PhD Winter School 2025 – Innovation as common denominator for sustainability – by KBC

PhD Winter School 2025 – Innovation as common denominator for sustainability – by KBC

19 & 20 February 2025, KBC Brussels

KBC organises a Winter School for a select group of PhD candidates  and postdocs of the Belgian universities.

This edition, which is titled Innovation as common denominator for sustainability has the following to offer:

• 20+ career stories of PhD holders
• 3 participating companies: KBC, Colruyt Group & Engie
• 4 real-world cases to be tackled in interdisciplinary teams (across research backgrounds and universities)

This Winter School targets PhD candidates (≥ 3rd year of their PhD trajectory) and postdocs of the Belgian universities who

1. want to get an inside view of the corporate world, and reflect on labour market trends and challenges, innovation as driver for sustainability, … ;
2. want to learn from PhDs coming from different academic backgrounds why they decided to transfer to the corporate world, which competences they brought to the work floor, and which competences still needed further developing;
3. want to expand their professional network.

Check out the full programme here. For the biographies of the speakers and the abstracts of the sessions, click here.

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Why getting involved in the business cases? Because

1. you want to apply your knowledge and ideas to real-world challenges;
2. you want to challenge yourself as part of an interdisciplinary team of PhD candidates and postdocs coming from different fields of expertise and different universities;
3. you want to give your CV a competitive edge.

KBC, as well as Colruyt Group and Engie put great emphasis on diversity, diverse teams and diverse expertise to solve problems in a sustainable way, and therefore welcome early-stage researchers from all research backgrounds.

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The cases

• 4 real-life cases by Colruyt Group, Engie and KBC respectively to be solved in teams of 5 PhD candidates and postdocs.
• Cases are the following.
  • Case by KBC -> view here.
  • Case by Engie -> view here.
  • Cases by Colruyt Group -> view here.
• 120 PhD candidates and postdocs from the Flemish and the Walloon universities will be selected to participate and work in interdisciplinary teams of 5 on 1 of the cases.

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What we expect?

• Signing up and motivating your participation by 15 December 2024, including your selection of your preferred cases.
• If your participation is accepted by 17 December, working in teams of 5 on 1 of the 4 cases as of December 2024.
• Handing in the case presentation by 26 January 2025. Please find a style guide for your information -> view here.
• Being present at KBC in Brussels on 19 and 20 February 2025.

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How to register?

Deadline for registration is 15 December 2024.

Registration form: click here

In case of questions, do not hesitate to reach out to the organizing team: phdtalent@vlir.be

Good luck!

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What do others say?

Ani (Anirudh Kumar) Parag, Doctoral Researcher, ESAT, KU Leuven & imec:

“The KBC Winter School offers an intriguing interface for academic training to interact with industry expectations. Collaborating in a team of five PhD students trained in different disciplines from three universities in Belgium, we tackled an ESG challenge supported by Johnson & Johnson. From strangers to a coherent team, from Electrical, Bioscience, Economics, AI experts to ESG consultants (for a period) and from drafting research proposals to designing project roadmaps and portfolio tools, we had quite a roller-coaster journey before making it to the finals.
What appealed to me the most was how our individual training subtly influenced our perspectives, enriching the project with diverse ideas and insights. This experience highlighted the value of interdisciplinary collaboration in enhancing project comprehension and ideation.
I highly recommend the KBC Winter School to anyone looking to team up with diverse PhD students, connect with industry leaders like J&J, work on impactful short-term societal projects, explore unique professional paths, receive pitch training from an exceptional coach, or simply enjoy a delightful dinner at the beautiful KBC headquarters :)”

 

Pouya Nazari, PhD Candidate in Bioinformatics, KU Leuven:

“Participating in the KBC PhD Winter School 2023 was an incredibly rewarding experience, and I highly encourage other PhD students from all fields to take advantage of this unique opportunity. It provided an eye-opening look into how researchers from diverse academic backgrounds can transition into impactful roles at KBC and work together to solve real-world challenges.

One of the highlights was the chance to interact with PhD holders who had successfully made the leap from academia to various sectors within KBC. Their stories and career paths were both inspiring and insightful, showing me that there are exciting opportunities beyond the traditional academic route. It was fascinating to see how people from fields as varied as biology, engineering, and data science could apply their skills in an organization like KBC to address problems related to sustainability, finance, and beyond.

Additionally, the collaborative nature of the Winter School was invaluable. Working in a team on a real-life challenge and brainstorming solutions was both intellectually stimulating and practical. Our group had the chance to dive deep into a complex problem, debate ideas, and ultimately present recommendations. The ability to combine theoretical knowledge with hands-on problem-solving in this setting was a major takeaway for me.

If you’re a PhD student considering attending the next KBC PhD Winter School, I highly recommend it. Not only will you expand your network with researchers and professionals from various fields, but you will also gain a new perspective on how to apply your research and analytical skills in a corporate setting. It’s a truly enriching experience that I believe will benefit anyone interested in broadening their horizons.”

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Previous participants also formed a Linkedin group that might be interesting for your reference.

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Cancellations

Participation in the KBC Winter school is free of charge. However, if you cancel your registration after 12 February 2025, we’ll charge a no-show fee of 150 euros. Only in case of illness, corroborated with a doctor’s note, you will not be charged the no-show fee.