Empowering Early Career Researchers: Insights Into a Multimethods Evaluation Study

This practice-based research examines the impacts of a nine-month international, interdisciplinary virtual leadership program for sustainability, focusing on early career researchers which was held in 2022. The study
investigates the impacts of the program on the participants, in particular, the (1) development of key competencies for sustainable development (Brundiers et al., 2021; European Commission, 2022; Jordan, 2021)
and (2) the strengths and weaknesses of the program itself. A mixed-method approach (Creswell & Plano, 2018), comprising formative surveys, semi-structured interviews, team evaluations, and joint strategy meetings,
was employed to gain insights. Results indicate that participants further developed their competencies in self-awareness and reflection, listening, collaborative competency, and embodying sustainable values and agency: For instance, the program fostered collaboration through the co-creation of online sessions, self-led peer groups, and support for student projects. Two joint research collaborations were established during the 2022 edition.
The findings suggest that the virtual leadership program has the potential to successfully develop essential competencies and to facilitate international and interdisciplinary collaborations for sustainable development
among the participants. Informed by participant feedback, the program was refined for the 2023 edition. Further research is needed to evaluate the long-term impact on the participants in more detail.