Abstract

In six years, the Faculty of Humanities at the University of Oslo went from 0 to 37 MSCA Postdoctoral Fellowships. Our success follows the introduction of a Master Class for applicants, so what role can research administrator play in securing successful applications?

Building on the success from the University of Copenhagen, we have copied an already tested method of recruiting applicants and preparing them, and their supervisors, to write highly competitive MSCA PF applications. But we have also made it our own and tailored it to our needs.

Our Master Class was originally designed as a two day event in Oslo, where applicants got to meet the supervisors, research environment and the research advisers at our faculty. The format allowed for interaction and also a social component, and the Master Class proved a success already from the start. With Covid, our Master Class had to be adopted to a digital event, but we have still kept the success and are now continuing the Master Class in a digital version.

The Pecha Kucha will tell the story of how we developed out Master Class, how we have altered it according to our needs and experience, and how the whole support team at the Faculty have contributed.