Besides on-the-job technical training, IMDEA Materials Institute is committed to train the Institute’s staff in “soft” or transversal skills. Those competences are relevant to a broad range of occupations and sectors (academic research or teaching career, specialization in a given field or a career at industry or other type of organization) and are the building blocks for the development of the «hard» skills required to succeed on the labor market.
Below you can consult the history of courses that have already taken place and the ones that are currently under preparation. These courses are mainly targeted to Research Assistants, Research Associates and Principal Investigators. In all cases, their goal is to improve both the scientific performance and the career prospects of our staff.
Upcoming
Equality in research
Delivered by: The instructor of the course is TBC
- Learn how promoting gender balance contributes to excellence and inclusivity in scientific endeavors
- Understand the importance of fostering gender balance and creating inclusive working environments where all talents can thrive
- Discover how incorporating the gender dimension enhances research quality and relevance to society
Fundamentals of intellectual and industrial property
Delivered by: The instructor of the course is TBC
- Improving knowledge of how to approach the management of Personally Identifiable Information (PII) and the various protective measures for R&D projects in different sectors
- Raising awareness among research personnel about the importance of PII rights in the development of their investigative activities
- Having a basic understanding of Patent Strategic Management: concept, protection strategies, and exploitation. International extension
Open science: open access, research data management and citizen science
Delivered by: The instructor of the course is TBC
- Principles of open science, emphasizing open access to research findings and effective management of research data
- Insights into fostering transparency, collaboration, and societal impact within the scientific community
- Explore the intersection of science, accessibility, and community engagement
Funding opportunities for research and development: Grants to continue my career as a postdoctoral researcher and achieving tenure
Delivered by: María Teresa Ferrando García (CEO Kveloce)
- Introduction to funding opportunities for postdoctoral researchers
- Funding opportunities at national level
- Funding opportunities at European level
- Tools and Platforms
Microsoft Office 365
Delivered by: The instructor for the course is TBC (2FFormación)
- TEAMS - Video conferencing tool and Microsoft 365 hub
- ONE DRIVE - Hard drive in the cloud
- SHARE POINT - Fundamentals, uses and collaborative work
- Other Tools - TO DO and PLANNER
2024 Courses
Managing conflict constructively across cultures
Delivered by: Alicia Marín Muniesa (Coach - The sky is the limit)
- Increase self-awareness of your communication style and cultural preferences
- Identify appropriate practices for managing cross-cultural communication challenges at the workplace
- Practice the win-win negotiation model to manage conflict across cultures
Antifraud Measures Plan
Delivered by: IMDEA Materials
- Risks in the management of funds
- The Anti-Fraud Action Plan in the management of Next-Generation Funds
- Specific risk analysis of projects funded with European Funds
- Basic and applied Regulations
2023 Courses
Time & stress management
Delivered by: Ulrich Schubert (Psychologist, certified business coach and leadership trainer)
- Theoretical framework
- Stress management skills and techniques
- Time management
Creating your own career plan and job search strategy
Delivered by: Manuél Escobar (Carreras Científicas Alternativas)
- Career planning
- CV and Linkedin profile
- Preparing for a selection process (interview and negotiation)
Oral presentations: beyond slides
Delivered by: Lisa Saemisch and Gavin Lucas (The PaperMill)
- Relating to my audience and telling a story
- Defining my message, content and structure
- Key concepts in visual communication
- Focus on creating slide presentations
- Presenting your work. Concepts and practice
Scientific entrepreneurship
Delivered by: Miguel Ángel L. Trujillo (BA International Partners)
- Entrepreneurship fundamentals for researchers
- Design of a business model
- Design of a market research interview
2022 Courses
Introduction to software patents
Delivered by: Nicolás Escudero (CEO of Tribalyte Ideas and European Patent Attorney)
- Patents: main concepts, ideas and importance
- How to detect research results worthing protection
- Strategies for software management, protection and exploitation
Interview skills for supervisors
Delivered by: Cristina Mateo (Liberty up)
- The importance of the interview
- Screening CVs and preparing for the interview
- During the interview
- Evidence-based evaluations and decision-making. Unconscious biases
Professional development
Delivered by: Manolo Castellano (Carreras Científicas Alternativas)
- The importance of transferable skills inside/outside academia. Practical tools to identify skills for your CV and professional social networks.
- Strategies to explore new profesional pathways/scientific careers: job hunting and hiring process.
- Networking efficiently inside/outside academia.
- CV, prodessional resumes and selection processes.
- Round table discussion and Q&A session: Life after the PhD. (real examples from IMDEA Materials alumni)
Public speaking
Delivered by: Lance Schuyler Hedstrom Miller & Harriet Thompson
- How to improve fluency and gain confidence speaking in public
- Learn to prepare engaging presentations
- Learn to improvise, develop memorization strategies and understand body language
- Mock presentations and monologues
Funding opportunities for research and development
Delivered by: David Alcántara (SACSIS)
- European funding opportunities in Horizon Europe
- Other European and Spanish funding opportunities
Scientific writing
Delivered by: Ignacio Crespo
- All this for what?
- Evolution of the papers
- The headline and abstract
- The introduction
- Discussion and conclussions
- Efficient writing
- Autonomous learning
- The most frequent errors
2021 Courses
Leadership and management skills (Principal Investigators)
Delivered by HFP consulting (funded by "María de Maeztu" grant CEX2018-000800-M)
Fundamental principles for professional interactions
Key skills for effective communication
Enhancing your efficiency
Establishing and maintaining productive collaborations
Solving conflicts
Team development
From research to enterprise: an introduction to startup creation and management
Delivered by: Marco Laucelli (Founder & CEO at Galeo) (funded by "María de Maeztu" grant CEX2018-000800-M)
The start-up as an experiment
The problem: identifying and validating the problem
Customer development: discovering the customer
The solution: unique value proposition
The pivot: discovering the right opportunity
Modelling the revenue streams: revenue models and validation
Being unique: the unfair advantage, IP, competitive advantage, barriers
Reaching the customer: channels and metrics
Basic financials for start-ups
Team, culture and processes
Start-up management: the hardware case
Pitching to investors: business plan, resources, needs, risks
Public speaking
26th May 2021. 4 hours
Delivered by: Lance Schuyler Hedstrom Miller and Harriet Thompson
Introduction - why confidence matters
Speaking clearly and vocal variety
Memorization techniques
Improvising and dealing with nerves
Science communication. Getting started
15th & 22nd April 2021. 8 hours
Delivered by: Luis Quevedo (filmmaker, podcaster, producer and TV personality) (funded by "María de Maeztu" grant CEX2018-000800-M)
Pre-work
What the media wants and how to be a proactive communicator
“MoJo” Mobile journalism basics and other tools
Non-traditional communication, non verbal language, visuals and more
On-camera, mock interviews and feedback
Take home package: a brief survival book on how to deal with the media
Economics and finances for scientist and engineers
Delivered by: Iván Rivero (Opportunity Revenue Consulting Services) (funded by "María de Maeztu" grant CEX2018-000800-M)
Markets and numbers
Business models and pricing strategy
Fundamental concepts of financial planning
Creativity kit to generate better ideas and overcome any challenge
Delivered by: Ana Clara Alvarez Cufari (Anitaideas)
Creativity: where are you?
Self-check of creative moments
"What if..." Meet your new best friend
Everything a paperclip has to teach you
Put a SCAMPER in your life… and a few more techniques to use when you need them
That everyday object has the answer your project needs
Silence is your ally. Relaxation techniques to do even at the office
If you don't like it, change it. If you love it, improve it. How to speed up your mind with daily exercises
Give me a paper and a pencil and I'll move the world. Drawing techniques to capture ideas
2020 Courses
Professional management of R&I projects
Delivered by: Eva García (RTDI)
Introduction (opening and presentation, introduction to Horizon Europe framework programme for research and innovation)
Professional management of projects. PMI standards (the great game of the goose, qualities of a good project manager, adapting PMI standards to R&I projects)
Management of Horizon Europe projects (project phases and lifecycle, coordination structures and jargon)
Communicating at the workplace
18th & 19th of February 2020. 7 hours
Delivered by: Roberto Espinosa (sales, innovation and technology)
Agile organizations and transformational leadership
Shared leadership
Best known methods about email communication
Giving and receiving feedback
Effective meetings
Goal setting
Negotiation: getting to yes
Well-being 360º
4th, 8th, 11th & 25th of November 2020. 9 hours
Delivered by: Wellbeing 360 (funded by "María de Maeztu" grant CEX2018-000800-M)
Mental calmness
Vital body
Emotion management and time management
Fluid relationships
2019 Courses
R&D results protection and valorisation. Licensing as a technology transfer mechanism
16th December 2019. 7 hours
Delivered by: André Santos y Patricia Guillén (ABG intellectual property)Results protection and valorisation.
Licensing.
Career management and recruitment processes. Academia vs industry
25th & 26th September 2019. 7.5 hours
Delivered by: Manolo Castellano (Carreras Científicas Alternativas)
Workshop: Understanding your own skills. Personal strategies for future professional transition.
Workshop: Practical tools to identify skills for your CV and professional social networks.
Round table discussion and Q&A session: Life after the PhD. (real examples from IMDEA Materials alumni: Alicia Moya (Research Associate at UAM), Nathamar Dudamell (Product Assurance Coordinator at GMV) and Marcos Rodríguez (Structural Engineer at Siemens Gamesa))
Writing techniques for R&I project proposals
Analysing and managing critical success criteria
Introduction to persuasive writing: concepts, techniques and tools
Enhancing proposal “readability”: importance, techniques and tools
Economics and finances for scientists and engineers. Basics for the design of a business plan
February 2019. 14 hours
Delivered by: Eva García (RTDI)
Introduction
Theatre of business models
Conclusion analysis and consolidation of concepts
Business modelling: Team work over a real case
How to innovate business models and chaired discussion around real cases
Uptake of new technologies: Loop, dynamics and decision-making
Economic and finances: Basic concepts and quantitative techniques; Study cases
Giving value to innovation projects: Basic concepts and quantitative techniques; Study cases and discussions
2018 Courses
Practical advice for writing and defending an excellent PhD Thesis
6th April 2018. 1 hour
Delivered by: Miguel Herráez, Joseba Múgica and Carlos González (IMDEA Materials Institute)
Before writing / Writing / Formatting the document / Defending the Thesis
More recommendations
Professional management of R&I projects under H2020 collaborative schemes
17th April 2018. 7 hours
Delivered by: Eva García (RTDI)
Introduction
Professional management of projects. PMI standards
Management of H2020 projects
Science communication
13th & 20th June 2018. 8 hours
Delivered by: Luis Quevedo (filmmaker, podcaster, producer and TV personality)
Pre-work
What the media wants and how to be a proactive communicator
“MoJo” Mobile journalism basics and other tools
Non-traditional communication, non verbal language, visuals and more
On-camera, mock interviews and feedback
Take home package: a brief survival book on how to deal with the media
Guide for a research career inside and outside academia
21st November 2018. 2.5 hours
Delivered by: Lorenzo Melchor (Former Science Coordinator in the Spanish Embassy in London, FECYT) and Manolo Castellano (Career Consultant, Carreras Científicas Alternativas)
The Research Career Development in the 21st Century – being a researcher in the European Union
Non-academic careers for researchers – thinking outside the box
Science communication for principal investigators
5th December 2018. 1.5 hours
Delivered by: Victoria Toro (journalist)
What the media wants and how deal with the media
Q&A session
From research to enterprise: an introduction to startup creation and management
12th, 13th & 18th September 2018. 12 hours
Delivered by: Marco Laucelli (Tech maker building lovely digital product based on analytics, AI, blockchain and distributed architectures. Business Design. Product Management, Service and Operations, everything as a service. Entrepreneur)
The startup as an experiment
The problem: identifying and validating the problem
Customer development: discovering the customer
The Solution: unique value proposition
The Pivot: discovering the right opportunity
Modelling the revenue streams: revenue models and validation
Being unique: the unfair advantage, IP, competitive advantage, barriers
Reaching the customers: channels and metrics
Basic Financials for startups
Team, culture and processes
Startup management, the hardware case
Pitching to Investors: business plan, resources, needs, risks
Idea generation and informed creativity for R&I projects
27 November 2018. 5 hours
Delivered by: Eva García (RTDI)
Spontaneous creativity: map of techniques
Introduction to the integral building of R&I project ideas
Informed creativity: map of techniques
Study case: integral idea building
Technology watch for R&I project building
Study case: gap analysis
Wrap up and conclusions
2017 Courses
Economic-business basic concepts
2nd March 2017. 2. 5 hours
Delivered by: Mar García (Financial Manager at IMDEA Materials)
What does economics means in general terms?
What is economic and financial information used for?
Main economic and accounting concepts
R&D&i project budget
Case study
Communicating at the workplace
17th November 2017. 7 hours
Delivered by: Roberto Espinosa (Economist with a strong interest in sales, leadership, entrepreneurship and innovation)
Best known methods about email communications
Leadership and teamwork
Giving and receiving feedback
Effective meetings
Goal setting
Negotiation
Intellectual and industrial property basic concepts. Protection and transfer of research results
21st September 2017. 4 hours
Delivered by: Diego Gutierrez (FOURLAW abogados)
Patents, copyrights, designs and know-how
Ownership, management and exploitation of results
2016 Courses
Introduction to project management. Project management my PhD
25th February 2016. 2 hours
Delivered by: Germán Infante (Project Manager at IMDEA Materials)
Why do I need management skills?
What is a project? What is project management?
An introducion to project management
An overview of all project management areas, with special focus on the application to a PhD Thesis
Useful resources
Preparation and evaluation of R&D&i project proposals
11th October 2017. 3 hours
Delivered by: Miguel Ángel Rodiel (Technology Manager at IMDEA Materials) & Claudio Lopes (Senior Researcher at IMDEA Materials)
Preparation of R&D&i proposals
Evaluation of R&D&i proposals
R&D&i funding systems and opportunities
31st May 2017. 2 hours
Delivered by: Fernando Gómez (Project Manager at IMDEA Materials)
Get an innovative idea to be funded
Support programs along the R&D chain
The European R&D&i framework program H2020
Project proposal structure
Case study: from idea to a successful project
2015 Courses
Literature search. Introduction to writing scientific papers. How to prepare and deliver effective presentations
15th October 2015. 3 hours
Delivered by: Teresa Pérez-Prado (Senior Researcher at IMDEA Materials) &Miguel Ángel Rodiel (Technology Manager at IMDEA Materials)
Library search & papers writing
Effective presentations
