Throughout the year, residents at the Barcelona Biomedical Research Park (PRBB) can train in a myriad of skills through the Intervals programme. But June is a special month. For the last four years, Intervals, in collaboration with the PRBB centres, has dedicated it to presenting the job opportunities available in science, both within and outside academia, and the tools needed to get there. Roundtables, workshops and even an escape room were the activities for this 2025.
Round tables: Talking about science policy, project management and academic funding
The initiative was launched with the roundtable “Becoming a junior PI – how to get funding” with Gabriele Picarella (CRG) as moderator. Arnau Busquets (Hospital del Mar Research Institute), Mara Dierssen (CRG), Sara Sdelci (CRG) and Marc Suárez-Calvet (Barcelonaβeta Research Center and Hospital del Mar Research Institute) spoke about their careers and their path to becoming a principal investigator (PI). They also explained their experiences in applying for funding and discussed how the landscape of applying for projects is changing, how success is currently measured and what it will mean for future PIs.
Gonzalo Fanjul (ISGlobal) moderated the online roundtable on science policy with Yoran Beldengrün (OECD), Amanda Fernandes (WHO), Tobias Hoffmann (Germany’s Ministry of Research) and Iris Uribesalgo (EU-Life) as speakers. They highlighted the importance of having people with a scientific background among policy decision-makers and of being familiar with both scientific and administrative/legal language. In addition, in order to work in science policy, they recommend training, being proactive and knowing the stakeholders involved in science and decision-making, as well as being visible to them.
The Career Month is a very useful initiative because it gives you a whole range of options beyond academia.
Natalia Angarita (Hospital del Mar Research Institute), participant at Career Month
In the last round table, the work of project managers was presented. Moderated by Regina López Aumatell (MELIS-UPF), it was a fluid conversation between the speakers and the audience on what it means to manage projects. Alexandros Nikolaou (Flomics), Jonas Krebs (CRG), Nenad Spasic (Clinical Project Manager in a CRO) and Andreea Rădoi (Barcelonaβeta Research Center) participated. They stressed that there are many types of project managers because managing clinical trials is not the same as managing finance. They also said that a PhD is not essential, but it is useful to have knowledge of the field and transversal skills such as problem solving, communication and delegation of work. For people considering going into this kind of job, they told them not to despair because the path is not linear. The session ended with coffee and networking in the PRBB inner square.
Workshops to improve skills and learn about drug regulation
The first Career Month workshop was a classic Intervals one: Understanding career opportunities that best exploit your skillset. With a lot of participation from the attendees, Roni Wright (UIC) guided them through their strengths, weaknesses and motivations to help them choose the job opportunities that best match their skillset. They also discussed how the skills acquired during the PhD are useful outside the academic world. The course will be held again in November.
In the Drug development workshop, Mariana Gómez Ferreira (Zwiers) taught the ins and outs of drug regulation from drug design to clinical trials. Aimed mostly at those who are in the process of commercialising their products, she showed the analyses required at each point of the registration process and the strategy for successful completion. In terms of recommendations for those who want to work in the sector, she said that it is better to start in a regulatory agency rather than in the regulatory department of a company because it exposes the person to a greater diversity of projects.
To close the Career Month, on the last day of June, Ana M. Ribeiro (VHIO) and Ojas Deshpande (Barcelonaβeta Research Center) organised an interactive workshop to improve networking skills and create relationships both outside and inside academia that are useful for own’s career. A network made of thread connecting all participants was the perfect metaphor that we are all linked together.
Escape academia – or not?
That was the title of the escape room organised by the academic and training office of the CRG. The aim: to leave the PRBB in an efficient way after finishing the PhD or post-doc and without getting carried away by expectations. Through a game of clues and in teams, participants guided their avatar through the stages of job search and recruitment. Preparing the CV, matching the cover letter to the relevant requirements of the offer and highlighting their transversal skills were some of the stations they had to go through.
I found the escape room a very interesting experience. With the final interview, you put yourself in the real situation and you see your weaknesses.
Anna Oncins (ISGlobal), participant
The last stage, however, was the most dreaded; a mock job interview. Anna Solé Amat, Elena Moreno Castillo and Damjana Kastelic, all three from the CRG’s academic and training office, acted as interviewers, putting the participants on the spot. For a few minutes, they had to justify that their avatar was the best one for the job and negotiate their salary. It was not easy. In addition to having to answer unexpected questions, they had to do it in English, which was not the native language of most of the participants.
Anna, Damjana and Elena before the interviews 
During the interviews 
The team that performed best during the three-hour escape room won a meal at the PRBB’s LabCafè for each of its members. However, what they all took away with them was the confidence in their abilities to enter the jungle of the working world without any problems.
