Research has the potential to create meaningful change in society, however in order to make this happen, researchers need opportunities to develop skills that help them connect their work with real-world needs, partners, and audiences.
The ReSkillSpan Training for Impactful Researcher Careers supports researchers who want to make their research more impactful and expand their career opportunities, regardless of whether they do so in academia or industry. The programme is designed for researchers from all disciplines and career stages, from R1 to R4, who are interested in strengthening their transversal skills and exploring new pathways for their work.
Through live online workshops and sessions, participants build practical skills that can support them in interdisciplinary and cross-sector environments. Our training covers areas such as communication, influence, strategic thinking, entrepreneurial mindset, external engagement, resilience, and other competences that can help researchers move their ideas forward, in alignment with the European Competence Framework for Researchers (ResearchComp).
A central aim of ReSkillSpan is to help researchers translate knowledge into action. This means supporting participants to think about how their research can contribute to policy, industry, communities, public conversation, or other areas of society. The programme also encourages researchers to reflect on their own skills, identify development needs, and explore how their work can create value outside traditional academic settings.
The training combines several learning formats. Participants take part in practical workshops, engage in peer learning with researchers from different fields, and receive access to resources and templates that they can reuse in their own work. The programme also includes micro-credentials to recognise newly acquired competences.
ReSkillSpan is structured in two phases. The first phase focuses on training and is open to more than 300 participants. It includes live online workshops, peer learning, and practical resources. The second phase focuses on mentorship and impact projects. Around 60 participants will be selected to develop real-world Impact Projects with expert mentor support and peer feedback.
In the mentorship phase, selected participants will work on projects that apply the learning to their own contexts and ambitions. They will be able to choose an impact route that fits their goals, such as evidence-based policy, business and entrepreneurship, popular science, or social initiative. The process will guide them towards a final Impact Plan and Pitch, giving them an opportunity to receive feedback and increase the visibility of their ideas.
The format is designed for busy researchers. Sessions are delivered online and focus on specific skills, with a typical time commitment of two to four hours per session. This makes the programme accessible while still offering focused and practical learning.
ReSkillSpan is especially relevant for researchers who want to take their work beyond publications, engage with partners such as policy actors, industry, NGOs, or citizens, and develop the skills needed to create impact in different professional contexts.
By combining training, peer exchange, reusable resources, and mentoring opportunities, ReSkillSpan offers researchers a structured way to strengthen their impact skills and explore new career possibilities.
Stay tuned for more updates on the programme!