Leadership Academy for Researchers Successfully Completes Its Pilot Run

At the end of June 2026, the spring edition of the Leadership Academy for Researchers successfully concluded its nearly six-month pilot run. Taking place from 28 January to 25 June, the programme brought together researchers and research leaders from partner institutions across the Czech Republic, Lithuania and Ukraine to strengthen the leadership skills increasingly needed in today’s scientific environment.

Scientific excellence remains at the heart of successful research. However, leading a research team requires more than subject-matter expertise. Research leaders are expected to motivate diverse teams, communicate across disciplines and cultures, manage change and create environments where people can grow and do their best work. The Leadership Academy for Researchers was designed to respond to these evolving needs.

The first edition of the academy was organised by STAR Cluster within the LASER-PRO project and offered to researchers from the project’s 18 partner institutions. Throughout the spring semester, participants took part in a learning journey combining online and in-person formats.

The programme included six online webinars led by Filip Kahoun, attended by 32 researchers from partner institutions. A selected group of twelve participants from the Czech Republic also continued with six interactive in-person workshops facilitated by Jana Puhalová at the Brain4Industry Innovation Centre in Dolní Břežany.

These workshops focused on practical leadership development and created space for reflection, peer learning and the exchange of experience. Participants explored topics such as self-leadership, communication, team development, feedback, motivation, leading conversations and institutional leadership. Throughout the programme, they were encouraged to reflect on their own leadership approach and translate new insights into their everyday work.

“Researchers are often promoted into leadership positions because of their scientific achievements, yet few receive any systematic preparation for leading people. Through the Leadership Academy for Researchers, we wanted to help bridge this gap. The positive response to the programme shows how relevant these topics are across research institutions,” says Jana De Merlier, Director of STAR Cluster.

Building on the positive feedback and strong engagement of participants, the Leadership Academy for Researchers will continue next year as part of the LASER-PRO project. This autumn, LASER-PRO will also launch its first tailor-made academy, with a curriculum designed around the specific needs of participants.

A total of 32 participants joined the webinar series, while 12 researchers completed also the in-person workshop track. Among the participants, 62.5% were men and 37.5% were women. Around half already held leadership positions, while the rest were preparing for future leadership roles.

The Leadership Academy for Researchers directly supports the wider goals of the LASER-PRO project by strengthening skills, collaboration and leadership capacity across the Czech, Lithuanian and Ukrainian research and innovation ecosystems. By helping researchers grow not only as experts, but also as leaders of people, teams and institutional change, the academy contributes to a more connected, resilient and innovation-driven laser and photonics community in Europe.

More information on LAFR HERE.