Welcome to the
BETTER Life EU Digital Centre
We connect researchers and actors in the region to transfer knowledge and enable a participatory approach to regional challenges.
About BETTER Life
Bringing Excellence to Transformative Engaged Research in Life Sciences through Integrated Digital Centres (BETTER Life). Funded by the European Union, the BETTER Life project consists of nine partners from eight European countries, all committed to promoting the concept of Socially Engaged Research in their respective regions. We aim to do so with the development of new, informative and innovative standards and toolkits and the establishment of Centres of Digital Excellence, which will serve as a distributor and focal point of knowledge for the application and use of our toolkits.
BETTER Life is an initiative of 9 institutions across 8 EU countries
Frequently Asked Questions
The BETTER Life project has an exciting goal – to set up the EU BETTER Life Centre for Socially Engaged Research (SER) in Life Sciences. They are all about making research more engaging and collaborative, especially for those just starting their research careers (ECRs). Why is this so important? Well, the world needs more teamwork and fresh ideas to tackle big challenges. The project's mission is to provide support, boost skills, and help researchers connect with the bigger picture, with a special focus on life sciences, which happens to be a strong suit among our partner institutions. SER in life sciences is a basis for connecting research, government, industry, civil society, and the environment - the model of the quadruple helix of innovation.
The Digital Centres of Excellence are an inter-institutional support structure for developing capacities of early career researchers in life sciences (PhD students and researchers not yet fully independent) to foster socially engaged research (SER) of tackling societal challenges in their surrounding regions. The Digital Centres of Excellence are the newest support structures for researchers in life sciences. They support PhD students and researchers who are not quite fully independent yet (ERC). The aim is to foster socially engaged research (SER) to help ERCs tackle real-world issues and make a difference in the local community.
EU BETTER Life Centre will contain seven Regional BETTER Life Centres, based in every university of the consortium. These regional centres will form an integral part of the EU BETTER Life Centre while also serving the function of local and ecosystem-oriented support for ECRs.
The Better Life Digital Centres target PhD students and Early Career Researchers (ECRs) in life sciences. They are individuals who are at the early stages of their research careers, during and following their doctoral studies, including postdoctoral researchers and those who have recently obtained their PhDs. These individuals are often in the initial stages of establishing their research expertise, and they may not yet have achieved full independence in their research endeavours. ECRs in life sciences are actively engaged in conducting research, publishing scientific work, and seeking to establish themselves as competent and influential contributors to the field. This segment of researchers is receptive to feedback and suggestions for improvement, works on focused projects, and has a high potential for impact in the short and long term.
As a user of the BETTER Life Digital Centres, you gain access to a comprehensive toolkit, training pathways, a community of practice, peer-support networks, and trending challenges in the field. The toolkit comprises ten tools aligned with the ten SER Standards for independent use.
The platform encourages collaboration through Regional Think Tanks and Communities of Practice, connecting early career researchers, engagement managers, and regional ecosystem stakeholders. This boosts interactive discussions, networking, and exploring opportunities for sustainable SER practices.
Training at the digital centres helps enhance your engaged research-related knowledge. This includes focused virtual boot camps for early career researchers and engagement managers, designed to reinforce the SER Standards in Life Sciences.
Moreover, the platform organizes a virtual international winter school and an on-site international summer school, providing excellent networking and experience-sharing opportunities, and fostering the culture of SER in Life Sciences across Europe.
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