29 May 2024

Over the past few weeks, ITQB NOVA, our partner institution, hosted Dr. Randy Levinson through the Fulbright Specialist Program. A consultant and former scientific manuscript editor with extensive experience at Springer-Nature and Cell Press, Dr Levinson was hosted by Dr Sarela Garcia Santamarina. While at ITQB NOVA, Dr Levinson conducted 3 activities for the LS4FUTURE community:

ERC Online Informative Session – 15 May

In this hour-long webinar, the topics covered the different types of ERC grants that can be applied for and their strategic goals, the eligibility criteria for each and the best approaches for each. The webinar was attended by nearly 40 colleagues and included time for a Q&A session to allow for more specific concepts or concerns to be addressed.

ERC writing course – 16 May – 9:30

The focus of this course was on the best practices in ERC grant writing. The goals of the workshop were to provide participants with the tools to increase their confidence in grant writing, understanding the submission process, and navigating grant review, an understanding of the means to better ensure grant funding success, and general strategies on science communication that are applicable beyond grant applications. The workshop was attended by 22 colleagues, PIs and postdocs and included lectures, practical exercises, and peer-to-peer interactions. Participants learned about all aspects of grant preparation and navigating the review process.

Manuscript writing course – 22 May – 9 

The focus of this course was on the best practices in scientific manuscript writing and an insider’s view into the process of getting papers published at top research journals. The goals of the workshop were to provide participants with the tools to increase their confidence in manuscript writing, understanding the submission process, and navigating peer-review, an understanding of common requirements to publish in top-tier scientific journals, and general strategies on science communication that are applicable beyond scientific paper drafting. Nearly 40 participants gained new skills in manuscript writing through lectures and exercises.

We thank Dr Levinson for these productive sessions.