After a total of ten months at SwissCore, we say farewell to Janik Mutter, first trainee and then Junior Advisor for European Research.
“I would have never thought of staying in Brussels for almost a year when I started as a trainee. But I am extremely happy that I did. The last ten months working for SwissCore went by incredibly fast, accelerated by the versatility of tasks and experiences I encountered. I got the chance to get to know the Brussels bubble up close, start to really understand how the European Union works and build a network with colleagues from all over Europe, especially in the frame of the IGLO network. Because I was used to working in a lab, the mode of working here in Brussels was a huge transition, instead of pipetting all day, I started to attend conferences, meetings and events on the most diverse topics, to extract relevant information for SwissCore and our Swiss partners.”
At the time of his entry as a trainee for research in September 2022, Janik had recently graduated from the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology Zurich (ETHZ) with a Master’s degree in Microbiology and Immunology. After the regular 6 months as a trainee at SwissCore, he left (see SwissCore article) only to come back about a month later as Junior Advisor for Research. As Junior Advisor, Janik focused mainly on the EU’s digital policies and digital activities within Horizon Europe and the Digital Europe Programme. He followed in more detail the developments of the two legislative files on Artificial Intelligence and Chips and the effects the latter one has on the Key Digital Technologies Joint Undertaking. Furthermore, he followed up on his work on the European partnerships supporting the team with his experience and knowledge also in the context of organising a study visit for Euresearch and the Swiss National Science Foundation. Besides, he followed ongoing developments and events in Brussels, wrote Synopsis articles including a success story about the ERC project Locus Ludi, infomails and supported the planning and implementation of a Science Briefing and the 2023 Annual Event.
We would like to thank Janik for the effort, motivation and inspiration he invested in his work for SwissCore. His support was extremely valuable in a very busy time when the default capacities of the team were reduced due to earlier leaving trainees, parenthood and a PhD. As he started as Advisor already knowing the processes and activities of SwissCore, he could take a head dive into the day-to-day work, event organisation and even dedicated projects like the digital overview. We wish him all the best and much success on his forthcoming professional journey.
“I will definitely miss SwissCore. I gathered so many worthwhile experiences, even if my next steps will lead me back to research. Thanks to the whole SwissCore team who welcomed me warmly twice and supported me throughout, especially Sarah Bühler. I can take many new insights and connections with me back to Switzerland.”