Become a mentor

The BRIDGE - Translational Excellence Programme has applied for a grant extension with the Novo Nordisk Foundation. If granted, we will announce a new call for mentor teams and fellows in June 2020 with application deadline in October 2020 and fellowship starting on 1 April 2021. Stay informed by signing up for our newsletter.

By participating as a mentor in the BRIDGE programme you will have the opportunity either to start a new or to consolidate an existing collaboration between a basic biomedical and a clinical research or Life Science Industry environment by recruiting an excellent fellow in a translational research project, thus bridging the two environments and creating a translational environment.

The Mentor Team – essential to the BRIDGE programme

Excellent mentoring is one of the most attractive and prestigious aspects of the BRIDGE programme and the core in the programme.  Being mentored by both a mentor from the basic biomedical environment and a clinical research or Life Science Industry environment the fellow will obtain an insight into the translational flow and a translational research area. An insight that will be further developed through the fellows’ participation in a special developed academic curriculum. As a mentor, you will assist the fellow with his/her research project in creating a translational network across disciplines and environments.

We define a mentor as an experiences person who, through advising, professional sparring, instructing, coaching and feedback, shares his or her experience and competence to support the development and maturation of the fellow.

Mentor Team commitments

Being part of a Mentor Team you will commit to:

  • Co-develop parts of the application together with the potential fellow.
  • Provide running costs for the 2-year period of the research project, while the Translational Excellence Programme funds the salary for the fellow and a DKK 50.000 per annum to each fellow to cover cost for PC, travel, participation in meetings and conferences, language courses and activities not offered within the Programme
  • Provide a translational hosting environment for the fellow.
  • Engage in a mentor/mentee relationship with the fellow that will be formalised through Mentoring Sessions with participation from both the fellow and the two mentors
  • Participate in the initial Boot Camp on April 15, 2020
  • Engage in the BRIDGE Network by participating in bi-annual seminars
  • Complete a self-evaluation of your mentor commitments

Mutual expectations for collaboration

Before signing up as a mentor in the Translational Excellence Programme, you should consider what you can offer the fellow. 

During the initial dialogue with a potential fellow, you should align both your expectations concerning availability and support e.g. how often you should meet, the formality of the meetings, the degree of support required etc. You should also consider how to create optimism and inspire the fellow, how to reward success, and how to show enthusiasm, respect and sensitivity in the collaboration with the fellow.

For further information about mentoring, you can consult Nature's guide for mentors.

How to sign-up as a Mentor Team

You must sign up with another mentor as a team. One mentor must represent a basic biomedical science environment at the Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences. The other mentor must represent a clinically oriented environment at a hospital in the Capital Region of Denmark or Region Zealand or in the life science industry. Participation of a mentor from life science is highly encouraged.

Each potential Mentor Team must present themselves and the scientific framework for a translational research project. CV (one per mentor) and Project Synopsis is simply forwarded to bridge@sund.ku.dk (templates below).

The presentations will published under ‘Projects and Mentors’. Presentations should enable potential fellows to identify and contact relevant Mentor Teams for an initial dialogue about opportunities for future cooperation. 

Basic mentors qualifications

Mentors from a basic biomedical science environment must be on the level of Associate Professor or Professor with at least a 50% appointment.

Clinical mentors qualifications

Mentors from a clinical oriented environment must be have the following qualifications:

Approved titles

  • Clinical Professor (in Danish: Klinisk professor)
  • Clinical Research Associate Professor (in Danish: Klinisk forskningslektor)

Conditionally approved titles

  • Clinical associate professor (in Danish: Klinisk lektor (A-B-C))
  • Postgraduate clinical associate professor (in Danish: Postgraduat klinisk lektor)
  • Occupied in a research relevant position in healthcare or Life Science Industry (in Danish: Forskningsrelevant beskæftigelse på hospitaler eller i Life Science industri)

Assessment criteria for conditionally approved mentor titles

The following assessment criteria must be documented and forwarded to bridge@sund.ku.dk:

  • Research active – recent publications
  • Minimum two years of work experience after obtainment of the PhD degree
  • Supervision of at least one successfully completed PhD project
  • Relevant employment
  • PhD or doctorate

Life Science Industry mentors qualifications

Mentors from Life Science Industry must have equivalent competencies.

Templates for mentors

After completion, please forward the documents to bridge@sund.ku.dk. 

The presentations will published on the BRIDGE-website.

    Projects and mentors