Search term

Pitch your PhD at the CAPHRI Research Day

Pitch your PhD

A session organised by and for our PhD candidates is offered during the CAPHRI online Research Meeting to give CAPHRI PhDs the opportunity to present their work to the CAPHRI community. After a careful pre-selection, 8 CAPHRI PhD candidates are being selected to pitch their work at the CAPHRI online Research Meeting and have a chance to win 500€ to spend on their own professional development.

Why do we organise a research pitch session?
Clearly explaining what your research is about is an increasingly important skill for scientists. For example, it helps you to tell your story at a conference and apply for grants. Moreover, nowadays many funders ask that you bring the results of your research to the attention of the public. In addition, positive media attention can give your career as a researcher a nice boost. The CAPHRI Research Day will offer PhDs a safe and inspiring environment to practice their pitch skills and to obtain tips and feedback from (experienced) researchers. Last but not least, 2 prizes will be awarded: the jury and the audience award!

Pre-selection: who could submit?
All CAPHRI PhD candidates were invited to submit a pre-recorded 3-minute video pitch of their research project. This work could either consist of research results, but also of work in progress, or even a research proposal.

Rules
The rules are simple: you have three minutes to give a talk on your research. No PowerPoint slides are allowed. More information about the rules can be found here

Who will pitch during the CAPHRI online Research Meeting?
The selection is done by fellow PhDs from the CAPHRI PhD Panel and 6 CAPHRI postdocs/assistant professors. The pitches are judged according to the golden rules of the 3 C’s: content, clarity and charisma. Everyone who submitted a pitch will receive feedback. 8 pitches (at least one pitch per Research Line) will be selected to be presented during the CAPHRI online Research Meeting. See the guidelines for more information on the selection procedure and the judging criteria. PhD candidates who are based abroad and therefore not able to come to the studio, are allowed to present their pitch via a live stream. 

An overview of important dates:

• Submission deadline pre-selection: 31 october 2021.
• On 15 November latest you will receive feedback on your pitch and be notified whether your pitch is selected for the CAPHRI online Research Meeting.
• On 23 November the CAPHRI online Research Meeting will take place between 12:00 and 14:00 CET.

Awards
The selection of the winner of the CAPHRI PhD pitch competition during the CAPHRI online Research Meeting is down to a six-person expert jury. The winner will receive 500€ to spend on their own development (the amount is paid to the budget of the research group). In addition to the jury award, there will be an audience award, which will be voted on by the audience present during the Research Meeting. The winner will receive a bronze award and a goodie bag. Both the winning pitches will be published through various communication channels.

Our PhD candidates in the spotlight
Also if your pitch is not selected for the CAPHRI online Research Meeting, we would like to give you the opportunity to showcase your PhD research to colleagues and a broader audience. We will pay attention to all submitted pitches on this website, in our newsletter and via our social media channels (after obtaining consent). 

WIN 500 EURO

to spend on your professional development

Are you ready to pitch your PhD?

***Registration for Pitch Your PhD is closed***
Submission deadline is 31 october 2021. 
On 15 November latest you will receive feedback on your pitch and be notified whether your pitch is selected for the CAPHRI online Research Meeting.

In order to help you with the submission of your pitch in video format, we have formulated guidelines with all relevant information on rules, the selection procedure and judging criteria.

At the bottom of this page you can find some tips and tricks for a great pitch.

Rules, selection procedure and judging criteria

Rules pre-selection

  • We ask you to send a one-angle video of your 3 minutes pitch (no cut, no edits) with a horizontal frame.
  • No PowerPoint slides are allowed.
  • Your video should not be edited to include digital features such as a soundtrack, additional voiceovers, graphics, stylised filters or captions.
  • Additional props are permitted.
  • Presentations are limited to 3 minutes maximum and competitors exceeding 3 minutes are disqualified.
  • All pitches should be in English.
  • Presentations are considered to have commenced when a presenter starts their presentation through either movement or speech.
  • Candidates must be available to present live during the CAPHRI Research Day on 23 November 2021. PhD candidates who are not based in Maastricht (contract or external PhD candidates) and therefore not able to join the Research Day physically, are allowed to present their pitch via a live stream.
  • Competitors will not be judged on video/recording quality. However, make sure the sound is all right and that you are clearly understandable.
  • By submitting your video, you give CAPHRI permission to share your video with the jury.
  • The decision of the adjudicating panel is final.

Rules final during online CAPHRI Research Meeting

  • The candidate should give a 3-minute pitch in the studio during the CAPHRI online Research Meeting on 23 November. Staff members will watch the session via a live stream. PhD candidates who are not based in Maastricht and therefore not able to come to Maastricht, are allowed to present their pitch at home via a live stream.
  • Each pitch is followed by questions by the jury members and/or public (up to 2 minutes).
  • No PowerPoint slides are allowed.
  • No additional electronic media (e.g. playing music clips or video clips) are permitted.
  • Additional props are permitted.
  • Presentations are limited to 3 minutes maximum. Exceeding 3 minutes will result in a deduction of two-points.
  • All pitches should be in English.
  • Presentations are considered to have commenced when a presenter starts their presentation through either movement or speech.
  • By pitching during the CAPHRI online Research Meeting, you give CAPHRI permission to share the video of your pitch with the general public via the CAPHRI website and social media channels.
  • The decision of the adjudicating panel is final.

Selection procedure and judging criteria pre-selection and final

  • Each pitch in the pre-selection round is rated by 3 persons: 1 PhD panel member of the candidates own research line, 1 PhD panel of another research line and 1 CAPHRI postdoc/Assistant Professor of another research line.
  • From all submitted pitches, a total of 8 pitches (at least one pitch per Research Line) will be selected to be presented during the CAPHRI online Research Meeting.
  • The rating of the pitches presented at the CAPHRI online Research Meeting is down to a six-person expert jury. In addition to the jury award, there will be an audience award.
  • The pitches in the pre-selection and final will be judged according to the golden rules of the 3 C’s (content, clarity, charisma). If two or more candidates are ranked 1st, the candidate with the highest pre-selection score will win. Candidates that are still tied after this rule will share the position.

The golden rules of the 3 C’s

CONTENT

The content of the presentations must be scientifically accurate. If the topic chosen has controversy or uncertainty around it, then the presentation must acknowledge the opposing views.

CLARITY

Clarity is critical for effective science communication. The structure of the presentation must enable the audience and judges to easily follow the talk and they should be left with a full understanding of the scientific concept chosen.

CHARISMA

The audience and judges should be left inspired and enthused about science. The winner will be a charismatic presenter who makes the science easy to listen to, entertaining, exciting and who is not only able to communicate the science but who can share their passion for it.

Tips and tricks for a great pitch

Idea
  1. Think about the beginning and the end - Hook us at the start, and then give us a satisfying ending that leaves us feeling we’ve had a complete journey (it’s nice if it brings the beginning back in some way, but that’s not the only way to end).
  2. Don’t try to copy somebody else’s style - Go with what works for you.
  3. Make sure there’s enough science in there - We can learn a lot in three minutes if you tell it well.
  4. Tell us something you’re excited about… - ...your enthusiasm will shine through.
  5. Let go of the PowerPoint safety net - Printing your slides onto a t-shirt or, worse, laminated bits of paper reduces you from 3 to 2 dimensions.
  6. Be in the moment - Acknowledging what’s happening right here, right now (even if it’s something going wrong!) keeps us engaged – and shows you’re confident enough to cope.
  7. Don’t overdo your introduction - You need to set a scene, give us a moment to grasp who you are and lead into your subject, sure. But you need to do all of that quickly! You haven't really started until the introduction is behind you – keep it punchy.
  8. Know where you’re going - However much you've slaved over the individual words of your performance, make sure you know the waymarks too: the bullet-points that keep you on track. There are probably around five of them, and the last one will usually be your last line. If that's fixed in your mind then no matter how many of your carefully-honed lines fall apart, you still know how you're going to finish. So that's one less distraction.
  9. “What will they talk about later?” - What's your piece about? You need to be able to answer that in, say, ten words. Those words need to work when prefixed with "Did you know…" or "I heard this amazing thing today…". Give people memorable nuggets they can use as social currency, it's the best way of spreading ideas around.
  10. Think theatrically - The impact of a prop can be changed by how it's introduced - is it carried on, picked up, or revealed? Similarly, you can trail your finale, tease it, or reveal it from an unexpected direction. There's no right or wrong here, you have to choose what best suits you and your story. But make sure you choose rather than just letting it happen.