Have you noticed the growing buzz about the variety of mentorship opportunities offered through the MICCAI Society? You’re not imagining it.

New programs have been taking shape to support the next generation of researchers and innovators to help advance their research and careers. Qualified mentors offer students and early-career scientists with valuable guidance, skills development, and networking opportunities that can accelerate their growth and integration into the professional community. 

The MICCAI Career Advancement Working Group (of the MICCAI Society Board), in collaboration with the MICCAI Student Board (MSB), Women in MICCAI (WiM), RISE-MICCAI, and the MICCAI 2025 conference Organizing Committee, is pleased to offer a diverse range of career development and mentorship opportunities. These programs are designed to support students and early-career researchers as they navigate their academic and professional journeys. 

Below is an overview of the different mentorship initiatives being offered. We hope it will also guide you on how you can get involved, as either a mentor or mentee.

MICCAI Society Mentorship Program

• What: Career-focused mentorship – Matches are made with qualified mentors to provide guidance on topics such as how to publish in high-impact publications, address career challenges, guidance on academic/industry careers, write a grant, find a fellowship, build a research lab or a startup. The program uses the Together platform to coordinate the matching process and provide mentorship guides and resources.
• Who: Students and early-career researchers from anywhere in the world. A mentee must be a current member of the MICCAI Society. Exceptions may be permitted for applicants from underserved countries.
• When: The program runs on a continuous basis and is offered year-round. Once established, mentorship relationships range from six months to two years.
• How: Sign up to apply to be a mentor or a mentee by completing the Expression of Interest form.
• Where: More information is available on the MICCAI Society website.

MSB Academia & Industry Panel Discussion

• What: Career-focused mentorship: The MSB Academia and Industry (A&I) Panel, organized and run by the MICCAI Student Board, is held annually at MICCAI conferences. It takes place as a moderated panel discussion to educate current students on career possibilities post-graduation, with a focus on the differences between academic and corporate career paths. It features lightning talks, panel discussions, and audience Q&A, offering insights into career planning, skill development, and the experiences that shape each trajectory.
• Who: Open to all MICCAI 2025 attendees, especially students, young scientists, and early-career researchers.
• When: The A&I Panel will begin at 6:00 pm on the first day of the main conference (Sept 24th)
• How: Registration is not required. We look forward to seeing you at the event!
• Where: More information is available on the MSB website.

MSB Academia & Industry Networking Event

• What: Career-focused mentorship: The MSB is organizing the annual Academia and Industry Networking event, which will take place in an informal setting following the panel discussion. This year, the networking event will be structured in a “speed-dating” format, with networking partners situated at individual tables and available to meet with different students in each round. In an effort to broaden engagement, the MSB is partnering with the MICCAI Startup Village and Women in MICCAI to include competition winners and networking partners who will facilitate focused conversations on entrepreneurship and unique challenges faced by women researchers.
• Who: Open to all MICCAI 2025 attendees, especially students, young scientists, and early-career researchers.
• When: The Networking event will take place in the evening of the first day of the main conference (Sept 24th)
• How: Registration is not required. We look forward to seeing you at the event.
• Where: More information is available on the MSB website.

MICCAI Society Startup Village

• What: Startup mentorship: The MICCAI Society Startup Village offers entrepreneurs and Startups an opportunity to increase their visibility and expand their network within the MICCAI community and grow their business. The initiative begins with a global, virtual pitch competition where the top 10 Startups will be chosen to showcase their solutions to representatives from industry and academia. All virtual competition participants will get direct connection to the NVIDIA Inception Program and the AWS Activate Startup Program. The top 3 finalists will be offered exhibitor space at MICCAI 2025 and invited to participate in the MSB networking event. In addition, the winning startup will receive travel support, and the top 3 finalists will be granted free registration to the conference.
• Who: Start-ups who have an innovative solution relevant to the MICCAI Society’s field.
• When: The pitch competition will take place on July 9 with the top 3 finalists attending the MICCAI 2025 conference from Sept 23-27, 2025
• How: Applications are due June 22, 2025 here.
• Where: More information is available on the MICCAI 2025 conference website.

RISE-MICCAI Mentorship Program

• What: Paper preparation support: In preparation for MICCAI 2026, RISE-MICCAI, in collaboration with the MICCAI Society Career Advancement Working Group, is organizing an online Summer School which includes a Mentorship Program. Mentors will guide graduates of the Summer School through the entire MICCAI paper preparation process covering everything from design and writing to presentation, from both the author and the reviewer perspectives.
• Who: Early-career researchers who are first-time MICCAI conference attendees from underserved countries. Mentees will be selected after completing the RISE-MICCAI Online Summer School from July 14-18, 2025.
• When: For a one-year period starting September 1, 2025, ending October 1, 2026 at MICCAI 2026.
• How: Sign-up for the RISE-MICCAI Summer School by June 29, 2025. To volunteer as a mentor, sign up here by August 1, 2025
• Where: For more information contact miccai.rise@gmail.com

AFRICAI Mentorship Program 2025-2026 

• What: Paper preparation support: AFRICAI has developed a 12-month mentorship program to advance participants’ AI research and help prepare their paper submission and participation at MICCAI 2026. Participants will receive financial support, personalized mentorship and research supervision plus access to computational resources. 
• Who: Ten African students (PhD, MSc or BSc) or early career researchers (less than 4 years since PhD completion) will be selected. Grantees will be African nationals who are based in Africa and are affiliated with an African university or research institution. 
• When: A 12-month program from September 2025 - August 2026
• How:  Submit your complete application to africai.org@gmail.com by July 1, 2025.
• Where: Full details and application criteria are on the AFRICAI website

MICCAI 2025 Young Researchers Excellence Training Program

• What: Paper preparation support: An online mentorship and small group training initiative to guide young researchers through the preparation phase of their first MICCAI manuscript submission from an author’s perspective.
• Who: Students, postdoctoral fellows and early-career researchers who have research work in progress to be submitted to the MICCAI 2025 conference or workshops. Mentees must have the support of their research supervisor in their home institution. With MICCAI 2025 being hosted in South Korea, and we want to increase participation from underrepresented countries across the Pan-Asian region, priority will be given to applicants from South/Southeast Asia, Central Asia and Middle East Asia.
• When: The program was launched in January 2025 and ends at the MICCAI 2025 conference.
• Where: More information is available on the MICCAI 2025 conference website