentoring is the process through which the mentor encourages the mentee to reflect on the challenges they face in their professional or personal life and, through this interaction, enables them to find their own solutions to their concerns and, more importantly, to initiate changes that foster their professional and personal growth.

In our context, the ultimate goal of the mentor–mentee relationship is for the external mentor to serve as a facilitator of the doctoral process for the students engaged in it. The intention is not for the mentor to act as a scientific advisor — as that responsibility lies with the thesis supervisors — but rather for the mentor, independently, to support the student in planning their research/professional career, clarifying transversal scientific matters (e.g., introductory topics such as research ethics, open science, etc.), or providing guidance on issues related to personal well-being, work–life/family balance, and interpersonal relationships. In this sense, mentors play a role that complements the functions of thesis supervisors.

This programme aims to ensure that both mentors and mentees benefit from the mentoring process.

On the one hand, mentors can contribute to the academic and/or research career development of another individual by sharing their knowledge and experience, which may enhance their own sense of personal achievement and professional satisfaction. Furthermore, this process can help them continue to develop their technical and interpersonal skills.

On the other hand, mentees will receive personalised guidance based on the professional experience and expertise of the mentors, who may share valuable lessons learned at key moments in their own academic or professional careers, as well as insights they wish they had known before reaching important milestones. Additionally, participation in such a programme can increase motivation and serve as a source of inspiration during the predoctoral stage.

* Participation in the Mentorship Programme will be formally recognised by the USC International Doctoral School through the corresponding certification.

Registration for the Mentorship Programme will take place between May and June 2024. Once registrations have been completed, the selection of participants and mentor–mentee pairings will be carried out during the month of July.

Prior to the start of the programme, two training sessions will be organised in September — one for mentors and another for mentees. These sessions will provide a more in-depth explanation of the programme, its objectives and the resources available, and will also serve as an opportunity to address any questions or concerns.

The mentoring process is scheduled to run from October 2024 to June 2025. Over the nine-month duration of the programme, it is recommended that mentoring sessions be held every 20–30 days. The preliminary training sessions will outline the basic guidelines for conducting these meetings to ensure the Mentorship Programme achieves its objectives. In addition, the following documentation will be provided:

1. Confidentiality Agreement. As the Mentorship Programme must provide a safe environment in which information can be freely shared between both parties, a confidentiality agreement must be signed at the beginning of the programme. This aims to build trust and establish clear boundaries regarding how the information discussed during the mentoring sessions should be handled.
    
2. Mentoring Agreement. This document defines how and when participants will meet, as well as the activities to be carried out to ensure that the mentoring objectives are achieved.
    
3. Record of Meetings. Participants must keep a record of meetings and activities so that the level of participation in the programme can be assessed.
    
4. Final Evaluation of the Mentorship Programme, to be completed by both mentees and mentors.