General information about the Programme
The current Polonium Mentoring Programme (PMP) is the first round of mentoring opportunities provided by the Polonium Foundation.
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. We are therefore launching the first pilot Polonium Mentoring Programme.
The aim of the project is to connect UK based students of undergraduate courses with mentors who have progressed further in their careers. Mentors will offer support to participating students by guiding them through relevant aspects of professional development in a given field.
We hope that the Programme will allow individuals at early stages of scientific and research education to gain a strong start towards future careers in science, technology, academia, clinical practice or the industry.
What can you gain from this experience?
The objective of the mentoring programme is to support Polish bachelor degree students on their way to success. Mentees will benefit from regular contact with a mentor who will offer support and guidance regarding various aspects of professional experience – conference attendance, academic writing, publishing, science communication, networking, application for further courses, job searching, apprenticeships, international exchanges etc. You will leave this experience with more confidence and self-reflection needed to coordinate your professional journey towards a desired career.
People's development in the programme should be twofold and thus, Mentors will receive training and will gain invaluable experience practising soft skills such as management and supervision. Our programme will also facilitate self-reflection and understanding of own practice through a chance to meet and network with other Mentors. Polonium Foundation will also offer all Mentors to receive a formal certification letter upon a completion of at least one round of mentoring. Lastly, all mentors will have an opportunity to be nominated for an annual Mentorship Award.
Mentees
Who is a Mentee?
A Mentee is a person who will benefit from guidance of a Mentor..
Eligibility
Undergraduate/bachelor degree students of Polish origin attending a UK university. The Mentoring Programme will accept undergraduate students who are interested in and/or are actively engaged in research across all academic disciplines including sciences, arts and humanities. Applicants can be in any year of undergraduate study. Applicants who already completed an undergraduate/bachelor degree and are currently taking a gap year, or a placement year, before continuing their academic training are also welcome to apply.
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 programme team to match you with a suitable mentor based on your goals and academic discipline. Please note, that we cannot guarantee that a suitable mentor 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
PhD students or recent PhDs based anywhere in the world. The Mentor must have experience of working or studying outside of Poland in order to offer relevant advice and guidance. This year, due to the specificity of the pilot project, we require that all mentors have some experience of working or studying in the UK. The Mentor can be currently located in Poland and does not have to be of Polish origin. We encourage applications from students and PhDs in scientific areas of research as well as arts and humanities.
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, we will work with you to prepare your Mentor Profile on Polonium Network (https://www.poloniumnetwork.org/). Your picture, name, affiliation and area of research will be featured 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. It is unlikely that you will not be assigned a Mentee following a successful registration onto the programme.
Mentoring Relationship Rules
All Mentors and Mentees are expected to attend one obligatory training session prior to the start of their mentoring relationship. Absence at the training will only be excused due to exceptional circumstances.
Each Mentor & Mentee pair is obligated to set up at least 2 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.
The success of your mentoring relationship will be evaluated twice during the course of the programme. Once in March 2023 and once in June 2023.
In the case that you are unhappy with your experience either as a Mentor or Mentee, you should consider discussing this within your mentoring pair in the first place. If it is not possible to reach an agreement and/or there is no willingness to set up the 2 obligatory mentoring meetings from either of the sides, you can contact the project manager Marta Topor via marta.topor@poloniumfoundation.org with your concerns. Alternatively, if you would like to speak to someone who is not involved in the running of the project, then you should contact Vanessa Bijak via vanessa.bijak@poloniumfoundation.org. You can decide to withdraw from the project at any time if we cannot find a satisfactory solution. This will not lead to any adverse consequences.
Communication and networking:
We are planning to provide opportunities for both mentors and mentees to network with other mentors and mentees who participate in the project. Because this is a pilot project, we might test one of possible approaches such as a seminar or a networking event. We cannot provide any further details at this time.
In addition, we are planning to open a communication channel using a common platform such as Slack, Discord or Teams etc. The channel will be managed by project organisers from Polonium Foundation.
Joining the communication channel and the networking event(s) will be optional.
Timeline
29/10 - 16/11/2022 - Recruitment of Mentors
21/11 - 4/12/2022 - Recruitment of Mentees
10/12/2022, 10:00 - 12:00 CET - Training Meeting
30/06/2023 - Programme End Date
March & June 2023 - Project Evaluation
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 (“PMP”, “Programme”), that is starting on the 29th of October 2022.
1.1. The PMP 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 PMP 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 PMP.
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. Since this is a first round of recruitment, we currently have a capacity of 20 Mentor-Mentee pairs. Therefore, it is possible that not all applicants will be assigned a mentor/mentee especially if we receive a high number of applications exceeding the planned 20 pairs. In such an instance, unassigned Mentors/Mentees will be given priority in the next years’ round of the mentoring programme.
1.5. The PMP does not imply financial reward for being a Mentor nor a Mentee.
1.6. Registration and participation in the PMP is free of charge.
1.7. 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.
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.
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 .