1. Purpose of the Research Mentoring Programme

The Brain and Intelligence Science Alliance (BISA)is a strategic partnership established by Fudan University (Fudan) and the University of Sydney (USyd) in 2019 to raise research impact through translational research in fields related to data science, neuroscience, and intelligence. Its goal is to train research leaders, advance technological innovation and scientific research, and secure practical applications for science and technology research. 

The four main research areas of BISA are:

1. Cognitive Neuroscience and Brain Disorders,

2. Computational Neuroscience and Neural Engineering,

3. Impact of Al on Ethics, Arts and Society; and

4. Artificial Intelligence and Brain-Inspired Intelligence.

In alignment with the goals and priorities of BISA, the Research Mentoring Program is set up to support the capacity building of Early-Career Researchers (ECR) as well as the leadership development of senior researchers, strengthen their international networks, and foster collaborative research in key areas. The duration of the mentoring program will be one year. The program will support five pairs of mentors and mentees who are matched through the selection process overseen by the BISA Academic Leads of both universities.

2. Roles and Responsivities of Mentors and Mentees

A mentor’s role is to share knowledge and skills, provide guidance and constructive feedback on a mentee’s research project, engage mentees in a discussion about developing research outputs and funding applications, and advise the mentee on where to publish or present work, how to foster research links and where appropriate, how to disseminate and translate research for maximal impact. A mentor may advise on overall career trajectory and research-building opportunities. It is expected that the mentor would provide feedback on ethical issues, trial design, data analysis, write-up of research papers or grant applications, and where appropriate be acknowledged as an author, aligned with international guidelines for authorship, and to be agreed upon in advance of any mentor contributions. If a mentor is involved in empiric data collection or publication, he/she must ensure the project meets ethics guidelines according to the Declaration of Helsinki.

A mentee is required to take a proactive role in the mentoring process and is responsible for driving the purpose and direction of the relationship. A mentee shall communicate learning goals, objectives, and timeframes effectively with the mentor, prepare research proposals and questions for discussion. The mentee should prepare an agenda for each meeting, provide updates on discussion items and, document key decisions or action items. The mentee should be open to constructive feedback. The mentee is required to attend and/or present at the regular research exchange sessions and contribute to, or lead at least one international grants application at the level equivalent to the International (Regional) Cooperation and Exchange Programs of the National Natural Science Foundation (NSFC).

Early in the mentoring the mentor and mentee should agree on key issues for the one-year program, including meeting dates and times, expectations for review, level of engagement and milestones, and the ownership of data and IP of the research outcomes. The mentor and mentee shall work together based on mutual respect to establish a positive relationship and maintain trust and confidentiality to enable open communication so that the full benefits of mentoring can be achieved for both the mentor and the mentee. Upon the completion of the mentoring program, a report shall be prepared by the mentee to review the outcome and effectiveness of the mentoring program. The mentor will also be asked about their experience of the program, barriers, and enablers they faced, and suggestions for improvement. The mentor may be asked to provide a short report of recommendations pertaining to the mentee.

3. Eligibility and requirements of Mentors and Mentees

Mentor

·An Expression of interest will be called from the academics of The University of Sydney who are willing to contribute expertise and time in mentoring Early-Career Researchers. To assist with the pairing of mentors and mentees, the Expression of Interest Form will ask the Mentor to list their areas of strength and any limitations on time availability, languages spoken or other issues to be considered.

·The mentor must be employed by the University of Sydney at an academic role of Level B and above on a full-time, part-time (appointed at least 0.4 FTE), fixed-term, or continuing basis.

·It is expected that the mentor will meet with the mentee via video conference monthly or bimonthly, with ongoing communication (e.g., email, telephone) in between formal meetings. It is estimated that mentorship commitment may require between one to three hours per month for meetings and other associated items, but there may be periods of more significant time commitment and the estimated time commitments may be discussed between the mentor and mentee at the outset and throughout. The mentor is to have only one mentee at any time.

·The mentor shall comply with theUniversity of Sydney’s relevant policies and procedures, including and not limited to INTERNATIONAL COLLABORATION PRINCIPLES, STAFF AND AFFILIATES CODE OF CONDUCT 2021, EXTERNAL INTERESTS POLICY 2010,OUTSIDE EARNINGS OF ACADEMIC STAFF POLICY 2011, and OUTSIDE EARNINGS OF ACADEMIC STAFF PROCEDURES 2011, obtain the prior written approval of the relevant Head of School before engaging in the mentoring program, and make declaration of external interests (DEI) to the University annually via the online form. Engagement in the mentoring program shall not prevent the mentor from fulfilling his or her normal duties of employment, including individual workload allocation; the amount of time taken by the mentor to perform all relevant outside earnings commitments will not exceed, on average, a period equivalent to 20% of the staff member’s normal University working week (in addition to the full workload commitments arising from their University employment); and there will be no unauthorised use of University intellectual property. The mentor shall comply with Australia’s export control regimes, the Guidelines to Counter Foreign Interference in the Australian Higher Education Sector, and the relevant policy regarding disclosure of interests and management of conflicts of the Australian Government funding agencies such as ARC and NHMRC.

Mentee

·Expressions of interest will be called from postdoctoral researchers, PhD students, and early career researchers who are within five years of the award of their PhD degree from Fudan University.

·To assist with the pairing of the mentor and mentee, the mentee will be asked to nominate key areas for which they are seeking mentorship and to provide some specifics about their general field /project, and to indicate their level of English fluency. PhD students and postdoctoral researchers are required to have at least one of the followings: CET, IELTS score above 6.0, TOEFL score above 60 or equivalent. Young (associate) PIs are required to have at least 2-year overseas study experience or have published at least three journal articles in English as a first author and to have attended at least three international conferences.

4. Financial Support

Mentor

1.The mentor will be invited to Fudan University for an academic visit. The mentor should obtain approval from the Head of School in accordance with the University of Sydney’s travel policies.

2.A travel allowance for up to three months will be provided to each mentor by Fudan University and will cover

-One return ticket of economy class flights,

-One-off visa application fee,

-Accommodation cost up to three months, and

-A local stipend of AUD$5,000 per month proportionate to the number of days of the actual stay.

Mentee

1. A scholarship will be provided to each mentee by Fudan University for undertaking the mentoring program. The value of the scholarship will be AUD $2,000 per year to PhD and postdoc researchers and AUD $10,000 per year to young Principal Investigators. The scholarship supports conferences, lab visits, and other research costs as specified by Fudan University.

2. Where a mentee is invited to the University of Sydney for an academic visit and approval has been obtained from theInstitute of Science and Technology for Brain-inspired Intelligence, Fudan University, a travel allowance for up to three months will be provided to each mentee by Fudan University. The travel allowance will cover

-One return ticket of economy class flights,

-One-off visa application fee,

-Accommodation cost up to three months, and

-A local stipend of AUD$5,000 per month proportionate to the number of days of the actual stay.

3. A fee of up to AUD$1,000 per year will be provided to each mentee to cover the publication cost for joint research.

4. The payment will be made in accordance with the policies and procedures of Fudan University.

5. Application Process

Mentor

• Complete an Expression of Interest online, specifying the research expertise and interest and providing a Curriculum Vitae.

• Familiarise himself/ herself with the University of Sydney’s relevant policies and procedures and obtain the prior written approval of the relevant supervisor and Head of School (evidence of approval to be provided).

• If an application is successful, evidence of Dean’s approval as per OUTSIDE EARNINGS OF ACADEMIC STAFF POLICY 2011, andOUTSIDE EARNINGS OF ACADEMIC STAFF PROCEDURES 2011must be sought and provided.

Mentees

• Obtain approval from current Fudan supervisor if you are a PhD student or a postdoctoral researcher.

• Complete a pre-application form, nominating a mentor at the University of Sydney.

• After passing the first-round selection, reach out to the proposed mentor to discuss details of the research plan.

• Prepare a research proposal (800 words) with a proposed timeline, milestones, and targeted research outputs (such as joint grant applications and joint publications) and provide a statement explaining why engaging with sponsored research mentors will lead to improved research outcomes.

6. Important Dates

7. Notification of Application Outcomes

Successful applicants will receive a letter of confirmation outlining the process to accept the financial support. Feedback on individual applications will not be provided.

8. Interim Report and Final Report

An interim report shall be prepared by the mentee three months after the mentoring program starts and be reviewed by the mentor and the mentee to evaluate the progress of the mentoring and make an assessment whether to continue with the current direction and revise goals and approaches if necessary. Meetings with the BISA Academic Leads will be organized to review the interim report, identify any risks or barriers to progress, and make recommendations of steps forward.

A final report shall be submitted by the mentee three months after the completion of the mentoring program. A report pro-forma must be completed online to evaluate whether key outcomes have been achieved.

9. Withdrawal from the Mentoring Program

Mentors and mentees should contact the Program Coordinator at each institution. Such changes will need to be approved and documented. Payment will need to be returned.

10. Extensions of the Mentoring Program

Upon the completion of the one-year mentoring program, the BISA Academic Leads of both universities will review the program and make a decision about the program extension.

11. Publications

Publications and research outcomes should be disseminated into the public domain. Any publications (e.g., abstracts, articles) or dissemination (e.g., public presentations) arising from activities supported by the mentoring program should acknowledge assistance received from the mentoring program, and copies or notification should be submitted to the Office of Global Engagement of the University of Sydney and International Cooperation Office, Institute of Science and Technology for Brain-inspired Intelligence, Fudan University

12. Further Information

For further information please contact the Program Coordinators:

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