UGAL

Institutional programme of postdoctoral training IOSUD “Dunărea de Jos” University of Galați

TITLE OF PROGRAMME: Academic excellence and entrepreneurial values in postdoctoral research (EAVAP)
DURATION : the project will take place annually for 18 months 
Start date: 15 October each academic year, starting from 2018
Programme coordinator: Prof. Eng. PhD.  Eugen-Victor-Cristian RUSU – Director CSUD
Implementation team:
Prof. Eng. Phys. Habil. Antoaneta ENE, President of the Senate Commission for Scientific Research;
Prof. Habil. Nicoleta IFRIM, Director of the Doctoral School of Humanities;
Prof. Eng. Ec. Habil. Silvius STANCIU, Director of the Department of Continuous Training and Technological Transfer;
Prof. Eng. Habil. Mihaela BUCIUMEANU.
 
GENERAL OBJECTIVE
Implementing a pilot institutional programme of postdoctoral training by the annual inclusion of maximum 25 postdoctoral researchers/series, in view of stimulating scientific excellence, as well as modelling entrepreneurial values as a stimulating factor for the development of an academic career. The project will generate a long-term positive impact on the Galati-based academic community, by the in-depth study of specialized knowledge, correlated with the entrepreneurial values acquired and the needs of the local, regional, and national economic environment. In this respect, the selection of postdoctoral researchers is made according to specific criteria, related to the relevance of the research topic, followed by the careful monitoring of their activity during the implementation of the programme,  in view of improving the ability of scientific research, and diversifying the forms of postdoctoral training from the perspective of entrepreneurial values. In this manner the present institutional programme aims at improving the components of advanced research and the development opportunities of the postdoctoral researchers’ career,  by promoting access to competitive research resources, and integrating them into interdisciplinary research teams.  The stimulation of postdoctoral research is achieved by ensuring a continuous high-quality academic performance, and providing professional support under the form of mentorate activities, conducted by specialists in the field, doctoral supervisors affiliated to the three Doctoral Studies within IOSUD Galați (The Doctoral School of Mechanic and Industrial Engineering, The Doctoral Studies of Fundamental and Engineering Sciences, and the Doctoral School of Socio-Humanities).  
 
SPECIFIC OBJECTIVES:
1. Improving the programmes of training and interdisciplinary research in the fields accredited by  IOSUD Galați, by institutional activities and implementing a pilot programme of forming entrepreneurial abilities for postdoctoral students;  
2. Drawing-up ad implementing a flexible programme of post-doctoral training of the network type in the fields accredited in IOSUD Galați, to be structured according to the standards of European academic research; 
3. Promoting interdisciplinarity in the postdoctoral training programme by creating multidisciplinary research teams (to include postdoctoral researchers involved in the programme, as well as PhD candidates matriculated in the DJUG doctoral schools) and by their scientific supervision by mentors, PhD supervisors  in the fields accredited in IOSUD Galați ;
4. Designing an integrated educational training and research package to stimulate the development of postdoctoral research by the assisted definition of individualized plans of professional development and research career ;  
5. Supporting researchers in view of attending seminars and international conferences on topics specific to the individual training field, as well as stimulating the dissemination of postdoctoral research results in prestigious publications, recognized by the national and international academic community. 
 
TARGET GROUP OF THE PROGRAMME : as a result of submitting applications and commencing the selection procedure (according to  Annex 1), annual series will be constituted, consisting of maximum 25 researchers who obtained their PhD in Romania and intend to continue their research activity in a postdoctoral institutionalised framework, for a period of 18 months, in view of exploiting and diversifying doctoral research. The researchers of the target group shall be financed by projects, grants, and other sources obtained by competition. The research shall benefit from the support of institutionally accredited research units.
The eligible applicants are the ones who obtained the PhD in one of the following fields:
  1. Industrial engineering;
  2. Mechanical engineering;
  3. Biotechnologies;
  4. Computers and information technology;
  5. Chemistry;
  6. Materials engineering;
  7. Food engineering;
  8. Systems engineering;
  9. Electrical engineering;
  10. Engineering and management in agriculture and rural development;
  11. Medicine;
  12. Economy;
  13. Management;
  14. Philology;
  15. History;
  16. Sport and physical education.
When performing postdoctoral activity, the researcher is entitled to: 
 
1. Permanent specialized counselling in the activity of scientific research, from a mentor, doctoral supervisor affiliated to IOSUD Galați, The Doctoral School of Mechanic and Industrial Engineering, The Doctoral Studies of Fundamental and Engineering Sciences, and the Doctoral School of Socio-Humanities.
2. Coverage, within the limits of the budget of IOSUD Galați, of accommodation and transport, under statute, for attending international conferences and seminars related to their field of research, with papers endorsed by the postdoctoral mentor, under the conditions stipulated in the institutional programme of postdoctoral training Academic Excellence and Entrepreneurial Values in Postdoctoral Research.
3. Permanent access to the research and documentation spaces in DJUG, as well as the university libraries and specialized research facility.  
4. The possibility to publish the research results, on condition of meeting the academic quality standards (endorsed by the mentor), in the specialized journals of DJUG that are nationally or internationally accredited. 
 
While the postdoctoral activity is on-going, the researcher shall fulfil the following duties: 

1. Strict observance of the calendar and the objectives of the individual postdoctoral research project, validated through the attendance sheet of the activities organized within the institutional training programme and endorsed by the mentor. Monthly reports  shall be submitted to the mentor by the 7th of the following month. 
2. Elaborating  semester reports of activity and progress  on the status of postdoctoral research, which shall be submitted to the mentor’s  endorsement within 5 days since each semester final day. 
3. Fulfilling the following performance indicators:
  • Participation (validated by obtaining a final certificate) in two courses organized within the institutional postdoctoral training programme. The courses shall take place under the scientific supervision of experts in the field. 
  • Conducting original scientific research in the field of the postdoctoral research project, as well as the publication/ dissemination of these results (as sole author or first author), observing the deontological principles specific to scientific research. Thus, postdoctoral researchers in the fields of Mechanical and Industrial Engineering and Fundamental and Engineering Sciences have the obligation to: I. deliver  at least one scientific communication at national or international thematic conferences; II. publish  (or have as accepted for publication) at least 1 WOS-indexed scientific article and at least 3 scientific articles in BDI-indexed specialized journals.  Postdoctoral researchers in Socio-Humanities have the obligation to: I. deliver at least two scientific communications in nationally or internationally recognized thematic conferences; II. publish  at least 3 scientific articles in BDI-indexed specialized journals. Out of the 5 compulsory papers, at least 2 shall have the postdoc researcher as the main author, at least 2 papers shall have the mentor as co-author, and also, at least 2 papers shall be co-authored with doctoral students of the IOSUD Galați. The papers published as co-author along with other postdoctoral researchers matriculated in the present institutional postdoctoral training programme are only counted once.
4. Participation in all the activities organized within the institutional postdoctoral training programme.  
5. Designing, together with the mentor, the research approach (structure, chapter organization) and the individual study programme (selecting the innovative aspects relevant to the thematic research area, identifying the bibliography and methodological research tools, the calendar of the individual research activity, etc.)
6. Drawing up the  Final Research Report, previously endorsed by the mentor, submitting it at least 30 days prior to the end of the institutional postdoctoral programme. It shall be accompanied by a final activity report, indicating the results obtained during the postdoctoral research period, as well as the completion degree of the initial objectives. The final Research Report shall be publicly delivered in front of a specialized commission appointed by the mentor and approved in the CSUD, consisting of the mentor (as president of the commission) and 2 members, specialists in the field of postdoctoral research (professors or associate professors – DJUG tenured staff). Upon validation, final reports shall be published in the Collection of Academic Studies entitled Academic Excellence and Entrepreneurial Values in Postdoctoral Research, at the DJUG publishing house (GUP).

MENTORING ACTIVITY
the mentors involved in the institutional postdoctoral training programme Academic Excellence and Entrepreneurial Values in Postdoctoral Research in DJUG are doctoral supervisors affiliated to one of the 3 doctoral schools IOSUD Galați (The Doctoral School of Mechanic and Industrial Engineering, The Doctoral Studies of Fundamental and Engineering Sciences, and the Doctoral School of Socio-Humanities), with recognized competence and results in the fundamental and applicative research  in the areas of the postdoctoral training programme proposed.  

Mentors are supposed to:
 
1. get directly involved in  completing the internal procedures of organization and operation of the DJUG institutional postdoctoral training; 
2. contribute to the national and international promotion of coordinated postdoctoral projects, thus stimulating the increase the visibility of the local academic community; 
3. advise, monitor, check, and scientifically validate the operation of the individual programme of the postdoctoral researchers selected. In this respect, the mentors shall: 
  • guide researchers in designing the research approach (chapter structure and organization) and the individual study programme (selecting the innovative and relevant aspects in the research area, identifying the bibliography and methodology, the individual research calendar, etc.);
  • provides the monthly check-up of the research progress made by the supervised postdoctoral researchers;  
  • advise postdoc researchers in view of reaching the specific performance indicators;
  • check and endorse the researchers’ monthly and semester activity reports according to the individual research programme;
  • scientifically supervise the postdoc researchers’ articles in view of publication, as well as the communications to the delivered in national and international conferences ;
  • validate the final form of the postdoctoral researcher’s Final Research Report, in view of publication. 
PROGRAMME ACTIVITIES

1. The general management of the institutional postdoctoral training programme (months 1-18) – permanent activity during the programme, with the constant involvement of the programme manager: program initiation/preparation; organizing the implementation team and their activities; setting the work strategy and the responsibility of the project members; communication and networking with the implementation team; monitoring and assessing the implementation activities; reporting the programme results; coordination of programme reunions with the mentors and the implementation team; writing progress reports on the stage of the institutional programme.
2. Promotion activity of the institutional postdoctoral training programme (months 1-18) –permanent activity during the programme, to the purpose of promoting it in the Galati-based academic environment, on a national and international level; organizing the press conference (with the participation of the local mass media) in view of launching the programme (month 1); organizing the Press Conference to finalize the programme and disseminate results (month 18); organizing promotion campaigns; publishing and disseminating the postdoctoral research programmes in the academic environment  (month 18).
3. Planning activities (month 1) – deals with planning activities to unfold during the implementation of the institutionalized programme: drafting the plan of the programme, assigning tasks, duration and human resources involved in informing and promoting activities, and in organizing and smooth running of the postdoctoral training programme, as well as the 2 seminars of reporting the stage of postdoctoral research, monitoring the planning activity. 
4. Constituting the target group and settling the individual research plans (months 1-2) according to the selection procedure (Annex 1), postdoctoral researchers are recruited for inclusion in the target group: the application files, as well as the research topics proposed shall be evaluated by the especially designated commission. It shall consist of the programme coordinator and 4 doctoral supervisors affiliated to IOSUD Galați, appointed by the DJUG Rector’s decision.
5. Organizing the institutional postdoctoral training programme (month 2) – careful organization of the programme stages: completing the individual research plans, identifying (under the mentor’s supervision) the individual training methodology, according to the specifics of the research topic, logistical and administrative management of the planned activities.
6. Course of the institutional postdoctoral training programme (months 3-17) – the activity consists in the actual performance of the stages of the training programme:
  • Performing scientific coordination and improvement activities for the researchers during individual study, under the mentor’s direct supervision ;  
  • Organizing 2 courses designed as necessary stages in the individual training programme of postdoc researchers, proposed by the implementation team; 
  • Periodically collecting data on the progress index of individual research projects 
  • Organizing 2 interactive seminars, attended by postdoc researchers and their mentors, structured as dissemination sequences for intermediary/ final results of individual research;  
  • Permanent monitoring of the success degree in reaching the performance indicators of the programme.
7. Monitoring and evaluating the results of the programme – except for constant monitoring throughout the programme, the activity regards the intermediary analysis (month 9) and final analysis (month 18) of the programme results, in view of  finding the efficiency generated during implementation, by: collecting and interpreting data in the intermediary stage of the programme, as well as the data resulting from periodical evaluations; identifying and analysing the immediate impact of the programme on the national and international academic community; examining the degree of compliance of the programme results with the initial objectives. 
  
 
CSUD Director,
Prof. Eng. Eugen-Victor-Cristian RUSU, PhD  
 
Annex 1 Procedure of applicant selection for the institutional postdoctoral training programme