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It turned out that among the participating universities, we were the only one that successfully launched a cross-border mentoring program. Given the diversity of mentoring programs presented at the event and the extensive opportunities for discussion during the lectures, our participation in this conference was greatly enriching not only for us but also, we believe, for the other participating universities and their members, as we were cited as an example of best practice. We will conclude the pilot phase with an evaluation in the summer months, and in the fall, we look forward to welcoming new mentees and mentors for the cross-border program.

The University of West Bohemia in Pilsen, in cooperation with its partner German university OTH Amberg-Weiden, has launched a unique cross-border mentoring program within the career4PROF project. This program is specifically designed for students in master's programs or those interested in pursuing doctoral studies and a scientific career. The aim of the mentoring program is to inspire and motivate young people to pursue a scientific career path, as interest in doctoral studies and academic careers has been declining across both technical and non-technical fields.

The careerSTEPS mentoring program is based on the idea of creating cross-border mentor-mentee tandems. In this year's pilot run, we received 10 applications from mentees in Bavaria, for whom we found 10 mentors from across the University of West Bohemia, thanks to their willingness and enthusiasm, matching the mentees' profiles. Each pair signs a mentoring agreement, tailored to the specific wishes and needs of the mentee and their mentor.

The mentoring program runs from November 2023 to July 2024, during which time the pairs meet on scheduled dates for online meetings, in person at the University of West Bohemia or the partner OTH Amberg-Weiden, or participate together in other interesting professional activities such as workshops, conferences, meetings with doctoral students from the University of West Bohemia, or visits to laboratories and companies.