In 2025 Intervals continued offering training opportunities to help the PRBB community develop a wide range of transversal skills so they can grow in their careers during their stay at the PRBB and beyond. From fostering their self-management skills to enhancing their leadership and collaborative abilities as well as their capacity to navigate the research system (see Intervals learning framework), in 2025, all the PRBB staff, regardless of their role or seniority, had the opportunity to become well-rounded professionals with Intervals.
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Activity in 2025
In 2025 around 450 attendees participated in at least one of the 38 workshops that were organised. Half of the places (53 %) were offered in courses related to communication (oral and written) and careers (Systems), while the rest were in the areas related to personal mastery and creativity (Self; 30 %) and leadership and teamwork (Team; 17 %). Around 80% of the courses were either full or had a waiting list.
Similar to previous years, around 50% of the attendees were PhD students. A slight decrease in the participation of postdocs and an increase in the attendance of technicians and support staff was detected when compared with 2024 figures.
Similar to previous years, around 50% of the attendees were PhD students. A slight decrease in the participation of postdocs and an increase in the attendance of technicians and support staff was detected when compared with 2024 figures.
Featured workshops
The Intervals annual programme is designed based on the needs and demands of the PRBB community. For this reason, some courses are offered every two years, to ensure a critical mass of participants. The biennial courses held in 2025 were:
- Leading for success in science: The Intervals programme regularly offers workshops aimed at mid-career and senior professionals to help them improve several aspects of their leadership, such as giving difficult feedback, managing the hiring process of new team members, and conflict management and mediation, among others. Besides these courses, Intervals periodically offers the workshop Leading for success in science, a three-day intensive course, covering essential skills for anyone leading a team. In 2025, fifteen group leaders and senior managers from PRBB centres had the opportunity to participate in this workshop.
- Rhyme your research: In this short workshop, participants are introduced to the world of science poetry and learn a creative way to approach and communicate science. You can read this article in El.lipse to know more about the course and see examples of poems written by participants in previous editions.
- Climate action for all – how to decarbonise science: We can all have a positive role in reducing the environmental impact of our work, and this workshop aims to empower PRBB staff to develop an action plan to reduce the greenhouse gas emissions linked to their work-related activities and to inspire their colleagues to do the same.
- In addition to these courses, in 2025 there was a new workshop in Intervals: Job hunting in science. What lies beyond academia? This course, which complements the existing Intervals offer on careers, aims to help those interested in transitioning from academia to industry in the job seeking process.
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Transformative, learned many tools to cultivate and apply in my daily work Participant of Leading for success in science |
It was tremendously enriching to discover new ways of connecting with my research and communicating it with different audiences Participant of Rhyme your research |
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Absolutely incredible course! Totally recommend it for everybody, especially if they want to help reduce the carbon footprint of their work and workplace Participant of Climate action for all |
This course opened my eyes about what lies behind a transition from academia to industry and it gave me all the tools and tricks to set me up for this challenge Participant of Job hunting in science |
Feedback
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Offering a programme that meets the needs of the PRBB community is crucial for the Intervals team. For this reason, we constantly ask attendees for their opinion and suggestions, not only about individual courses but also about the programme in general. All the comments and suggestions we receive are read and considered.
Feedback so far has been excellent, with participants rating all aspects of the workshops organised in 2025 at around 90% of the maximum score. In addition, 94 % said they would recommend the courses to their colleagues, which is particularly important considering that experience shows that word-of-mouth communication is a very powerful way to engage people in training activities.
Maintaining quality nevertheless requires a constant effort, and the Intervals team is always open to receiving constructive feedback and inputs that can help us to fine-tune the workshops, or expand our portfolio of training topics. We would be happy to hear any thoughts or ideas you might have about the courses and the programme!
Feedback so far has been excellent, with participants rating all aspects of the workshops organised in 2025 at around 90% of the maximum score. In addition, 94 % said they would recommend the courses to their colleagues, which is particularly important considering that experience shows that word-of-mouth communication is a very powerful way to engage people in training activities.
Maintaining quality nevertheless requires a constant effort, and the Intervals team is always open to receiving constructive feedback and inputs that can help us to fine-tune the workshops, or expand our portfolio of training topics. We would be happy to hear any thoughts or ideas you might have about the courses and the programme!
Gender of attendees
The profile of the attendees to Intervals courses shows that men are underrepresented, to the point that in some workshops they constitute 10% or less of the group. The absence of men is especially striking in topics such as self-management, emotional intelligence, and creative and critical thinking. Far from being new, this predominance of women has been prevalent since Intervals was launched.
Skills that can be learned in Intervals courses are essential for anyone working in today’s research environment, regardless of gender. From Intervals, we encourage all PRBB residents to reflect on which soft skills they may want to develop and explore how Intervals can support them in this process.
Skills that can be learned in Intervals courses are essential for anyone working in today’s research environment, regardless of gender. From Intervals, we encourage all PRBB residents to reflect on which soft skills they may want to develop and explore how Intervals can support them in this process.
In 2026
In 2026 the Intervals programme will continue offering innovative training for junior, mid-career and senior staff at the PRBB, and trying to continue being a key resource for the professional development of the PRBB community.
Thanks to
The Intervals team would like to thank our participants and especially our trainers and collaborators during the 2025:
Marina Alvarez, Nneka Anyanwu, Sergi Aranda, Miriam Bayés, Joaquim Calbó, Thiago Carvalho, Susanna Diez, Monica Ixchel Castillo Salgado, Arantza Danés, Natalia Dave, David del Álamo, Jaume Fatjó, Noelia Ferruz, Reimund Fickert, Fernando Gallego, Kai Hüwelmeyer, Sam Illingworth, Gavin Lucas, Alicia Marín Muniesa, Andrés Martín Asuero, Eric May, Valerie Matarese, Pau Millet, Alexandros Nikolaou, Elena Moreno, Irene Nagel, Davide Nuzzolo, Gabriele Picarella, Tobias Rodrigues, Marta Sallés, Lisa Saemisch, Louise Schubert, Silvia Tognetti, José Manuel Toledano, Ruben Ventura, Kate Whitfield and Roni Wright.
Marina Alvarez, Nneka Anyanwu, Sergi Aranda, Miriam Bayés, Joaquim Calbó, Thiago Carvalho, Susanna Diez, Monica Ixchel Castillo Salgado, Arantza Danés, Natalia Dave, David del Álamo, Jaume Fatjó, Noelia Ferruz, Reimund Fickert, Fernando Gallego, Kai Hüwelmeyer, Sam Illingworth, Gavin Lucas, Alicia Marín Muniesa, Andrés Martín Asuero, Eric May, Valerie Matarese, Pau Millet, Alexandros Nikolaou, Elena Moreno, Irene Nagel, Davide Nuzzolo, Gabriele Picarella, Tobias Rodrigues, Marta Sallés, Lisa Saemisch, Louise Schubert, Silvia Tognetti, José Manuel Toledano, Ruben Ventura, Kate Whitfield and Roni Wright.
Eroteida Jiménez and Elinor Thompson
The Intervals Programme, PRBB March 2026
The Intervals Programme, PRBB March 2026
fThe report in pdf format: Intervals programme 2025 annual report
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"Great that Intervals exists"
"A privilege to be part of it" "It is one of the best features of the PRBB!" "I’d do all the courses if I could!" |
