"This was incredibly fun! It was great to get to know and learn from so many skilled research communicators in the FORTHEM group," says PhD candidate Johanna Bjånes Marcussen.
After winning both the final in Agder and the Norwegian national final, she was the University of Agder’s representative in this year’s FORTHEM Grand Prix.
Colleagues followed from Kristiansand
This is the second time the European university alliance FORTHEM has organised a research communication final for PhD candidates. Each of the nine participants had four minutes to present their research in a clear and relevant way.
The final took place in Dijon, France, with the University of Burgundy as host. On Campus Kristiansand, 20 colleagues gathered to watch the livestream. Staff at the other universities in the alliance did the same.
Finnish-Chinese winner
June Liu from the University of Jyväskylä in Finland won the jury’s prize. Her aim is to develop materials that prevent the spread of microbes.
‘It was a great and joyful surprise for me to receive the prize. All the presentations were impressive and engaging! I truly enjoyed being on stage and simply tried to help people understand a little – perhaps just a single concept,’ Liu told the university’s website.
A separate audience prize went to Mihai Ilina from Lucian Blaga University, Sibiu, Romania.
There were also participants from the University of Burgundy, Johannes Gutenberg University in Mainz, Germany, the University of Opole in Poland, the University of Latvia in Riga, the University of Palermo in Italy, and the University of Valencia in Spain.
Everyone received guidance from UiA before the final
The participants spent two days preparing before the final itself. Senior Adviser Arne M. Larsen from UiA served as coach for the nine candidates, drawing on his extensive experience from the Researcher Grand Prix in Norway.
"All participants bring a well-rehearsed presentation in their own language, but now they must perform in English and speak to a European audience. Some needed to sharpen their message, others had to highlight more of their research method, while others simply needed to talk their way through it to get the language right," says Larsen.
Thomas Fiskå, design coordinator at UiA, supported the participants with their presentations, providing help with illustrations, colours, and animations.
"It was an intense and exciting experience, where cultures, countries and different formats came together and found a common concept in a very short time. The biggest challenge is to build trust quickly, but many were still open to suggestions, concrete design approaches and adjustments that could improve their presentations," says Fiskå.
Introduced the idea to the alliance
The idea for the Forthem Researcher Grand Prix was also introduced to the university alliance by Arne M. Larsen two years ago, during an annual meeting of the communication network.
"We are deeply grateful to Arne and the UiA team for bringing this idea to the alliance, and for their advice and support in turning it from an inspiring proposal into a highly successful event," says Jocelyne Gerard, Head of Communication in the FORTHEM Alliance.
Read more about your opportunities through the FORTHEM university alliance.