From guidance to growth: join our mentoring program’s pilot phase!

This column is back after a few weeks’ break. Like every year, I enjoyed time off – traveling, seeing family, and slowing down. What I value most in such breaks is the chance not only to recharge, but also to take a step back and reflect. This summer, I felt truly content: healthier, with energy gradually returning, proud of my progress in both academia and my side business, and with tangible plans ahead. In short: things are finally starting to fall into place professionally.

Of course, this didn’t happen overnight. It took years of effort – and a bit of luck. But one element made a decisive difference: the mentoring I received along the way.

“Mentoring” is probably as popular a word as “networking” on social media – and for good reason. Throughout my career, I have had mentors, sometimes without even naming them as such. They were PhD supervisors, bosses, or senior colleagues I met through boards. Others were external people with no direct projects in common. And some came from my private life: one of my best friends, an entrepreneur, remains my go-to person whenever I face questions about that side of my professional path.

What did these mentors bring? They gave advice when I reached crossroads. They listened to my career struggles. They reviewed important output – from job applications to grant proposals. They opened doors to positions and board roles I would maybe not have accessed otherwise. And they challenged me to reflect on my beliefs and refine my professional values. Their guidance and support helped me move with confidence through my career and make adequate choices – something I wish for every early-career researcher.

That is why I return from my summer break with exciting news: together with KNCV, we are launching a national mentoring program for early-career researchers.

We are now looking for candidates to take part in the pilot phase of this program, which will run over the coming months.

Are you a PhD student or postdoc at a Dutch institute, interested in joining a KNCV-supported mentoring program as a mentee – to benefit from the listening ear, guidance, advice, and network of a mentor in the field of life sciences and chemistry in the Netherlands?

Fill in this survey – it takes only 5-7 minutes and could be your entry ticket to the pilot program.

The preliminary round is limited to PhD students and postdocs, but may be extended later to a broader population (e.g. master’s students, assistant professors/tenure trackers).

This is your chance to be among the very first mentees of this national initiative. Will you take it?