The Research Talent Lifecycle
This event will explore all stages of the research talent journey: from attraction and selection to professional development
- Date
- 22/10/2026
- Hour
- 9.15 - 16.00 h
- Place
- Aula Magna, Faculty of Medicine, University of Barcelona, Carrer de Casanova, 143, Barcelona.
The workshop “The Research Talent Lifecycle” will take place on October 22, 2026, at the Faculty of Medicine of the University of Barcelona, in Barcelona, Spain.
This event will explore all stages of the research talent journey: from attraction and selection to professional development. Participants will gain valuable insights into effective strategies and best practices for supporting research talent across its entire lifecycle.
Bringing together national and international experts, the workshop will combine keynote lectures with in-depth round-table discussions to address key challenges and opportunities and share best practices in research talent development. We expect the event to be directly relevant to our research ecosystem, and we highly encourage you to join the conversation.
The workshop is free and open to all, but registration is required. Please sign up using this form.
Agenda
9h15 – 9h30: Welcome
9h30 – 10h15: Inspirational Keynote - Marta Agostinho (Executive Director, EU-LIFE)
10h15 – 11h30: Attracting Talent: What It Is and Program Opportunities
Keynote Lecture: Michele Rosa-Clot (Portfolio Owner, HR Excellence in Research, European Commission)
Round Table:
- Cristina Borrás (moderator): International Area Director at the Agency for Management of University and Research Grants (AGAUR)
- Michele Rosa-Clot: Portfolio Owner, HR Excellence in Research at the European Commission
- José Manuel Fernández de Labastida: Director at the State Research Agency (AEI)
- Paola Isetta: Director of Research, Innovation, and Fellowship Programmes at Fundació “la Caixa”
- Rachel Coulthard-Graf: Fellows' Skills & Career Development Lead/Scientific Ombudsperson at the European Molecular Biology Laboratory (EMBL)
11h30 – 12h00: Coffee break
12h00 – 13h15: Selecting Talent: Fair and Transparent Selection Practices
Keynote Lecture: Alexander Rushforth (Assistant Professor, Universiteit Leiden)
Round Table:
- Eva Casamitjana (moderator): Scientific Coordinator at ISGlobal
- Alexander Rushforth: Assistant Professor at Universiteit Leiden
- Michela Bertero: Strategy Director at the August Pi i Sunyer Biomedical Research Institute (IDIBAPS)
- Emilià Pola: Executive Director at the Catalan Institution for Research and Advanced Studies (ICREA)
- Miguel Angel Benítez: Project Manager at the Basque Center for Applied Mathematics (BCAM)
13h15 – 14h15: Lunch catering
14h15 – 14h45: Inspirational Keynote - Vanessa Schubert (Mind-Body & Executive Coach)
14h45 – 15h45: Retaining Talent: Training Programs
Round Table:
- María José Merino (moderator): HR and Organisational Development coordinator at ISGlobal
- Vanessa Schubert: Mind-Body & Executive Coach
- Teresa Rosas: Academic Talent and Gender officer at the Ecological and Forestry Applications Research Centre (CREAF)
- Damjana Kastelic: Head of Training and Academic Office at the Centre for Genomic Regulation (CRG)
- Margarita Navia De Roux: Head of Strategic Development at the Catalan Institute of Nanoscience and Nanotechnology (ICN2)
15h45 – 16h00: Final remarks
REGISTER NOW
This workshop is supported with funding from our Centre of Excellence Severo Ochoa Programme, grant CEX2023-001290-S and also the grant GPE2024-001424-T, both funded by MCIN/AEI/ 10.13039/501100011033.
