The money was originally intended for scholarships, which was part of the problem: it’s unclear whether research budget funds can be used for this purpose. On top of that, the selection process involved a disproportionate amount of administrative effort.
Gaining experience
The council hopes to resolve these issues by reinventing the initiative as a “research opportunity”. Instead of a scholarship, a paid student assistantship will be offered to give one student per year the chance to gain hands-on research experience and potentially even co-author an academic paper. The opportunity is intended for students who have missed out on other research experiences, such as honours programmes or internships, due to personal circumstances, like illness or needing to work extensively alongside their studies.
Administrative burden
To address the administrative burden, the council has come up with a more streamlined selection process. First, a dedicated committee will review proposals from staff members willing to supervise a student. “It’s great if the student can co-author a paper, but that’s not the deciding factor. What matters is how much they can learn”, said academic staff representative Michael Capalbo during the most recent FPN Faculty Council meeting. The committee will then select a suitable candidate based on motivation letters submitted by interested students.
Raising points
The FPN Faculty Board has responded positively to the proposal but raised a few points. Vice-Dean of Education Anke Sambeth suggested limiting staff participation, “preferably to researchers who would not otherwise have the budget to hire an assistant.” She also suggested restricting eligibility to bachelor’s students: “Master’s students already gain research experience as part of the curriculum.”
The council will further refine the proposal and revisit it at the next meeting on 3 July. If approved, the initiative could launch as early as the upcoming academic year.