The University of Silesia in Katowice has become a part of LETSGROW – a European project providing support to researchers and innovators associated with the agri-food sector.
Implemented by seven universities in cooperation with four non-academic partners, including an industrial park and a technology centre, LETSGROW aims to support individuals working in the field of research and innovation (R&I). The consortium is led by Universidade Católica Portuguesa (Portugal).
The project is set to organise professional training sessions, increase academic and non-academic intersectoral mobility, and create conditions contributing to and fostering more attractive career paths.
‘LETSGROW represents an ambitious step towards building more diverse, valued careers that are aligned with the real challenges of society and industry. We believe that the transition to a sustainable agri-food system requires talent capable of bridging the gap between science and practice,’ emphasises João Cortez, the Director of the Research and Innovation Office at Universidade Católica Portuguesa.
LETSGROW Project: Key Goals and Actions
Over the next four years, the project partners will put their efforts into creating conditions for effective collaboration between representatives of the academic and non-academic sectors. All this is done to facilitate the exchange of both theoretical and practical knowledge and experience through intersectoral mobility. By combining scientific excellence, practical experience and the latest technologies, the partners will address global challenges in the agri-food sector such as food security and the impact of climate change on the industry.
The project focuses on three strategic pillars:
- Excellence in training – with 37 activities covering topics such as R&I management, entrepreneurship, open science, and emerging technologies;
- Structured mobility – through the implementation of Personal Career Development Plans, including research and institutional capacity-building mobilities, supported by mentoring systems and reintegration plans;
- Career policy and ecosystem development – involving ecosystem needs mapping, the creation of a Community of Practice, co-creation workshops, and the drafting of a policy brief with recommendations to promote more attractive and sustainable R&I careers.
Funded by ERA TALENTS under the European HORIZON WIDERA 2024 call, LETSGROW brings together 11 partners from seven European countries, including seven academic institutions from the Transform4Europe Alliance. These are: Universidade Católica Portuguesa (Portugal), LIPOR (Portugal), Sofia University “St. Kliment Ohridski” (Bulgaria), Vytautas Magnus University (Lithuania), UAB Nando (Lithuania), University of Silesia in Katowice (Poland), University of Primorska (Slovenia), Saarland University (Germany), University of Alicante (Spain), the National Technology Centre for Canning (Spain), and the University of Alicante Science Park (Spain).
Universidade Católica Portuguesa is a European leader in training researchers and science managers, positioning itself as a bridge between academic knowledge and practical application. The coordination of LETSGROW reflects the University’s scientific, organisational, and strategic capacity to lead multidisciplinary and intersectoral consortia within the European Research Area.
‘With a strong commitment to European collaboration, skills development, and qualified mobility, LETSGROW will also serve as a replicable model in other sectors,’ adds João Cortez.
