Sep 3, 2026 | 10 AM (CEST)

Postdoc Professionals is a community platform for individual exchange and peer interaction to explore perspectives on research and career. It is based on personal engagement and the desire to share knowledge and ideas so that professional careers can progress collectively.

First activity is the open forum “Research Relevance and Career Progression Considerations of the Digital Transition for Green Technologies”. It will build insights into why the digital transition is important for the research as well as career. An example that this is to be considered already today is given by that machine learning and AI are increasingly used to advance research. However, they are less effective when applied in isolation since research is in practice one link in a longer value chain. The chain can only optimise if all links are considered together. Generally, the digital transition comes from shared data. This is raised as topic of interest in various technologies which can learn from each other by the exchange of knowledge and ideas. A real case from a pilot implementation is shared.

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Postdoc Professionals on LinkedIn

Build your profile

A postdoctoral position is a nice next step after PhD. How useful it is for your career, that is influenced by the host.

Are they promoting your career opportunities?

If your main activity is to do research and publish, then you maybe in reality is a paper producing postdoc for them. They support the research expertise build up, but the result is improved publishing merits for them. If they share their network with you, that is positive. However, the supervisor will be invited if there is a consortium buiiding happening. Most likely not you. You do not have the same weight of merits (funding has fierce competition), and you do not have the host orgaization. Once your postdoc period is ending, you will more or less need a permanent position in order to be relevant in an EU proposal. In some cases such may be agreed, but often not.

So the limbo stage is not only career. It is also funding.

You are not in practice very relevant for FP10 funding if you lean on the host.

So how to open up opportunities? Build your profile. Your own network. Make other professionals to recognize your contributions and expertize. Many think this happens by publishing and presenting at conferences. That alone is not sufficient. Collaborations are between people. Yes, they have expertise but a consortium wants a reliable partners that contribute and support to deliverables and milestones. That is a personal character more than expertise in the topic.

One step forward for profile is forum. You will have visibility when you are the organizer. Your expertise is confirmed when you are active in discussion. But once it comes to consortium building, you may still be “that postdoc in Prof X group”.

Another step is exploitation, outcomes and impact. That is not tied to the publishing in the same way as ending up with unfair weight for supervisor even though you are first author. People will remember your name because exploitation and valorisation is the main thing to hook an activity on. It will be linked with you, and further build your profile.

Still, how to be partner in EU project proposal is a main challenge. Maybe the solution is not by fully academic track. A start-up can be invited to proposal, but still use university infrastructure. There is no solution more than your personal path. Be active in various ways, find your personal partnerships in network, and in that way will be more visible and find opportunities. The general recommendation is: start early.

Postdoc Professionals

The postdoc limbo phase has been on our mind for a while. There are no clear answers. Paths are unique, choices are individual. No matter how many recommendations that you get, the final choice is yours. But the more recommendations and aspects that you get, the more for you to consider and mix to what feels right.

Postdoc professionals is a meeting space. It will grow from its activity, with those active. Some years ago I was part of building up an activity in a certain topic: advanced materials as part of regional economic growth. This was related to the smart specialisation strategy that was initiated by the European Commission. The activities at that time were initial. We had one workshop. Next workshop was based on the interests and people active in the first workshop. That led to a cluster arena that today is self managing community.

That was a real example how things grow from those who are contributing. Often in our field, it is recommended to include that and that person. Like some professor. But if that person is not active, no matter how famous they are, that will not contribute to develop the concept.

In business it is recommended to have a strong team. That can make wonders of great ideas, but great ideas do not progress unless people are truly active and active together. Team is stronger than the idea.

Postdoc Professionals is intended for those researchers who are being active together. Let it start from that.

Meetup | Aug 27, 2026 | 10 AM (CEST) | Online via Zoom

(moved from Aug 20 to Aug 27)

This is a meetup for those interested in next career steps.

Mikael Syväjärvi will share some advices how to position for career opportunities. Next there will be an open discussion among participants.

This is an activity in the Career Progression.

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Postdoc Professionals on LinkedIn

Postdocs face a common challenge: the current position ends and the next step is either another postdoc or a more permanent position, while competition for project funding is increasing. Sharing problems, experiences, insights, and ideas to find ways ahead together supports all who are active in the meetings.

Challenges and needs differ from time to time, person to person, discipline to discipline. One way to learn more about the reality of needs today is to meet and share. This is the purpose of Postdoc Professionals. The meetings are informal, to share personal journeys and insights to build a community in which researchers collectively support each other.

The challenge

Postdocs are in a limbo phase. Universities commonly accept that a postdoc can be for 2 years, or 2+2. Often not more than 4 years totally. Some have that they do not accept one year postdoc even when there is funding for such because it should be 2 years to give a fair offer. So one year of funding has hard to be used even if it is already granted. There are several types of postdoc challenges which make uncertainties for career progression.

Next step at university is another position type. So if you are in a postdoc position, then it is a challenge to stay with your current host organization and come to next position. Assistant professor, associate professor, etc. have their requirements. If you qualify with those, a key one is that you should be the selected candidate. Often there is already someone in mind for a position because they already have a relation from work or network exchange.

The solution

Everyone will have their own solution. It is not immediate. Be active early and keep the exchange ongoing. Opportunities come from personal network. Things will be better when having others to discuss with.

Sep 3, 2026 | 9-12 AM (CEST) | Online via Zoom

Course that provides understanding of how data-driven value creation is a key relevance for the digital transition in research.

The digital transition is no longer optional. Since researchers are already required to store data and will share it, this can be used to position their research and career progression.
The course introduces how shared data creates value, exploitation pathways, and relevant impact motivation. It covers how values can become assets which include exploitation and business models that fund post-project activities and show how research can have lasting impact, progress to higher technology readiness levels, and reach realistic commercialisation.

Contact us via email to register

Full details of the course

Aug 13, 2026 | 2 PM (CEST) | Online via Zoom

Non-academic experience will facilitate your career in various ways.

For MSCA Postdoctoral Fellowship proposals it adds value, and proposals with a non-academic placement have a higher acceptance rate than those without. Experience from the non-academic sector gives new insights for exploitation and impact. It will also be beneficial in the next Framework Programme (FP10), which is more connected to Europe’s competitiveness, technology leadership, and real-world impact. You can have an SME involved in your research colaboration and build academic-industrial activities to solve real problems by the research.

And many more.

At this meetup we will share about placement, training, and guest researcher possibilities. The purpose is to initiate an interactive discussion from the shared information, shaped by the interests of participants.

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The post is a share of PIE (Practices, Insights and Experiences)

I have been to quite many events, mainly conferences. I have a bag full of badges.

Conferences are most useful when building network. Learning new things in research field. One listen to talks, meet new researchers. Understands more in our research area. From interaction point of view, the poster session is more useful than oral talks (see previous PIE-letter, or visit MSCA Sweden web page under Practices, Insights and Experiences). The discussion is more fruitful by posters.

For building network, the next step is closer format discussion. When I had my first grants as PI, we had projects meetings. Partners in one Nordic project that I coordinated were in Sweden, Denmark and Germany (Germany was additional country in a call). So then I organized meetings. Half day was in general sufficient. Since they were travelling, I added others to meeting and called it workshop. Others also presented, there was interaction, broadening in topic area. From practical point of view it had to be two days, lunch to lunch. Then we had lunches, coffee breaks, and dinner together. There was extra discussion at those.

I started to run those regularly, and we had different hosts. Denmark, and Germany. Next also Japan because our project was related to Japanese initiative in silicon carbide as new LED material. We organized symposiums at E-MRS three times. After some years this lost momentum because funding was nog continued (we applied of course). Core consortium got new ideas based on learnings, we applied in those and got new projects. Still after 15 years we have a core consortium that collaborates. Latest project is an EIC Pathfinder.

Pandemic made everyone to learn online tools. So I started to have forums in certain topics of my interest and research area. People discuss and new ideas emerged. Sometimes there is forum with presentation. Sometimes forum as open meeting: a topic and we meet to discuss, no presentation.

Conferences are very one direction communication. 12 minute presentation and 3 minute question. Conference has certain focus, but being fairly broad in general. Workshops are more focussed in certain area. So I learned that conferences is mainly building network, workshops is deepen network in focussed areas. Because it is smaller format. Forum is complementary because we can do online, smaller than workshop and even more discussion, especially when there is no presentation.

Conferences have planned agenda. That leaves less room for new. Workshops have also agenda but has more time for time in between presentations. Forum has more exchange. These are very complementary. For career progression, the workshops and forums are more useful. Consortium ideas come from those, not conferences.

Key learning: be most active by forums and workshop. They have more interaction in topic that can grow to projects and funding. Builds relevant personal network more than shallow one from conferences. Being organizer increases visibility of yourself. Leave plenty of room for the unexpected (by generous time for discussion part).

Photo: my collected badges.

By Mikael Syväjärvi

Meetup | future postdoctoral opportunities | Aug 6, 2026 | 10AM (CEST)

Future postdoctoral opportunities in “Data-Driven Value Creation in Green Technologies”

A proactive pathway for your next postdoctoral career step.
This career positioning is for those in an ongoing fellowship, or as part of non-academic placement with our host SME Alminica AB in MSCA PF application.

Many postdoctoral researchers face the challenge: their host may not have a position after the fellowship. One way for next career step is to be involved in consortium for future Horizon Europe project applications. However, that requires a host organization, and to build up to be invited to a consortium.

ICM Research Institute can host your next postdoctoral career step. In such a position you will explore how shared data creates value in the green technology your research explores now. Such paid position is conditional on a consortium securing EU project funding in Horizon Europe.
(You can in any case join us as a guest or visiting researcher to initiate activities for your career and strengthen your CV)

This requires being active. One route is to use forums and workshops to explore consortium development. We are now inviting expressions of interest from postdocs who want to actively position for consortium participation and EU project funding. You will already benefit from that along the way by building your network.

Want to know more? Join the meetup. Being part of a consortium will come from your network. At the meetup we will share ideas how you in practice can support consortium building by your current host, and expand network by being active with forums.

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