The Circle U. Postdoc Mobility Programme offers postdoctoral researchers the chance to spend time at another Circle U. university to start or develop research collaborations. More than just financial support, it provides time and space to build relationships, test new ideas, and work with colleagues in a different academic setting.
Open to postdocs working in a Circle U. university, the programme supports short research stays (from 5 to 30 days) at another partner institution. The funding helps cover travel and living expenses, and the aim is to help researchers prepare a postdoctoral fellowship application with new collaborators.
For Fernando Valentim Bitencourt, a postdoc at Aarhus University in the Department of Dentistry and Oral Health, the programme was an opportunity to connect with researchers at King’s College London and work on new research questions. “This mobility provided an exceptional opportunity to integrate epidemiological research with advanced statistical methods in an international setting,” he said.
Fernando’s stay led to much more than a single project. He built a lasting working relationship with a researcher at King’s, and they are now involved in two joint projects, including plans for a publication. He and his collaborators are also preparing a joint application for Circle U.’s Seed Funding Scheme 2025, a clear sign that the benefits of the mobility continue long after the stay ends.“It significantly enhanced my research capacity and established a lasting academic partnership,” he said.
Pauline Zecchinon, a postdoc in communication sciences at UCLouvain, spent a month at the University of Vienna. While she was already part of the same international research network as the Vienna team, they hadn’t worked closely together before. The mobility stay helped change that. “Although we were already part of the same research network, this mobility fund was the perfect way to start working together,” she said.
Her stay allowed her to meet respected researchers in her field and work with them on a new project related to journalism and press independence. She also discovered new skills, including programming and statistical methods, enriching her research toolbox. “It was a great opportunity to work in another lab and start research projects together,” she added.
These experiences show how a short stay abroad can lead to long-term professional connections and open up new directions in research. Meeting in person helps researchers ask better questions, learn from each other, and make plans for future work.
Are you interested in applying to the Circle U. Postdoc Mobility Programme?
The next deadline to apply is 26 February 2026.
