The third round of webinars Real Skills for Scientists – Humanities, organised by the National Documentation and Electronic Content Centre (EKT), in the framework of the Knowledge and Cooperation Bridges Initiative, in collaboration with the R.E.A.L. Science and the Cyprus Research and Innovation Foundation. After the first two cycles in the Life Sciences and the Computer Sciences, the third cycle was focused on the Humanities. In the three webinars of the cycle, which aimed at developing personal skills for the professional careers of young researchers and scientists from the Humanities, participants had the opportunity to listen to useful advice and ask questions to experienced and renowned researchers from Greece and abroad.

The response was very high, with around 1,900 undergraduate and postgraduate students, PhD candidates, postdocs, faculty members, teachers, students and researchers watching the webinars live. The audience consisted of Greeks and Cypriots who connected from their home country, but also from 18 additional countries of the world, such as Germany, UK, Italy, Sweden, Switzerland, Netherlands, Canada, Mexico – professionals, students and researchers working and/or studying abroad.

1st Webinar: creating and strengthening your CV

The 3rd cycle started on 14 January 2021 with 4 young scientists from the Humanities, with professional careers in academia and the private sector. In particular, the Dr. Artemis Georgiou, postdoctoral researcher at the American Archaeological Institute of Cyprus & ERC Grantee 2020, the Dr. Nikos Manousakis, a researcher at the Academy of Athens, Dr. Maria Kaliabou, Senior Lector at the Yale University Hellenic Studies Program and Stella Kasdagli, co-founder of the non-profit organization Women On Top and author, shared their experiences and talked about the creation of a CV, the requirements that must be met for the formation of a professional career, the specificities of the Humanities in relation to other sciences, the importance of internships, voluntary work and mobility programmes.

During her presentation, the Dr Artemis Georgiou spoke about the ways in which the Humanities promote logical thinking, presented scholarships and mobility programmes, as well as the requirements for their award. He also provided ways for Cypriot students to learn foreign languages, free of charge, and indicated the skills that are most important and should be cultivated by students, with emphasis on interdisciplinarity, i.e. the development of parallel skills to combine more than one science.

His own career as a philologist, assistant director and, finally, as a researcher at the Academy of Athens, presented the Dr. Nikos Manousakis. He explained how he combined artificial intelligence and computational linguistics with classical linguistics and gave guidance to young researchers, stressing that there are no physical boundaries between research and scientific fields. He presented the failures that are often presented to young scientists as another opportunity that they should seize to their advantage.

The importance of mobility programmes, such as Erasmus, was presented by Dr. Maria Kaliabou, stressing the catalytic role they played in her own life, helping her to create a unique network of contacts and, ultimately, to make her dream of studying folklore/ethnology a reality. It also encouraged young researchers to participate early on in internships, publications and conferences, in order to build and/or expand their network of contacts. In addition, he highlighted the points of the CV that the new professional should emphasise when writing it, such as education, professional activity, publications, conferences and teaching.

Finally, the Stella Kasdagli presented her own path in the Humanities, from translator to founding Women On Top, an organization to help young scientists who were taking their first steps and wanted guidance from other women with more experience. She highlighted the issue of gender equality and women’s representation in science and the public sphere and gave guidance to young professionals who are employed in a job they don’t like.

2nd Webinar – Funding and job opportunities

The second webinar, which took place on 21 January 2021, provided useful tips for job search and information on funding sources. The participants were professors and researchers from universities, who manage or have benefited from research projects or grants, namely Dr. Georgia Kipouropoulou, Academic Researcher with emphasis on Agriculture from the School of Agricultural Sciences of the University of West Cyprus. Macedonia, the Dr. Fotini Asderaki, Associate Professor at the Department of International and European Studies at the University of Piraeus, the Dr. Katerina Plakitsi, Professor and President of the Department of Kindergarten Education of the University of Ioannina and Coordinator of the research unit Formal and Informal Science Education, and Dr. Athena Kornelaki, Postdoctoral researcher at the Department of Kindergarten Education, University of Ioannina.

Η Dr. Georgia Kipouropoulou presented her own path in Literature and Geography, as a historian studying agriculture using new technologies, thanks to her own perseverance and the ICY scholarship she was awarded. He encouraged young researchers to dare to combine different disciplines, to enrich their CVs with professional experiences and seminars and to apply for grants.

The Rev. teacher Fotini Asderaki , as Academic Coordinator of various Jean Monnet and Erasmus programmes and evaluator of European programmes and awards, gave advice to students and young professionals on how to take advantage of the opportunities offered by various programmes of the University of Piraeus, summer schools, seminars and scholarships funded by IKY, ELIDEK and the Onassis Foundation, and encouraged them to participate in them.

The difficulties that she faced in the first years, in her effort to find funding for the students of the Department of Nursing of the University of Ioannina, was shared by Professor Katerina Plakitsi and the strategic partnerships that have ultimately yielded results and have been, and continue to be, exploited by undergraduate and postgraduate students, research staff and practicing teachers. In addition, he presented the project “21st Century Teaching Skills-21stTS”, coordinated by the University of Ioannina and part of the Erasmus+ programme, which concerns the exchange of know-how between teachers from Europe and remote areas of Asia, such as China, India and Cambodia. She encouraged young researchers to contact the Formal and Informal Science Education research unit, which she coordinates, and to seek more information about research projects currently underway.
Finally, the Dr. Athena Kornelaki, as a postdoctoral researcher at the Department of Early Childhood Education in the field of Science Teaching in Early Childhood, explained how mobility programmes have enhanced her career, while the grant from the IKY helped her to dedicate herself to her research.

3rd Webinar – Networking and community building

The third and final webinar was held on 28 January 2021 and focused on networking and community building for scientists as a means to career advancement. The speakers were Valia Loutrianaki, philologist at the Arsakeio Psychiko and President of the Hellenic Association for the Promotion of Rhetoric in Education, the Dr. Gareth Owens, Linguist and Erasmus+ coordinator at the Hellenic Mediterranean University, the Dr. Theodoros Rakopoulos, Rev. Professor of Anthropology at the University of Oslo, and Dr. Sakis Gekas, Rev. Professor of Greek and European History at the University of Toronto.

The speeches started from the Valia Loutrianaki, which referred to the power of groups, small communities that should be characterised by harmony, equality and not homogeneity, so that all its members benefit from differences, so that the whole has more power than the sum of its parts. Through the group, explained B. Loutrianakis, one can contribute to the community, enhance one’s knowledge, find one’s place in the team and society and better set one’s professional goals.

Ο Dr. Gareth Owens spoke about his own path in the Humanities, the opportunities that were presented to him and he took advantage of them to come to Greece and study Minoan Linear A at the University, receiving an IKY scholarship. He likened research to the journey to Ithaca, urging researchers to have the spirit of Odysseus and Penelope, to use their minds like the resourceful Odysseus and to remain focused on the goal. He encouraged students to travel a lot, to know, communicate and network with other scientists, to be bold, to love what they do and to believe in themselves.

Passion for research and willingness to collaborate are the ingredients for success, according to Rev. Professor Theodoros Rakopoulos , who stressed the difficulties faced by young researchers in the Humanities in the current era. He referred to the Humanities as the “critical consciousness” of society, because they help us to understand the way society works and its limits, and stressed the need for networking, as “research without cooperation does not exist”.

Ο Dr. Sakis Gekas, with a first degree from Ionian University and now a Professor at the University of Toronto, Canada, spoke about the ways in which he broadened the scope of his research, and ultimately his career, by taking advantage of his participation in a European project early in his career and networking with other Humanities scholars.

The 3 webinars were moderated by Dimitris Maragos, coordinator of the Knowledge and Cooperation Bridges initiative implemented by EKT, Dr Eleni Sinopoulou, founder of the scientific career guidance platform R.E.A.L. Science and George Christou, Scientific Officer from the Research and Innovation Foundation.

Throughout the webinars, the audience had the opportunity to ask live questions to the speakers, which were answered at the end of each seminar. In addition, participants could take part in interactive surveys about their scientific field, the grants/scholarships they have received, and indicate the country from which they are attending the seminar.

The poll collected demographic data for the regions from which Greeks and Cypriots attended the event. 39% were from Attica, 14% from Central Macedonia, 7% from Epirus, 6% from Peloponnese, 6% from Crete, 5% from Cyprus, while there were participants from other regions of Greece as well as Germany, Italy, UK, Netherlands, Sweden, Switzerland, Canada, Mexico, etc.

EKT, in response to the great interest of Greek scientists, is already planning the next series of seminars, which will take place in the second quarter of 2021, and will focus this time on the Social Sciences. In order to organise more efficient and targeted seminars in the future, please fill in the feedback form that you can find here .

A few words about the organisers

National Documentation and Electronic Content Centre (EKT)

The National Documentation and Electronic Content Centre (EKT), a supervised body of the Ministry of Digital Governance, has an active role in the“National Alliance for Digital Skills and Employment“. In cooperation with reputable institutions and in constant dialogue with the educational, research and academic community, EKT develops infrastructure and services, promoting knowledge, research and innovation in the digital space. He is also the coordinator of the “Knowledge and Cooperation Bridges” initiative for the networking and cooperation of Greek scientists, researchers and professionals around the world.

R.E.A.L. Science

R.E.A.L. Science is a career guidance platform for schools and, soon, universities involving Greek volunteer scientists from Greece and around the world. The leader and creator of this voluntary action is the neuroscientist Dr. Eleni Sinopoulou, who works at the University of California, San Diego, USA.

Research and Innovation Foundation

The Research and Innovation Foundation (R&I Foundation) is the national body responsible for supporting and promoting research, technological development and innovation in Cyprus. Its mission is to shape the conditions and prerequisites that favour the development of research, technology and innovation in Cyprus. Through innovative actions and programmes, it strengthens the domestic research and innovation ecosystem, contributes to enhancing the competitiveness of the Cypriot economy and develops cooperation and interconnection with the international research and business community.