Polonium Mentoring
Project Guide
Programme description and aims 2
Benefits of the Programme 2
Mentees 3
Mentors 3
Mentoring Relationship Rules 4
Project timeline 5
Communication and networking 5
Evaluation 5
Roadblocks 6
Terms & Conditions
1. Registration 7
2. Data and Information 8
3. Personal Data 8
4. Intellectual Property Rights 10
5. Final provisions 10
Programme description and aims
Polonium Mentoring is a worldwide mentoring programme connecting scientists and researchers in various disciplines and at all career stages.
At Polonium Foundation, we understand that research and science careers are difficult to navigate. We believe in helping each other to explore new opportunities through networking and peer support. Therefore, in 2022 we launched the pilot edition of Polonium Mentoring and now, we’re happy to continue this project and launch the new edition.
The aim of the programme is to support the development and progress of researchers from a plethora of disciplines by enabling and facilitating direct peer support. We plan to connect students and young professionals with Mentors who have progressed further in their careers. Mentors will offer guidance on relevant aspects of professional development tailored to the goals established in each mentoring pair. For Mentees at early career stages, Polonium Mentoring facilitates a strong start towards a successful future and offers support during pivotal stages in further career development. The programme also offers support to more experienced researchers as well as those who wish to consider careers in the industry or business settings. We strive to ensure a steady flow of guidance and support for participating Mentors and Mentees.
Mentoring is always two way street - by participation in Polonium Mentoring we engage and showcase accomplished subject matter experts that serve as Mentors. This valuable network continues to be in touch with the Programme also after the particular mentorship cohort has been concluded and can serve as ad hoc support for the Polonium Mentorship community long term.
Benefits of the Programme
Mentees will benefit from regular contact with a Mentor who will offer support and guidance regarding various needs, eg: career transitions, obtaining research grants, conference attendance, academic writing, publishing, building personal brand, constructing appealing CV/resume/cover letter, science communication, networking, application for further courses, job searching, apprenticeships, international exchanges, etc.
Mentors can expect adequate training and will have a chance to practise transferable skills, which can be further applied in future leadership and educational roles. Mentors will gain valuable insight, discuss their expectations and experiences with other professionals during online meetings, and get a chance to win a ‘Mentor of the Year’ Award.
Both groups will have an opportunity to attend events organised by Polonium Foundation and Partners as well as networking events organised for current and past cohorts of Polonium Mentoring.
Mentees
Who is a Mentee?
A Mentee is a person who will benefit from guidance of a Mentor.
Eligibility
You can become a Mentee at all stages of your career.
This edition of the programme is global and we welcome every scientific discipline to join this edition. We especially welcome participants from social and political sciences that constituted the lowest % of attendees in the pilot edition of the programme.
You can be Mentor and Mentee at the same time (eg. a doctoral student can mentor an undergrad and be mentored by a professor).
How do I become a Mentee?
In order to become a Mentee in the Polonium Mentoring Programme, you will need to fill out a registration form available here: Mentee Application Form.
You can find available Mentors on our website https://poloniumfoundation.org/ and make a request for a specific Mentor when filling out the form. Your answers will allow the Polonium Mentoring Team to match you with a suitable mentor based on your goals and academic discipline. Please note, that we cannot guarantee that Mentor of your choice will be allocated to you following successful registration onto the programme.
Mentors
Who is a Mentor?
A Mentor is a person who will provide guidance to a less experienced Mentee.
Eligibility
To become a Mentor you have to be at least at the doctoral student level and above (especially for pairing in academic path). Highly experienced and impactful Mentors will be considered regardless of educational status.
This edition of the Polonium Mentoring is global. We especially welcome participants from social and political sciences that constituted the lowest % of attendees in the pilot edition of the programme.
We are recruiting Mentors from different backgrounds - academia, industry or business.
You can be Mentor and Mentee at the same time (eg. a doctoral student can mentor an undergrad and be mentored by a professor).
How do I become a Mentor?
In order to become a Mentor in the Polonium Mentoring Programme, you will need to fill out a registration form available here: Mentor Application Form.
Once you successfully register and create your Mentor Profile on Polonium Network (https://www.poloniumnetwork.org) we will display your picture, name, affiliation and area of research on the Polonium Foundation website (https://poloniumfoundation.org). Mentees will have a chance to request you as a mentor or alternatively, we will match a Mentee based on your mentoring goals and academic discipline.
Mentoring Relationship Rules
All Mentors and Mentees are expected to attend one obligatory training session. Absence at the training will only be excused due to exceptional circumstances.
Each Mentor & Mentee pair is obligated to set up at least 3 meetings during the course of the project. Both parties have to discuss what would be the ideal number of mentoring sessions concerning other responsibilities, goals and objectives for their mentoring relationship. The preferred method of communication will also be chosen by each pair. It is expected that the Mentee will be responsible for contacting the Mentor and arranging mentoring meetings.
The Polonium Foundation will not interfere in your mentoring sessions.
Mentors and Mentees are obliged to keep information exchanged during mentoring meetings strictly confidential.
Project timeline
Recruitment of Mentors - around August each year
Recruitment of Mentees - around September each year
Programme Start Date - October/November each year
Programme End Date - June/July the following year
Project Evaluation - several milestones per year
Communication and networking
We are planning to provide opportunities for both Mentors and Mentees to network with other participants, Polonium Mentoring and Partners. Each participant will be granted one ticket to Science: Polish Perspectives event of their choice (see next SPP topic and destination in the events section of www.poloniumfoundation.org). Schedule of future meetings is going to be updated along the duration of the Programme, taking into consideration people and their current residence.
We launched the Polonium Mentoring Slack channel last edition. During the first days of the Programme we will add those participants that expressed willingness to join our networking platform in their registration form. Please use your Polonium Network profile to search for new collaborators and job opportunities. You can find more information about the Polonium Network here.
If you initially opted out of joining the Slack channel, but changed your mind and would like to join the Polonium Mentoring Slack space, contact as at mentoring@poloniumfoundation.org.
Joining the communication channel and the networking event(s) is optional.
Evaluation
Your satisfaction with the Programme will be surveyed through feedback forms. Answers to the online questionnaires will be gathered at the milestones of the Programme: the start (post recruitment), halfway through, and at the completion. The Polonium Mentoring Team will meet up with participants via an online platform to collect more insights into their experience. The information provided will be used to inform future improvements and further develop the Programme.
Roadblocks
In case of any hiccups in your experience in Mentoring Pair, Polonium Foundation Team is there to support the participants. When needed, we are facilitating contact, encouraging activity, giving tips for discussion subjects and mediating if any communication difficulties arise.
If you have concerns with the Programme, you can reach out to the Committee Member via mentoring@poloniumfoundation.org or Polonium Mentoring Slack. Alternatively, contact our Data Protection Officer via iod@poloniumfoundation.org or Team Lead Anna Sobocińska via anna.sobocinska@poloniumfoundation.org.
To discuss with someone outside of the Polonium Mentoring Team, you can contact Vanessa Bijak via vanessa.bijak@poloniumfoundation.org.
Terms and Conditions
In addition to the rules of the Polonium Mentoring Programme outlined above, the following terms and conditions are in place.
Registration
These terms and conditions apply to the Polonium Mentoring Programme (“PM”, “Programme”).
1.1. The Programme is organised by the Polonium Foundation with its seat in Warsaw (Bankowy 2, 00-095 Warsaw, NIP 701-058-44-08, KRS 0000621890) and a team of volunteers, hereinafter referred to as "Organizers"
1.2. To participate in the Programme as a mentor or mentee (“Participant”), you must register by filling in the appropriate application form available on the website http://www.poloniumfoundation.org before the deadline or before we reach the maximum number of Mentors and Mentees ("Registration").
1.3. All Participants are required to provide true and accurate information about themselves in the registration form. Anyone who intentionally breaches this condition may be refused registration and participation in the Programme
1.4. All Participants must be at least 18 years of age to participate in the PMP.
In special cases, the Organizer may allow younger persons to participate in the PMP, after consent of their parent/legal guardian and under his/her supervision.
1.5. It is not possible to guarantee that all applicants will be assigned a mentor/mentee especially if we receive a high number of applications exceeding the planned 40 pairs. In such an instance, unassigned Mentors/Mentees will be placed on the waiting list and will be given priority in the next years’ round of the mentoring programme.
1.6. The Programme does not imply financial reward for being a Mentor nor a Mentee.
1.7. Registration and participation in the Programme is free of charge.
1.8. Part of this project will require creating a profile on Polonium Network and thus both Mentees and Mentors will have to agree on Polonium Networks data protection terms. For all mentors who are successfully registered onto the programme, we will need Your permission to use your image for promotional purposes on Polonium Foundation’s website (see “Data and Information” below).
2. Data and Information
2.1. The Participant declares that he agrees to the use and dissemination of his image, name, surname, affiliation and academic discipline by the Organizers for advertising, promotional and marketing purposes related to the activities of the Polonium Foundation.
2.2. This consent is not limited in time or territory and covers all forms of publication, in particular advertising posters, leaflets, printed promotional materials, TV spots, advertisements in newspapers and magazines and on the Internet, including the website and profile on the Organizer's social networks.
2.3. The participant waives all (existing and future) claims, including remuneration, for the use of his image to the extent specified in 2.2.
3. Personal Data
In connection with Regulation (EU) 2016/679 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 27 April 2016 on the protection of individuals about the processing of personal data and the free movement of such data, and repealing Directive 95/46 / EC (general regulation on data protection, "GDPR"), the Organiser informs that:
3.1 Upon registration, the Participant agrees to the processing of her/his data by the Organiser as the Data Controller, on the terms and for the purposes set out in these Regulations.
3.2 The Controller of personal data is the Polonium Foundation, Pl. Bankowy 2, 00-095 Warsaw, Poland.
3.3 The Controller has appointed a Data Protection Officer who can be contacted at the following e-mail address: iod@poloniumfoundation.org .
3.4 The Participant agrees to the processing of the following personal data by the Controller for the purpose indicated in point 3.5 below the following personal data: name and surname, e-mail address, telephone number, academic affiliation, academic degree, type of academic and professional experiences, current employment, goals and expectations regarding the Mentoring Programme.
3.5 Personal data referred to in point. 3.4, will be processed by the Controller to register for the Polonium Mentoring Programme, including the provision of information and communication regarding the Controller's activities, in particular information and materials regarding the subject and organisation of the Programme, including marketing and advertising information related to the Programme. After the Participant has given separate consent, the Organiser may send an e-mail to the e-mail address provided by the Participant during registration for identification, as well as:
based on art. 6 sec. 1 lit. b) processing is necessary for the performance of a contract to which the data subject is party or in order to take steps at the request of the data subject prior to entering into a contract;
based on art. 6 sec. 1 lit. c) processing is necessary for compliance with a legal obligation to which the controller is subject;
under art. 6 sec. 1 lit. f) processing is necessary for the purposes of the legitimate interests pursued by the controller or by a third party, except where such interests are overridden by the interests or fundamental rights and freedoms of the data subject which require protection of personal data, in particular where the data subject is a child,
under art. 6 sec. 1 lit. a) the data subject has given consent to the processing of his or her personal data for one or more specific purposes.
3.6 Providing data by the Participant is voluntary, however, failure to do so makes it impossible to participate in the Programme. The Participant has the right to access their data and correct them. The Participant is obliged to update the data provided during registration immediately after the change of this data.
3.7 Personal data will be processed for the duration of the project, promotional activities, and related administrative reports, and after this period for the purposes and to the extent required by law or to protect any claims or until the consent is withdrawn. It will be kept only for as long as is necessary for the purposes which it was collected and will be securely destroyed in accordance with our data retention policy.
3.8 The recipients of personal data will also be:
entities providing and supporting the Controller's IT systems to operate the Website and entities providing services related to the Controller's current operations;
the entity providing the Typeform server infrastructure based on appropriate contracts for entrusting the processing of personal data, more information on the Typeform website: https://www.typeform.com/
3.9 Each person, to the extent provided for by law, has the right to access their data and rectify, delete or limit processing, the right to object to the processing, the right to transfer data, and the right to withdraw consent at any time. Withdrawal of consent does not affect the lawfulness of the processing which was carried out based on consent before its withdrawal.
3.10 In case of doubts related to the processing of personal data, each person may request information from the Controller. Notwithstanding the foregoing, each person has the right to complain to the supervisory body - the President of the Personal Data Protection Office at iod@poloniumfoundation.org.
3.11. The Personal Data Controller uses Google Workspace and Google Drive, which may result in the transfer of your data to a third country (referred to in Article 46, Article 47, or Article 49 (1), second subparagraph, of the GDPR). The terms of use of Online Services in the field of Google Workspace and Google Drive and obligations about the processing and protection of user data and personal data by online services are set out in Google's documentation, including in particular the privacy statement - Privacy Policy - Privacy and terms - Google;
As part of Google services, the data entered into Google Workspace and Google Drive will be processed and stored in a specific geographic location. According to the functionality of Google services in the available administration panel in the "Company Profile", it was indicated that the data is processed within the European Union.
Google, despite having its headquarters outside the EU, is obliged to comply with the GDPR due to the provision regarding companies from outside the European Union, directing their services to entities in the European Union.
Within the European Union, Google processes information about the applications used, browser data, locations, and devices to provide a better and smarter service to Google.
An important element is also profiling which Google uses to clarify the user's needs based on her/his data.
Cataloguing the information described above requires Google to adapt its services to the implementation of the GDPR and other data processing security rules in the EU.
4. Intellectual Property Rights
Names, images and logos identifying The Polonium Mentoring Programme and materials and services contained in it are subject to the copyright and copyrights of the Polonium Foundation.
5. Final provisions
5.1. Any disputes that may arise from participation in the Programme will be settled by the court having jurisdiction over the Organiser's seat unless the provisions of generally applicable law provide otherwise.
5.2 By completing the registration form, you accept these Regulations, as well as respect the instructions and any other arrangements made between the Participants and the Organisers.
5.3 The Organiser reserves the right to amend the Regulations. In matters not covered by these Regulations, the provisions of the Civil Code of the Republic of Poland shall apply.
5.4 The Programme is closed and it is not a mass event within the meaning of the Act of March 23, 2009, on the safety of mass events (Journal of Laws 2009 No. 62, item 504).
5.5 Sending an application for participation in the Programme is tantamount to consenting to the use of the Participant's image on the Organiser's website by art. 81 (1) of the Act of February 4, 1994, on Copyright and Related Rights (Journal of Laws No. 90, item 631, as amended). Expressing consent is tantamount to the fact that photos, films, or recordings made during meetings, celebrations, tours, and other collective gatherings may be posted on the Programme website and used in promotional materials and publications in the media.
5.6 These Regulations shall enter into force immediately from the date of their publication on the website http://www.poloniumfoundation.org .
5.7 The Organisers reserve the right to amend the provisions of these Regulations. The changes come into force seven days after they are published on the website http://www.poloniumfoundation.org .