Circle U. has selected eleven projects for its 2025 seed-funding round, supporting new academic, professional and student-led initiatives across the alliance. The funded proposals reflect the alliance’s commitment to interdisciplinarity, sustainability, inclusion and long-term cooperation among its member universities. Each month, we spotlight one of these projects.
Supporting better mentoring for postdoctoral researchers
For many postdoctoral researchers, mentors and supervisors are an important source of career advice. Yet discussing career options, particularly opportunities beyond academia, is not always easy.
The seed-funded project Circle Out! by Circle U., led by Madeleine Harbich, addresses this challenge by supporting mentors in their role. The initiative brings together administrative and professional staff from the University of Vienna, the University of Oslo and King’s College London to develop a practical e-learning programme for mentors of postdoctoral researchers.
The programme will guide mentoring approaches, career conversations and inclusive practices. Designed with busy academic schedules in mind, it will consist of short modules that can be completed flexibly.
By supporting mentors, Circle Out! aims to improve career development conversations, increase awareness of diverse career paths and contribute to fairer and more supportive research environments. The final resource will be designed to be transferable and usable across Circle U. universities and beyond.
In this article, Madeleine Harbich explains why the project matters and what the team will develop this year.
Why does your research project matter?
Mentoring plays a decisive role in the career development of postdoctoral researchers, yet many mentors feel insufficiently prepared for this responsibility. Evidence shows that postdocs most often turn to their supervisors for career advice, while mentors themselves report uncertainty, particularly when discussing career paths beyond academia. In today’s research environment, marked by short-term contracts, high competition and increasing pressure on early-career researchers, this gap has real consequences for well-being, equality and career resilience.
By equipping mentors with practical tools, clear guidance and inclusive approaches, the initiative strengthens research culture across institutions.
Madeleine Harbich, project leader
What will you achieve within the project this year?
A key activity of the project this year is the development of the e-learning programme. Project partners will jointly define, map and create short learning units that focus on mentoring approaches, career conversations and inclusive practices. These modules are designed to be completed in short timeframes, making them accessible to academic staff with limited availability.
