Besides on-the-job technical training, IMDEA Materials Institute is committed to train the Institute’s scientists and staff in “soft” or transversal skills. Those competences are relevant to a broad range of occupations and sectors (academic research or teaching career, specialization in a given field or a career at industry or other type of organization) and are the building blocks for the development of the "hard" skills required to succeed on the labor market.
Below you can consult the history of courses that have already taken place and the ones that are currently under preparation. These courses are mainly targeted to Research Assistants and Associates.
Literature search. Introduction to writing scientific papers. How to prepare and deliver effective presentations
15th October 2015. 3 hours
Delivered by: Teresa Pérez-Prado (Senior Researcher at IMDEA Materials) &Miguel Ángel Rodiel (Technology Manager at IMDEA Materials)
Content:
- Library search & papers writing
- Effective presentations
Introduction to project management. Project management my PhD
25th February 2016. 2 hours
Delivered by: Germán Infante (Project Manager at IMDEA Materials)
Content:
- Why do I need management skills?
- What is a project? What is project management?
- An introducion to project management
- An overview of all project management areas, with special focus on the application to a PhD Thesis
- Useful resources
R&D&i funding systems and opportunities
31st May 2017. 2 hours
Delivered by: Fernando Gómez (Project Manager at IMDEA Materials)
Content:
- Get an innovative idea to be funded
- Support programs along the R&D chain
- The European R&D&i framework program H2020
- Project proposal structure
- Case study: from idea to a successful project
Preparation and evaluation of R&D&i project proposals
11th October 2017. 3 hours
Delivered by: Miguel Ángel Rodiel (Technology Manager at IMDEA Materials) & Claudio Lopes (Senior Researcher at IMDEA Materials)
Content:
- Preparation of R&D&i proposals
- Evaluation of R&D&i proposals
Economic-business basic concepts
2nd March 2017. 2. 5 hours
Delivered by: Mar García (Financial Manager at IMDEA Materials)
Content:
- What does economics means in general terms?
- What is economic and financial information used for?
- Main economic and accounting concepts
- R&D&i project budget
- Case study
Intellectual and industrial property basic concepts. Protection and transfer of research results
21st September 2017. 4 hours
Delivered by: Diego Gutierrez (FOURLAW abogados)
Content:
- Patents, copyrights, designs and know-how
- Ownership, management and exploitation of results
Communicating at the workplace
17th November 2017. 7 hours
Delivered by: Roberto Espinosa (Economist with a strong interest in sales, leadership, entrepreneurship and innovation)
Content:
- Best known methods about email communications
- Leadership and teamwork
- Giving and receiving feedback
- Effective meetings
- Goal setting
- Negotiation
Practical advice for writing and defending an excellent PhD Thesis
6th April 2018. 1 hour
Delivered by: Miguel Herráez (Research Assistant at IMDEA Materials), Joseba Múgica (Research Associate at IMDEA Materials) & Carlos González (Senior Researcher at IMDEA Materials)
Content:
- Getting started and analysing
- Writing as you go
- Structuring your work
- Knowing when it is finished
- Preparing your dissertation
Professional management of R&i projects under H2020 collaborative schemes
17th April 2018. 7 hours
Delivered by: Eva García (RTDI)
Content:
- Introduction to H2020
- Getting ready for the Great Game of the Goose
- Proffesional management of projects. PMI standards: the Great Game of the Goose + qualities of a good project manager + diving into adapting PMI standards to R&i projects
- Management of H2020 projects: main phases in the coordination of a project + most frequent coordination structures + special jargon
Science communication
13th & 20th June 2018. 8 hours
Delivered by: Luis Quevedo (filmmaker, podcaster, producer & TV personality) & Marian Mellén (expert in neuroepigenetics)
Content:
- What the media wants and how to be a proactive communicator
- "MoJo" mobile journalism basics and other tools
- Non-traditional communication: non-verbal language, visuals and more
- On-camera, mock interview rounds and feedback
- Take home package: a brief survival book on how to deal with the media
How to prepare for a recruiting process. Personal experiences of PhDs working in academia and industry
September 2018. 4 hours
Delivered by:To be defined
Content (tentative):
- Interview process and tips
- Boosting transferable skills
- Working at the bench in industry vs academia
- Making the transition from academia to industry
- Experiences of PhDs working in academia and industry
Entrepreneurship for scientists: the process of making a great product
September 2018. 14 hours
Delivered by: To be defined
Content (tentative):
- Idea generation
- Market validation
- Business plan elaboration
- Fundraising options
- Support services for entrepreneurs; A success story
- Experience of a technology based entrepreneur
Serious creativity: creativity techniques and thinking tools
November 2018. 7 hours
Delivered by: To be defined
Content (tentative):
- Workshop / boot camp on Design Thinking (or another useful approach to creativity) with focus on a research environment
- Introduction: What is creativity / how to spot a creative researcher / who is creative / creativity and research environments
- Are science and creativity compatible? The importance of creativity in generating ideas, designing research methodologies, constructing experiments, analysing data, …
- Good practices for creative researchers: help building a positive research culture, level and quality of communication with colleagues, make time and space for creativity, developing and sustaining your personal creativity, …
Economics and finances for scientists and engineers. Basics for the design of a business plan
February 2019. 14 hours
Delivered by: To be defined
Content (tentative):
- Introduction to economics and finances: what is this used for?, why is this important in science and engineering?
- How to be conversant with an economic / financial department: main concepts / terms, understanding a company's financial statements
- Elements of a business plan. Case study: elaboration of a specific business plan (including profitability of the potential investment / putting numbers to the plan (cash flow, IRR, NPV and other valuation criteria)).
Scientific writing vs proposal writing: how to write papers that get cited and proposals that get funded
May 2019. 14 hours
Delivered by: To be defined
Content (tentative):
- What makes a good scientific writer?
- Scientific writing vs proposal writing
- Writing scientific papers and articles for trade journals
- Writing a proposal: what the best grant writers do (and you should too).
Career management and recruitment processes. Academia vs industry
September 2019. 7 hours
Delivered by: To be defined
Content (tentative):
- Creating a career development plan
- How to prepare for a recruitment process. Academia vs industry: structure your résumé, write cover letters according to job description, realize that applications differ depending on the country, present yourself confidently and convincingly, main (and useful) job search sites
- Getting to know different academic career paths. Real experiences.
Managing your time
November 2019. 7 hours
Delivered by: To be defined
Content (tentative):
- Organization and planning: how to make the most of time and resources
- Management / Optimization of decision-making
- Orientation to results.
Options for the exploitation of research results
December 2019. 4 hours
Delivered by: To be defined
Content (tentative):
- Commercialization channels (IP exploitation, spin-off, consultancy)
- Knowledge transfer channels (publishing, conferencing and networking, standards, policy …)
