Become a mentor
As a mentor in the BRIDGE programme you have a unique opportunity to start or consolidate a collaboration between a basic biomedical and a clinical research or life science industry environment. Recruitment of an excellent BRIDGE fellow lets you bridge the two and create a translational environment.
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 the industry is highly encouraged, if relevant.
Each Mentor Team must present themselves and the scientific framework for a translational research project. Mentor Teams must provide the following:
- CV (one per mentor)
- Project synopsis
Documents are simply forwarded to bridge@sund.ku.dk (templates below).
The presentations including the mentors' CV and their suggested project synopsis will published on the website. The CV and the Project Synopsis should enable potential fellows to identify and contact relevant Mentor Teams for an initial dialogue about opportunities for future cooperation.
Mentors from a basic biomedical science environment must be at the level of Associate Professor or Professor with at least a 50% appointment at the Faculty.
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)
The following assessment criteria must be documented in the CV 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
Templates for mentors
- Mentor CV template (docx)
- Project synopsis template for mentors (docx)
Please forward the documents to bridge@sund.ku.dk.
Mentor Teams will be posted on the website upon administrative approval of eligibility.
Important dates
| From October 2020 | Recruitment of Mentor Teams |
| 1 January 2021 | Call for applicants is announced on the website and various job portals |
| 31 January 2021 | Deadline for Mentor Teams registration |
| 28 February 2021 | Deadline for applicants |
| March – April 2021 | Processing of applications |
| 25-27 May 2021 | Interviews |
| Primo June 2021 | Decisions and announcements |
| 1 September 2021 | Commencement of fellowships |
| 2-3 September 2021 | Boot Camp for appointed BRIDGE fellows |
The Mentor Team – essential to the BRIDGE programme
...From a scientific point of view this approach is absolutely needed and essential to move a field forward
Excellent mentoring is the core of the BRIDGE programme and is one of the most attractive and prestigious aspects.
Mentoring by experts both from the basic biomedical environment and the clinical research, or the life science industry environment will provide the fellow with insight into the translational flow and a translational research area. This insight will be further developed through the fellows’ participation in a specially developed Academic Curriculum.
As a mentor, you will assist the fellow with his/her research project and help to create a translational network across disciplines and environments.
We define a mentor as an experienced person who, through advising, professional sparring, instruction, 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 two-year period of the research project, while BRIDGE 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 host 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 with the fellow in an initial Boot Camp within the first month of the fellowship period
- Participate in bi-annual fellow-driven seminars and take part in the BRIDGE Network with current and former Mentor Teams and stakeholders
- Complete a self-evaluation of your mentor commitments
- Participate in a three part meeting in June each year
- Be present at the potential appointment interview for a short introduction of the Mentor Team.
Mutual expectations for collaboration
For me as the mentor I think my most important task is to be supportive throughout the process of the project we develop together.
Before signing up as a mentor in BRIDGE, you should consider what you are able to 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, guide on career trajectories and utilise the knowledge deriving from the Academic Curriculum and how to show enthusiasm, respect and sensitivity in the collaboration with the fellow.