Purpose Accelerator
Develop professional skills to make an impact with your research and transform yourself into an entrepreneurial researcher
Would you like to (learn to) apply your knowledge to have a direct positive impact on societal issues? Would you like to develop your business and network skills to prepare for a career inside or outside of academia? Would you like to work together with other PhD candidates from all different backgrounds that too want to make an impact? In the Purpose Accelerator you will work in a multidisciplinary team with (a network of) businesses and governmental organizations on pressing societal issues.
Overview learning program
In the Purpose Accelerator, you work in a multidisciplinary group of PhD researchers on wicked societal problems, such as circular healthcare and the inclusive labor market, with the aim to explore and develop out of the box solutions based on their expertise.
Together with 2-4 other PhD candidates you will form a team. You focus on achieving two goals: develop a concrete solution to a societal ambition that is designed by experts from the field, and go through a learning experience in which you develop teamworking skills, project management, product development and stakeholder management.
The Purpose Accelerator is a yearlong project which takes approximately 12 to 15 hours a month. Throughout the project you participate in monthly meetings, multiple workshops, personal development training, and you’ll receive intensive guidance to get the most out of your experience.
The Purpose Accelerator is part of the THRIVE PhD Academy and developed for and by PhD researchers to cater maximally to your needs!
What you get
Workshops on personal and professional development
Personal and team coaching
Kick-off, Creation Day and Closing Event
Career advice and an extended network
Experiences of former participants
“I particularly liked to work together with other young phd students to help create solutions for a relevant and complex societal problem. It learned a lot from having to work and brainstorm in a totally different way than I am used to at the university. Being at the last stage of my PhD, I also really benefitted from the opportunity to grow my network and see what’s out there in the world in terms of companies and jobs!”
— Esther Heckendorf, Leiden University, Pedagogical Science
“Within the Circular Economy team, I worked with PhD candidates from diverse backgrounds. I was constantly challenged, in a good way, to embrace the diversity of perspectives so that I got inspired by those bright minds.”
— Zhizhen Wang, TU Delft, Sustainability
“The project challenged me to think about how to apply my knowledge and skills to solve wicked societal problems. And even more importantly, to actively test potential solutions by engaging and collaborating with the problem-owners in order to create real innovations.”
— Jannes ten Berge, Universiteit Utrecht, Sociology
The learning experience
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So, what do you think?
I still have a question
I definitely want to apply!
Feel free to reach out!
Do you still find yourself having some questions? Is something unclear or do you want to know some more? We are always available to answer your questions. Feel free to reach out to macalou@thriveinstitute.nl and pose any question you might have.