HERTZ BRIGITTE

Their core work

Hertz, training for Scientists is a Dutch private company that provides professional development and transferable skills training to early-career researchers embedded in EU-funded doctoral networks (MSCA Innovative Training Networks). Rather than conducting research itself, it acts as a specialist third-party training provider contracted by ITN consortia to deliver researcher competency programs — covering communication, career planning, and scientific presentation alongside domain-specific workshops. Its participation in two scientifically unrelated ITNs (tinnitus/neuroscience and multiphoton photonics) demonstrates that its training methodology is field-agnostic and adaptable to any scientific discipline. The company operates entirely within the MSCA ecosystem, making it a niche enabler of researcher mobility and professional growth rather than a research actor.

What they specialise in

How they've shifted over time

In the early phase (TIN-ACT, 2017), Hertz operated within a biomedical research network focused on tinnitus — a health and neuroscience domain. By 2019, with MUSIQ, the context shifted sharply toward advanced optical physics: nonlinear optics, ultrafast spectroscopy, nanophotonics, and plasmonics. This is not a shift in Hertz's own expertise but rather evidence that their training offer successfully crosses disciplinary boundaries, having been recruited by consortia working in fundamentally different scientific fields within a two-year window.

Their trajectory points toward becoming a recurring cross-domain training partner for MSCA-ITN consortia in precision sciences, making them a relevant addition to any future ITN in life sciences, physics, or instrumentation seeking a dedicated training provider.

How they like to work

Hertz never leads or coordinates — it enters projects exclusively as a third party, a supporting role that is contractually separate from the main beneficiaries. This means they are recruited rather than self-initiating, and their involvement depends on consortium decision-makers choosing to include external training support. Despite only two projects, they connected with 28 unique partners across 10 countries, which reflects the large consortium sizes typical of ITN networks and not a broad independent network built by Hertz itself.

Hertz has indirect exposure to 28 partner organizations across 10 countries through its two ITN engagements, but this network belongs to the consortia rather than to Hertz directly. Their geographic footprint is European, shaped by the pan-European structure of MSCA-ITN programs.

What sets them apart

Hertz occupies a highly specific niche: a private training company purpose-built for integration into EU researcher training networks, operating outside academia but inside the MSCA system. Unlike university career centers or generic soft-skills consultancies, their client base is ITN consortia — meaning their programs are calibrated to the demands of doctoral researchers in competitive EU projects. For a consortium coordinator building an ITN proposal, Hertz represents a ready-made, experienced training partner that satisfies the EU requirement for complementary skills training without burdening academic partners.

Highlights from their portfolio

• MUSIQ
  Embedding a generalist training provider within a high-specialization network covering quantum imaging and nonlinear photonics demonstrates Hertz's ability to operate effectively at the frontier of physics research.
• TIN-ACT
  Participation in a five-year tinnitus research school spanning assessment, neuroscience mechanisms, and clinical treatments shows Hertz's earliest documented ITN engagement and its reach into health and biomedical research training.