Doctoral fellow in Biomedical Sciences with a focus on heart failure, Sónia Santos participated in the Offline Week of the RUN Discovery Student Academy, an international mentoring programme coordinated by the Vorarlberg University of Applied Sciences (FHV). The programme, which runs from 8 April to 16 December, brought together final-year undergraduate students, master’s students, and early-stage PhD researchers in Dornbirn, Austria, from 15 to 19 September.

The RUN Discovery Student Academy is designed to support both academic and personal development through a structured set of online sessions and individual mentoring over a six-month period. This culminates in an intensive on-site week, where all participants and mentors gather to strengthen collaboration and exchange knowledge.

During the week, participants engaged in intensive workshops on storytelling, scientific communication, academic writing, conflict management, teamwork, and self-management. Sónia Santos presented her PhD project in “Tired hearts: How can data help personalize heart failure treatment?”, enabling the exchange of challenges and constructive feedback within a multidisciplinar team. “We did not only share ideas, but also experiences, challenges and encouragement, building connections that I believe will last well beyond this programme.”

A central component of the programme is individual mentoring: each participant is paired with an international mentor from one of the RUN-EU institutions, providing continuous guidance and tailored support. Sónia Santos was mentored by Professor Tuija Pirttijärvi (HAMK, Finland), which, in her words, allowed her “to reflect on the doctoral project as well as to identify opportunities for internationalisation and scientific networking.”