On March 5th, 2025, the DocTalent4EU consortium invites you to be part of the project’s final event “Empowering Doctoral Careers” taking place from 9:00 AM to 5:00 PM in Brussels (Fondation Universitaire).
Over the past few years, the DocTalent4EU project has been working tirelessly to explore new ways to develop doctoral talent, from enhancing transversal skills to recognising the value of digital credentials. The final conference will bring together a diverse group of experts, including policymakers, university leaders, industry professionals, and PhD candidates, to reflect on where we’ve come and where we’re headed.
Here’s what you can expect during the day:
- Roundtable discussions that will dive into the practical side of transversal skills, digital credentials, and how they are reshaping the doctoral experience.
- Industry perspectives on how academia and business can collaborate more effectively, offering PhDs the tools they need to thrive in today’s ever-changing job market.
- A live exhibition of Talent Management Centres, where you can explore firsthand the innovative services designed to support PhD candidates.
- Interactive workshops that will equip PhDs and higher education professionals with practical tools to promote digital credentials, build successful Talent Management Centres, and more.
Agenda*
| 09:00-09:30 | Registration |
| 09:30-10:00 | Welcome & Opening Remarks Keynote by Prof. Manuel Heitor, Former Portuguese Minister of Science, Technology and Higher Education |
| 10:00-11:00 | Roundtable – Building Bridges Between Skills and Credentials Panellists: - Ana Sofia Alves, PhD Candidate at the University of Porto - Zacharias Andreadakis, Course creator, Western Norway University of Applied Sciences - Sophie Bouccara, PhD Researcher/Consultant/Trainer at Adoc Talent Management (SECURE Project Partner) - Claudio Díaz García, PhD Candidate at the University of Alcalá - Koen Nomden, Team leader – Skills and qualifications transparency and recognition, DG EMPL |
| 11:00-11:30 | Coffee Break & Networking |
| 11:30-12:00 | Live Exhibition – Talent Management Centres in Action |
| 12:00-13:00 | Roundtable – Engaging Non-Academic Stakeholders in Doctoral Talent Development Panellists: - María Ángela Caballo González, R&D staff scientist at Berlimed S.A. (Bayer) - Alexander Hasgall, Member of the DocTalent4EU Advisory Board - Almudena Naharros Molinero, Senior Associate Scientist at Bayer - Irina Pavel, PhD Candidate at the Gheorghe Asachi Technical University of Iaşi - Jorge Teixeira, PhD Candidate at the University of Porto |
| 13:00-14:00 | Lunch Break & Informal Networking |
| 14:00-15:30 | Parallel Workshops - Promoting Your Digital Credentials – Practical Strategies - Designing Impactful Talent Management Programmes |
| 15:30-16:00 | Coffee Break & Networking |
| 16:00-16:30 | "Ask Me Anything" Session – The Future of Doctoral Training |
| 16:30-17:00 | Closing Panel – Looking Ahead: Building Sustainable Talent Pipelines Panellists: - Dario Capezzuto, Policy Officer, DG-RTD - Eva Hnatkova, PhD, Member of the DocTalent4EU Advisory Board - Gareth O’Neill, Principal Consultant on Open Science at Technopolis Group (SECURE project) |
*Please note that the agenda may be subject to change.