International Mentoring Forum at UCT Prague Connected European Science and Practice

Prague, 12 February 2026 – University of Chemistry and Technology, Prague hosted an international mentoring forum as part of the European project CROSS (Career Management Services for European Talents). The event brought together experts to share experiences and jointly develop effective and inclusive mentoring programmes supporting the career development of early-career researchers. The three-day meeting featured workshops, discussions, and practical know-how focused on mentoring fundamentals, the needs of mentors and mentees, building mentoring structures, and strengthening diversity in science. One of the key outcomes of the meeting was the establishment of the foundations for an international mentoring structure aimed at enhancing support for researchers in the early stages of their careers and fostering international cooperation across Europe.

The three-day programme included workshops focused on the development of transferable skills, round-table discussions on support for mentors and mentees, and thematic sessions dedicated to mentoring for young researchers — their needs, the design of mentoring programmes, training for mentees and mentors, and the development of mentoring activities from the ground up. A workshop entitled How to Start with Mentoring was led by the Counselling and Career Centre at UCT Prague, which shared its experience and practical know-how from developing its own mentoring programmes. During the conference, the foundations for an international mentoring framework were established and will continue to be developed within the CROSS project, with implementation planned between November 2026 and November 2027. Special attention was paid to inclusive mentoring and the promotion of diversity in science, both of which are long-term priorities of UCT Prague through its Counselling and Career Centre.

A total of 42 participants from 20 institutions and 7 countries attended the event. Its success confirmed the growing importance of international collaboration. Partners from Belgium, Finland, Spain, and Cyprus not only shared examples of good practice in Prague but also actively discussed opportunities for future cooperation.

The event was organized by the Counselling and Career Centre, holder of the National Career Guidance Award.

The CROSS project (Career Management Services for European Talents), coordinated by UCT Prague, focuses on developing tools that support researchers in the early stages of their careers — during the transition from studies to research laboratories or to careers in industry, public administration, or entrepreneurship. Mentoring, understood as the sharing of experience between established professionals and emerging talents, has proven to be one of the most effective tools for this type of development.

About the Project

Project acronym: CROSS
Project title: Career Management Services for European Talents
Project coordinator: UCT Prague
Project number: 101216919

Project Partners

• University of Chemistry and Technology, Prague (UCT Prague)
• Université libre de Bruxelles (ULB)
• EIT Food
• Tamlink
• Bantani Education
• J. Heyrovský Institute of Physical Chemistry of the Czech Academy of Sciences
• Charles University
• FECYT
• The Cyprus Institute

Associated Partners

• Tallinn University of Technology
• Tampere University
• TU Dresden

The project CROSS has received funding from the European Union’s Horizon Europe programme under Grant Agreement No. 101216919.

Funded by the European Union. Views and opinions expressed are, however, those of the author(s) only and do not necessarily reflect those of the European Union or the European Research Executive Agency (REA). Neither the European Union nor the granting authority can be held responsible for them.

Foto: Artem Akinfeev