High quality and high satisfaction
After all the disruption of the pandemic, 2023 was the first year that we were able to hold the majority of courses in person. Satisfaction with the quality of the training received was excellent with the average score for overall course rating at an all-time high of 90% and the average trainer rating at 94%. Numbers of courses, attendees and registrations remained broadly the same as in previous years - a total of 44 events held, addressing 30 course topics. There were waiting lists for half of all events and the majority of the rest had take-up rates of over 80%.
Welcoming the new new and the new old
New events to the programme were Principles of data visualisation and visual aids - led by Jaume Fatjó and Marina Álvarez and a special visit to BioSpain, organised through Intervals by Reimund Fickert.
This year also saw the return of some old favourites that had been put on hold either because of the pandemic or because of administrative issues. Stress management returned in strength with three editions - two held in person in Spanish and one online in English. Leading for success in science our collaborative course with BIST and the CRG also returned to an in-person edition and Interview and job application skills in science, and How to write a postdoctoral research proposal were held again.
This year also saw the return of some old favourites that had been put on hold either because of the pandemic or because of administrative issues. Stress management returned in strength with three editions - two held in person in Spanish and one online in English. Leading for success in science our collaborative course with BIST and the CRG also returned to an in-person edition and Interview and job application skills in science, and How to write a postdoctoral research proposal were held again.
I really enjoyed the course. Now I got tools that will help me to make better slides with beautiful visualizations Participant of "Principles of data visualization and visual aids” Ha sobrepasado las expectativas y lo he encontrado muy útil Participante curso "Gestión de estrés” |
An enjoyable and highly instructive one for a transversal skill often forgotten Participant of “Interview and job application skills in science” I would never imagine I would learn so much in this course Participant of “Leading for success in science” |
Inclusive offerings
A comment sometimes heard from the PRBB community is that the Intervals programme is too heavily weighted to the needs of the research community - and that those staff members who are supporting the science endeavour in other ways - administration, management, technical and ancillary support - have fewer opportunities. In recent years we have tried to address this imbalance by broadening the scope of topics, by offering more courses in Spanish, and by tweaking course descriptions and target groups so that non-research personnel feel included. We have also - on request - co-organised specific courses for particular groups - such as a peer mentoring group for project managers.
With very few exceptions (scientific writing courses), Intervals courses are open to all PRBB staff, but as a publicly funded organisation dedicated to scientific research, the relevance to the overall scientific endeavour is acknowledged in all course titles. Some factors are beyond our control however, such as work commitments that can conflict with the timing of training events
With very few exceptions (scientific writing courses), Intervals courses are open to all PRBB staff, but as a publicly funded organisation dedicated to scientific research, the relevance to the overall scientific endeavour is acknowledged in all course titles. Some factors are beyond our control however, such as work commitments that can conflict with the timing of training events
Cancelled courses
Two planned courses were cancelled for lack of sufficient registrations: Train the trainer - a very highly rated course, this is harder to fill on an annual basis as it is one of the few Intervals courses that has a relatively small target group - those who have teaching or training responsibilities. We will continue to offer this course but most likely on a bi-annual basis.
Dance your Science - also attracted few attendees but this may have been partly due to the fact that a Dance your Science competition involving various teams in the PRBB, was being held at the same time. In these times of high pressure to produce papers and finish projects to deadlines imposed by funding constraints - the idea of dancing to express and explore creative approaches to science may be seen as low priority. In the Intervals programme we firmly believe that time invested in fostering creative and imaginative skills, and in spending time connecting with our bodies are absolute essentials to a healthy and productive life in science. We will review the feasibility of offering a similar course in future.
Dance your Science - also attracted few attendees but this may have been partly due to the fact that a Dance your Science competition involving various teams in the PRBB, was being held at the same time. In these times of high pressure to produce papers and finish projects to deadlines imposed by funding constraints - the idea of dancing to express and explore creative approaches to science may be seen as low priority. In the Intervals programme we firmly believe that time invested in fostering creative and imaginative skills, and in spending time connecting with our bodies are absolute essentials to a healthy and productive life in science. We will review the feasibility of offering a similar course in future.
Attendance, cancelled places and fair distribution
Last minute cancellations and non-attendance at booked places remains an issue but has neither improved or deteriorated over the years. Clearly there will always be a small number of unavoidable cancellations but we endeavour to work with the community to promote the understanding that places on Intervals course are highly valued and that a responsible attitude to managing one's place is important. We are grateful to the community for continuing to support our programme by ceding unwanted places in time for us to find replacements.
We also continue to work with our partners in the PRBB Training Group to address why PRBB Centres are not currently maximising their allocated take-up of places. This is in part because Centres have their own training programmes which, while not competing on topics, nevertheless mean that time commitments for learning and development are under pressure. We will continue to work with colleagues to understand better the potential for complementary activities that enable as rich a portfolio of learning opportunities as possible for all staff in the community.
We also continue to work with our partners in the PRBB Training Group to address why PRBB Centres are not currently maximising their allocated take-up of places. This is in part because Centres have their own training programmes which, while not competing on topics, nevertheless mean that time commitments for learning and development are under pressure. We will continue to work with colleagues to understand better the potential for complementary activities that enable as rich a portfolio of learning opportunities as possible for all staff in the community.
Looking ahead
In 2024, in response to several requests for more availability of training opportunities in conflict management, negotiation and difficult communication issues, we are running new courses in negotiation and in mediation in 2024. Both courses will be led by local trainers, new to the Intervals programme, who have high level expertise in these areas.
We live in challenging times and our ability to connect with each other in kind, caring and creative ways has never been more important. Our aspiration is that the Intervals programme continues to play its unique role in helping everyone in the PRBB community nurture and grow that ability as we move together into the future.
We live in challenging times and our ability to connect with each other in kind, caring and creative ways has never been more important. Our aspiration is that the Intervals programme continues to play its unique role in helping everyone in the PRBB community nurture and grow that ability as we move together into the future.
Thanks
The Intervals team would like to thank our participants and especially our trainers and collaborators during the 2023:
Marina Alvarez, Sergi Aranda, Arnau Busquets, Joaquim Calbó, Susanna Diez, Monica Ixchel Castillo Salgado, Natalia Dave, Malte Engel, Jaume Fatjó, Reimund Fickert, Fernando Gallego, Eva Katharina Herber, Kai Hüwelmeyer, Sam Illingworth, Ana Janic, Sašo Kočevar, Gavin Lucas, Romilde Manzoni, Alicia Marín Muniesa, Andrés Martín Asuero, Eric May, Valerie Matarese, Pau Millet, Alexandros Nikolaou, Gabriele Picarella, Roser Pinyol, Tobias Rodrigues, Iñaki Ruiz-Trillo, Verena Ruprecht, Marta Sallés, Lisa Saemisch, Louise Schubert, Ruben Ventura, Kate Whitfield and Roni Wright
Marina Alvarez, Sergi Aranda, Arnau Busquets, Joaquim Calbó, Susanna Diez, Monica Ixchel Castillo Salgado, Natalia Dave, Malte Engel, Jaume Fatjó, Reimund Fickert, Fernando Gallego, Eva Katharina Herber, Kai Hüwelmeyer, Sam Illingworth, Ana Janic, Sašo Kočevar, Gavin Lucas, Romilde Manzoni, Alicia Marín Muniesa, Andrés Martín Asuero, Eric May, Valerie Matarese, Pau Millet, Alexandros Nikolaou, Gabriele Picarella, Roser Pinyol, Tobias Rodrigues, Iñaki Ruiz-Trillo, Verena Ruprecht, Marta Sallés, Lisa Saemisch, Louise Schubert, Ruben Ventura, Kate Whitfield and Roni Wright
Elinor Thompson and Eroteida Jiménez
The Intervals Programme, PRBB March 2024
The Intervals Programme, PRBB March 2024
The report in pdf format: Intervals programme 2023 annual report