“Mentoring Espresso” is an intensive, one-day networking and mentoring event aimed at members of the Polish scientific diaspora. The name reflects the idea of a quick, focused, and energising exchange of experiences - conversations over coffee that spark ideas, provide inspiration, and lead to the first steps towards collaboration.

The Chicago edition builds on the success of the inaugural Mentoring Espresso held in 2025 at MIT in Cambridge. Post‑event evaluations confirmed the high substantive and practical value of the format - participants particularly appreciated the opportunity to speak freely in Polish with peers working at the intersection of science, business, and international collaboration.

 

Organisational Details

Date: 19 September 2026
Location: University of Chicago
Participants: Approximately 25 members of the Polish scientific diaspora. Participants will include PhD candidates, researchers, academic staff, and professionals working at the intersection of science and business.
Duration: A full-day event, with approximately five hours of scheduled activities
Language: Polish and English

 

Event Programme

  • Panel discussion with startup founders and industry practitioners,

  • Roundtable sessions with mentors: each table will be led by a different mentor, with topics including:

    • How to identify whether a scientific idea has commercial potential?

    • From grant to startup - funding and the first steps 

    • What universities don’t teach: workplace culture in startups and industry 

    • Changing career paths - how to make the decision and avoid regrets

  • Networking: Refreshments, informal conversations, exchanging contacts, and an end-of-day gathering.

    All centered around the theme of innovation commercialization within the Polish diaspora community.

 

Objectives and Expected Outcomes

  • Strengthening the Polish scientific diaspora community in Chicago and the Midwest

  • Presenting the Polonium Mentoring Program and recruiting new participants from the US

  • Expanding scientific and professional collaboration networks among Polish researchers in the US

  • Creating a space for sharing experiences in innovation commercialization

  • Increasing the Foundation’s presence and activity within the Polish community in Chicago

  • Building stronger ties between the Polish scientific diaspora and research institutions in Poland through the Polonium Foundation network

 

Organising team

 

Main Coordinator

Karolina Dudek

 
 
 

Funding

Initiative co-financed by the Senate Office as part of the Senat-Polonia 2026 competition

 
 
 

Patronage