PILLAR week (23 November - 27 November)

Make sure you save the date!

Monday 23 November - Friday 27 November

Our career development project to support our awardees and programme participants, Promoting Innovation, Learning, Leadership And Resilience in the research community (PILLAR), is to be launched on Monday 23 November.

Over the last few months, the Academy has been developing a new initiative to support our community, utilising this new virtual world we find ourselves in. PILLAR aims to support both our grant awardees and programme participants in a virtual setting, equipping them with the skills and knowledge that they need to navigate their careers. Through live sessions, recorded content and a host of resources, all permanently available in an exclusive online space, we hope to engage our community and encourage conversations.

The Academy will be running a week of events and sharing resources (chaired by Professor Frances Platt FMedSci), to continue to provide vital support to researchers at this time. Events will include:

• Career development/training webinars.
• Creative ways to network and collaborate virtually.
• Panel discussions.
• Talks and communications pieces from key individuals, including senior leaders and earlier career researchers.

Confirmed sessions

Monday 23 November, Promoting

• 10:30 - 12:00, Nurturing Networks. This interactive and practical workshop will give attendees the opportunity to review, analyse and action plan around their professional networks.
• 13:00 - 13:30, Social media and science. In this interactive session, we will look at some of the potential benefits, practical considerations and avoidable pitfalls for researchers starting out on social media.
• 15:00 - 17:00, SGCL Round 23 Induction event. Induction meeting for the round 23 cohort of Starter Grant awardees.
• 16:00 - 16:45, Poster networking session. Join us for an informal networking ‘break’, hosted by the PILLAR launch week Chair, Professor Frances Platt FMedSci, as well as Academy staff. You do not have to produce a poster to attend this session.

Tuesday 24 November, Innovation

• 10:30 - 12:00, #AMSGlobal: International collaboration and mobility panel. In this session, the panel, chaired by Professor Dame Anne Johnson FMedSci, will discuss both the importance and the logistics of international collaboration, sharing personal experiences and exploring how these partnerships will change because of the pandemic. [includes 30 minutes optional networking]
• 14:00 - 15:00, An introduction to the Academy’s policy work and how to get involved. This session will include a panel discussion featuring both Academy staff and awardees exploring our policy work, how we involve awardees and ECRS, and opportunities to influence policy beyond the Academy.

Wednesday 25 November, Learning

• 10:30 - 11:30, Intro to Patient and Public Involvement. In this hours introductory workshop you will learn more about PPI and hear from fellow Academy funded researchers about their experiences.
• 14:00 - 15:30, Ask the funders: Research funding and the future landscape. In this panel discussion, representatives from five of the UK’s research funders will offer their insights and opinions on everything you need to know about funding your research, from grantsmanship and interview skills to what funders will be prioritising going forward. [includes 30 minutes optional networking]

Thursday 26 November, Leadership

• 10:00 - 11:30, Supporting your team’s mental health and wellbeing. In this interactive session you’ll develop a toolbox for navigating your teams’ mental health and well-being. [includes 30 additional minutes Q&A]
• 14:00 - 15:30, Research leadership: A service to others. In this session, Professor Marcus Munafo, University of Bristol and Nadia Soliman, PhD candidate Imperial College London, will discuss the fundamental principles of leadership and the importance of a values-based approach in academia.

Friday 27 November, And Resilience

• 10:30 - 11:45, Staying resilient to support your mental health. During this interactive workshop you will have the time and support to explore your mental health and wellbeing. 
• 14:00 - 16:00, Keynote Lecture - Professor John Iredale FMedSci, Pro Vice Chancellor Health and Life Sciences at the University of Bristol [includes 1 hour of optional networking]

Registration for all session is now LIVE; if you have not received information about how to book your place please email the PILLAR team. Check back here for more information regarding the launch in the coming weeks; our exclusive online platform will be going live very soon. For any questions or queries, please contact PILLAR@acmedsci.ac.uk.