The Boosting INGENIUM for Excellence (BI4E) project supports the European university INGENIUM European University. BI4E aims to strengthen the partner’s research and innovation capacities through collaboration, knowledge sharing, and mutual support. A key objective is enhancing the appeal of the academic career, with a dedicated working group tasked with identifying obstacles, supporting talent attraction and facilitating retention within academia, especially for young researchers.
In an interview with Alberto Esparza Hueto from the BI4E team at the University of Oviedo (UNIOVI), Alba Morán Álvarez shares insights into her research as part of the Biomedicine and Molecular Oncology PhD program at UNIOVI. They also explore BI4E initiatives aimed at empowering young researchers.
Drawing from her experience in international research projects, Alba highlights the relevance of the newly launched CONNECT platform, an AI-powered tool that links researchers with shared interests from different disciplines within the INGENIUM network. “For those seeking research groups for a pre-doc or postdoc stage, CONNECT could be a highly valuable platform,” she notes. She also emphasizes the importance of interdisciplinary research. In her case, for instance, she would be interested in collaborating with researchers in the social sciences to explore societal perceptions of cancer research.
In addition to fostering research collaboration, BI4E also aims to pinpoint obstacles in attracting and retaining academic talent. Alba shares her personal frustrations and challenges: "Precariousness and slow hiring processes make it challenging for researchers to stay […] Additionally, the excessive administrative workload detracts from research time.” In spite of these hurdles, she remains dedicated to her future in academia: “I am passionate about teaching. I relish the opportunity to share our lab research with students and inspire vocations.”
To read the full interview, published in Munster Technological University’s Student Union Magazine, "Explicit!", please visit the following link and go to pages 14-15 : here
More information about the BI4E project and upcoming initiatives