2nd 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 either in research and teaching or outside the academic sphere.
• To support individuals who are beginning their research careers 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, and that guides them throughout the doctoral stage.

Students enrolled full-time in the 1st or 2nd year of an EDIUS doctoral program may participate in this program (places are limited depending on mentor availability).

As for the mentors, all those who hold a PhD and have professional experience in research and teaching (academic staff or postdoctoral researchers) or outside the academic sphere may participate. In addition, it will be mandatory to complete a training session on the basics and foundations of the Mentoring Program in October, which will be conducted via Microsoft Teams. This training will consist of one session for mentors and one session for the mentored students, where the basic principles for the proper development of the program will be explained.

To participate in the Program, interested individuals must complete the declaration of interest application by October 15 (inclusive) as the deadline.

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

Mentoring is the process by which a mentor encourages the mentee to reflect on the challenges in their life, whether professional or personal, and through this interaction enables the mentee to find their own solutions to their concerns and, most importantly, to make changes that allow for their professional and personal development.

Therefore, in our context, the ultimate goal of the mentor-mentee relationship is for the external mentor to act as a facilitator of the doctoral process for students engaged in these studies. The aim is not for them to serve as a scientific asset, as that is the responsibility of the thesis supervisors and directors, but rather for the mentor, independently, to help the student plan their research/professional career, clarify cross-disciplinary scientific issues (e.g. introduction to topics such as research ethics, open science, etc.), or provide guidance on matters related to personal well-being, work-life/family balance, and interpersonal relationships. In this sense, mentors play a complementary role to that of the thesis supervisors/directors.

This program aims for both mentors and mentored students to benefit from the mentoring process. On the one hand, mentors can contribute to the academic and/or research career development of another person by sharing their knowledge and experiences, which can increase their sense of personal achievement and professional satisfaction. Additionally, this process can help them further develop their technical and interpersonal skills.

On the other hand, mentored students will receive personalized guidance based on the professional experience and knowledge of the mentors, as they can share important lessons learned at key moments in their professional/academic careers or the things they wish they had known before reaching major milestones. Moreover, participating in a program like this can boost motivation and serve as inspiration during the predoctoral stage.

Enrollment in the Mentoring Program will take place in September-October. Once registrations are completed, participants will be selected and mentor-mentee pairings will be established.

Before the start, two training sessions will be organized (one for mentors and another for the mentored students) at the end of October. In these sessions, the program, its objectives, the available resources will be explained in more depth, and it will also be an opportunity to address any doubts or questions.

The mentoring process is expected to take place between November 2025 and May 2026 (both included). During the seven months of the program, it is recommended to hold a mentoring session every 20–30 days. The basic aspects for conducting these sessions and ensuring that the Mentoring Program achieves its objectives will be explained during the preliminary training sessions.

Additionally, the following documentation will be provided:
1. Confidentiality Agreement. Since the Mentoring Program must be a safe environment in which information can be freely shared between both parties, a confidentiality agreement must be signed at the beginning of the program. 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 that will ensure the mentoring objectives are met.
3. Meeting Log. Participants must record meetings and activities so that the level of participation in the program can be assessed.
4. Final Evaluation of the Mentoring Program, to be completed by both the mentored students and the mentors.