Transition, disruption and readjustment

In 2022 as the world gradually transitioned to post-pandemic mode, so the Intervals programme shifted from offering all courses online in the spring to a predominantly in-person offering at the year end.

​​​We were delighted to welcome back our trainers for the creative in-person courses: Dance your science, Science of the unexpected  (improvisation skills), Elevator pitch and Técnicas actorales, all of which work best when people are in the same room together. We also saw the return of courses where relationship building and group trust are especially important, as in Train the trainer, Difficult conversations and Effective team playing. We offered new courses including self-leadership for junior staff - Self-leadership for daily challenges in science, tips on how to cope with the life at the coal-face as a Principal Investigator – Navigating the research environment, and a course in the use of poetry to stimulate creative responses to scientific challenges – Rhyme your research. We were also pleased to work with colleagues in all PRBB Centres to provide two workshops as part of the Career week: Develop your professional self in science and Create your digital strategy.

Found it very refreshing to discuss with leading scientists who openly reflect on their perceived role, their impact on others and ways to improve within the boundaries of our professional system
Participant of “Navigating the research environment”

This course not only unleashed my creative potential, but most importantly it reignited my passion for science, as I was reminded how to look at science from a different perspective​
Participant of “Rhyme your research”

​The silver lining of the pandemic for Intervals has been to demonstrate indisputably that online learning can be very positive and some courses either work better online or for practical/ecological reasons are best delivered virtually. This is a win-win: participants get an opportunity for equally good learning at a much reduced cost to the planet while freeing up our budget to allow more training options.

​All transitions bring disruption. So it was not really surprising that the Intervals team noticed differences in the way that PRBB staff responded to the offers of training during the year. Perhaps people felt less secure, more uncertain and less inclined to plan far ahead? Whatever the reason, the effect we saw was a slow, sometimes even sluggish registration rate accompanied by slightly increased no-shows and late cancellations. Although many of our courses still filled rapidly and had waiting lists, a higher proportion of courses than ever before (13% overall) had places vacant. 

​​​Satisfaction with courses was as high as ever with an average 87% overall rating for the course and 87% of participants saying they would recommend the course to a colleague. Our excellent portfolio of trainers was very much appreciated with 92% the mean score on overall rating of the trainer.

​​​​To the disruption caused by the shift from in-person to online learning and back, can also be added the effect of staff turnover during the two years of the pandemic. Many newcomers have arrived at the PRBB and are unfamiliar with the Intervals programme, its ethos and its aims. As the new year of 2023 starts to take shape, the Intervals team are especially conscious of reaching out to the community, of ensuring the Intervals message is clear and that the offer is as comprehensive as is possible within our remit.

​​​​​Our aims as ever are to address two pinnacles: first of providing high quality professional development that bridges gaps – between disciplines, between science and humanities and between the skills a scientist needs to do science and those they need to be an effective professional. Our second pinnacle is no less important: to help build community spirit in the PRBB building, to promote ethical and responsible behaviour, and to seed strong relationships across disciplinary and Centre boundaries. 

​Our courses aim to develop the inner person, their relationship skills and functioning in the work environment, and their capacity to reach out into the world of science and beyond. It is an exciting agenda that is always shifting as the world around us shifts. We know places on our courses are highly coveted and that Intervals’ learning experiences remain with participants as they move forward in their lives and careers. 

​Many participants tell us they feel privileged to have such a programme in the PRBB, and the Intervals team is as conscious as are our participants that this privilege cannot be taken for granted in an increasingly cost-conscious world. We are looking forward to rising to the challenge of sculpting the programme in the coming year to continue to achieve its objectives in our constantly changing and unpredictable world. 

Thanks 

The Intervals team would like to thank our participants and especially our trainers and collaborators during the 2022:

José Antonio Aguilar, Sergi Aranda, Joaquim Calbó, Monica Ixchel Castillo Salgado, Natalia Dave, Malte Engel, Jaume Fatjó, Reimund Fickert, Susan Frekko, Fernando Gallego, Kai Hüwelmeyer, Sam Illingworth, Gavin Lucas, Alicia Marín Muniesa, Andrés Martín Asuero, Eric May, Valerie Matarese, Pau Millet, Anna Molinet, Alexandros Nikolaou, Gabriele Picarella, Tobias Rodrigues, Iñaki Ruiz Trillo, Sonja Reiland, Louise Schubert, Anna Segarra, Ruben Ventura, Teresa Villoslada, Kate Whitfield, Roni Wright and Leo Zunda.

Elinor Thompson and Eroteida Jiménez
The Intervals Programme, PRBB February 2023

The report in pdf format: Intervals programme 2022 annual report

"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!"

​PRBB Intervals programme
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