October 8-9, 2026. Hosted by INESC TEC in Porto, Portugal.

From Knowledge to Impact: Leadership for Early-Career Researchers

Research leadership is rarely about having formal authority. More often, it is about making decisions under uncertainty, working across disciplines, communicating ideas clearly, influencing others and helping projects move forward.

This highly interactive programme approaches leadership as the ability to lead yourself, your research, your relationships and your career. This interactive 1.5-day workshop is built around experience; every challenge, conversation and reflection is intended to help participants better understand how they lead in different situations. Across Leadership in Research, participants work with different groups, receive feedback from multiple colleagues and tackle a series of collaborative challenges that explore different dimensions of leadership.

The programme is organised around four complementary themes:

• Leading Self – confidence, resilience and self-leadership
• Leading Research – decision-making, complexity and sustainable productivity
• Leading Through Communication – storytelling, influence and feedback
• Leading Your Career – visibility, networking and strategic positioning

The workshop is organized with INESC TEC and run in collaboration with Kira Gama Rocha; educator, facilitator, and innovation strategist at Porto Business School and the University of Porto.

When & Where? The training will be held at INESC TEC in Porto, Portugal, on October 8-9, 2026.

Register Here to secure your spot!

This training has a maximum of 30 participants. Your YEAR ambassador needs to confirm your participation. The deadline for registration is 25/09.
This international event brings the added value of networking among multidisciplinary Young Researchers, from the 9 YEAR members (AIT, CEA, INESC TEC, RISE, SINTEF, TNO, Tyndall, VITO and VTT).

Agenda (Preliminary)

Thursday, October 8th

• 12:00 – 13:00: Welcome lunch & preliminary networking
• 13:00 – 13:30: Opening – Leadership in Research: Welcome, introductions and programme framing
  
• 13:30 – 14:45: Track 1 – Leading Self: Critical Incidents
  
• 14:45 – 15:15: Coffee break and networking
• 15:15 – 16:45: Track 2 – Leading Research: Impossible Research Scenario
• 16:45 – 17:15: Leadership Profile Canvas Reflection
• 17:15 – 17:30: Day 1 closing
• Evening: Social dinner (information will be provided upon confirmation)

Friday, October 9th

• 08:30 – 9:00: Coffee and networking
• 09:00 – 9:15: Reconnection and Day 2 Introduction
  
• 09:15 – 10:45: Track 3 – Leading Through Communication: Influence Lab
  
• 10:45 – 11:15: Coffee break and networking
  
• 11:15 – 12:30: Track 4 – Leading Your Career: Future Self and Development
• 12:30 – 13:30: Lunch
• 13:30 – 14:30: Final Integration – My Leadership Profile
• 14:30 – 15:15: What I Will Try: 90-Day Leadership Experiments
  
• 15:15 – 15:30: Coffee break
• 15:30 – 16:00: Peer Coaching
• 16:00 – 16:30: Closing – The Leader I Am Becoming

What you’ll leave with

Each activity contributes to a personal Leadership Profile Canvas, allowing participants to identify recurring patterns in their strengths, communication style, values, decision-making and areas for development. By the end of the workshop, each participant leaves with a Leadership Profile grounded in their own experiences, together with a set of practical leadership experiments to continue exploring within their research and professional contexts.

 

ABOUT THE TRAINER

Kira Gama Rocha is an educator and facilitator working at the intersection of leadership, innovation and higher education. She is a Professor in the Executive Master in Innovation Strategy and Entrepreneurship at Porto Business School and Invited Assistant Professor at the Faculty of Engineering of the University of Porto.

Over the past eight years, she has designed and facilitated more than 30 learning experiences for universities, research organizations and multidisciplinary teams. Since 2020, she has designed and led researcher development programmes within the EUGLOH European University Alliance, working with participants from universities across Europe on leadership, innovation, collaboration and transversal skills.

Her teaching has been recognised with the Pedagogical Innovation Award from the University of Porto (2026), awarded through peer voting, the Best Faculty Member Award at Porto Business School (2025), and the Porto Business School Teaching Excellence Recognition (2023–2024 and 2024-2025). Her work is centred on creating participatory learning environments where people can think together, challenge assumptions and leave with ideas they can apply in their own professional practice.

 

 

Looking forward to seeing you in Porto!
/ The YEAR Board