Alice’s story

I think that the ERA long-term fellowship program is a great opportunity to build an international network for research and to further develop our skills aiming to become independent scientists. The exchanges that I had with renowned international researchers and the possibility to work in a highly dynamic and international environment was very motivating and exciting.

I absolutely think so. In my case it had the format of a 1 year Post-doc, so I will definitely mention it on my CV.

The long-term fellowship for me was an opportunity to grow as a researcher and to embrace new opportunities. During the fellowship I applied and won 2 grants that will fund the continuation of my work in the same institution and research group for another year. The impact on my career couldn't have been more positive.

An important skill that I started to build during my fellowship is to successfully apply for funding. Something that I did not have any relevant experience with and which is a very important part of doing successful and meaningful research. I learned how to navigate the bureaucracies of international collaborations and to build new professional relations with researchers from other countries. I am still learning all of that, but it's very exciting to navigate deep in the academic world.
Also, I cannot forget to mention the friendships that I made during this year. The colleagues that became friends and that had, and continue to have, a great impact in my life.