Although our MentforMe project has ended, its spirit lives on. All Pirbright staff and students can take part in our internal traditional mentoring scheme, volunteer as a flash mentor or have support in seeking an external peer mentor.
Furthermore, we are actively exploring sustainable ways to continue and expand upon the project work, particularly for external mentoring opportunities outside the BBSRC family, based on strong positive feedback from our community.
MentforMe
The MentforMe project, funded by UKRI Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council's (BBSRC) Connecting Cultures Fund, was an investigation into a pioneering cross-institute mentoring scheme. The project has been a resounding success across the BBSRC’s eight strategically sponsored institutes.
MentforMe’s flexible design enabled participants to engage in four distinct forms of mentoring: traditional, peer-to-peer, flash and reverse mentoring. Participants were supported with resources and training, an in-person visit fund and embedded local MentforMe Champions were in each institute to sustain momentum. Its impact can already be seen in the form of new collaborations, cultural change efforts, and institute-led follow-on programmes that will carry its legacy forward.
Survey responses at the end of Phase 2 were overwhelmingly positive, with 71% of respondents explicitly asking for the initiative to continue and providing suggestions for future momentum.
Final Report
Click here to download the final report capturing the impact and key learnings from MentforMe. Recommendations are designed to guide the development of future mentoring initiatives in research-focused organisations. The report also includes our Equality Impact Assessment completed at all stages of the project to ensure fairness and equitable access throughout.
MentforMe’s legacy and impact continues through our internal mentoring practices and the valuable insights we gained. We are grateful to all the mentors and mentees who participated and contributed to its success.
Questions or queries?
If you have any suggestions, want to connect with us through mentoring, or simply want to find out more, please reach out by emailing connectingculturesmentoring@pirbright.ac.uk .
