Step 1 : All candidates participate in the auditions in front of a jury composed of 4 professors and 3 communication professionals.

Step 2: All candidates will be coached to improve their presentation and present it in front of the camera. We will produce short videos of 3 minutes per candidate/project for a non-scientific audience. The videos will be published on the Faculty of Medicine website, as well as on UNIGE's social media.

Step 3: Selection of 5 finalists based on the video presentations in addition to the auditions criteria. The 5 selected PhD students will receive a grant of CHF 5'000 each to be used, for example, to participate in international meetings, to follow training courses, to visit laboratories abroad, or to cover the printing costs of their thesis.

•  This programme is exclusively open to PhD/MD-PhD students of the Faculty of Medicine as well as for PSLS students
• Candidates must have completed at least 18 months of their PhD by 31 mars 2024 (this rule doesn't apply to MD-PhD students) and finish their PhD no sooner than June 2025 (to have time to disburse the grant).
• The selected PhD students commit to respect the schedule, to prepare themselves as well as possible for the coaching sessions and video recording.
• Thesis projects will be presented orally in English only (during the auditions and the videos).
• Supervisors must be informed of their student's participation and intellectual property issues must be adressed beforehand.

Important

• Please note that all candidates must be available to participate 1) in the auditions (in person only), 2) in the coaching sessions (online or in person) and 3) in the video shooting.
• We limit the number of candidates to 20 if we receive too many applications. In that case the first 20 élégible applications received will be considered. 
• To apply, you must fill in the form and send a thesis summary. The summary must be accessible to a non-scientific audience and be no longer than 250 words.
• A Q&A session will take place on 21 March CET at 10:30 am via Zoom. Your participation is not mandatory.

• Receive a grant of CHF 5'000 if you are selected (5 grants available)
• Benefit from an unique opportunity to develop your skills in communication, synthesis, popularisation, etc.
• Get personalised advice from a coach in scientific communication and support throughout the process.
• A great learning experience and an added value on your CV, as well as a video presentation of your thesis project.

Complete the online form and attach your CV and the summary of your thesis in English. The summary must be accessible to a non-scientific audience and be no longer than 250 words).
Deadline for submission of applications: 18 March 2024 (12 pm CET) 

Please note that all candidates must be available on 27 March to participate in the auditions (in person only!).

They must also take part in the individual coaching sessions and the video shooting to present their project (mandatory).

Auditions:

The auditions will take the form of a 3-minute oral presentation (in English) of the thesis topic; the jury will decide based on the following criteria:

• communication, presentation and outreach skills
• ability to present and describe the objectives of the research project
• ability to highlight the potential and innovative nature of the project
• ability to answer the jury's questions
• motivation for the research project

Presentations must be clear, concise and accessible to a non-scientific audience.  3 PPT slides (animation possible but no videos) may be used.

Coaching and video shooting:
After the auditions, all candidates will receive personalised coaching (2 individual sessions per candidate) to improve their project presentations and present them face to the camera. 
The 5 finalists will be chosen based on the video presentations in addition to the auditions criteria. The jury will also assess the candidates' progress and their ability to present their project in front of a camera.

• 18 March- closing date for applications
• 27 March - audition (and selection of 5 finalists if no extra funding is available)
• 10, 11 and 12 April - first round of individual coaching sessions (45 min. per candidate) to improve the project presentation (work on the content)
• 25-26 April - second round of coaching sessions (45 min. per candidate) to work on the form of the presentation (non-verbal, gestures, tone of voice, etc.)
• 28-29 May - video shooting (one hour per candidate) 
• June - video edition and publication of the videos
• End of June - selection of the 5 finalists
• August - grant disbursement and follow-up with the finalists