Academia
We help researchers communicate their science to human beings.
Universities, PhD & Post-Doc training from IMPROV Communication helps researchers communicate with impact, collaborate across disciplines, strengthen their networking, and build the resilience to excel in competitive academic settings. We work with institutes including DTU, KU, ITU and NAD. The training is experiential and grounded in our Applied Improv methodology.
The problem
Careers in research run on conversations.
Funding decisions, collaborations and co-authorships all start the same way: a researcher explaining their work to someone outside their field, in minutes, and making it land. Brilliant work loses out every year to work that was simply explained better. And inside the institute, the same pattern holds — teams and support staff perform best where people feel safe to speak up.
This fits if
You're investing in your researchers as people, not just as scientists.
A PhD cohort or graduate school building communication and collaboration skills. A retreat or seminar that needs more than another lecture. A research group collaborating across disciplines. Or the coordinators, lab managers and support staff who keep the institute running and rarely get a day that's theirs.
What we do
Experiential, practical, no slides.
Every session is hands-on and grounded in Applied Improv: researchers practise explaining their science, starting the conversations their careers depend on, and building the resilience competitive academic settings demand. Sessions run for up to 25 participants with one facilitator, bookable alone or combined into a programme across a seminar, a retreat or a full cohort journey. Every engagement follows our Behavioural Change Process and is paired with a 30-day follow-up, so the change holds after the room empties.
Four sessions
Four sessions, built for the way researchers actually work.
Book a single session or combine them — many institutions build a programme across a seminar, a retreat or a full cohort journey.
Communication
Communicating Your Science to Human Beings
Help researchers explain complex work to anyone — funders, collaborators, the media, the public — without losing the science.
90m – 5h · up to 25 participants · 1 facilitator
Learn more →Connection
Leveraging Your Network
The relationships that drive research careers — collaborations, funding, co-authorships — start with a conversation. We help researchers start them.
90m – 5h · up to 25 participants · 1 facilitator
Learn more →Teams
Team Development for Support Staff
The people who keep a research institute running rarely get a day that's theirs. This session builds trust, communication and psychological safety across the support team.
90m – 5h · up to 25 participants · 1 facilitator
Learn more →Foundations
The 5 Guiding Principles of IMPROV
A practical framework for showing up differently in any conversation, meeting or room full of strangers. The foundation of every IMPROV training.
90m – 5h · up to 25 participants · 1 facilitator
Learn more →Track record
The change shows up in the numbers.
Across 20 engagements and 700+ participants, 373 gave us feedback — and 96% would recommend us.
Neuroscience Academy Denmark (NAD)
Training partner for five consecutive years. A six-session communication and leadership programme for each new PhD cohort, funded through the Novo Nordisk Foundation.
DTU
Trainings delivered for DTU Compute, DTU Aqua, DTU CeMiSt and DTU Fødevareinstituttet.
University of Copenhagen (KU)
Ongoing partnerships across BRIC and multiple faculties.
Danish Diabetes and Endocrine Academy (DDEA)
Communication trainings for diabetes researchers in the Novo Nordisk Foundation ecosystem.
Danish Data Science Academy (DDSA) at ITU
Experiential trainings for data science PhD students.
Novo Nordisk, Novartis, Novonesis, Fujifilm Diosynth
Science communication and leadership trainings for R&D professionals.
Across research and industry
Across our work with research and corporate partners alike — including BASF, Allianz and Beiersdorf — the pattern is consistent: the teams that perform best are the ones where psychological safety is highest. And that is built through experience, not instruction.
Investing in your researchers? Let's design the right sessions.
We reply within one working day. If we're not the right partner, we'll say so.
Start a conversation
Tell us what you would like to change.
FAQ
Questions, answered
- What training does IMPROV offer for universities and PhD students?
- Four standard sessions: Communicating Your Science to Human Beings, Leveraging Your Network, Team Development for Support Staff, and The 5 Guiding Principles of IMPROV. Each is experiential, grounded in Applied Improv, and can be booked alone or combined into a programme.
- Who are these sessions for?
- PhD students, postdocs and senior researchers, as well as the coordinators, lab managers and support staff who keep a research institute running. The support-staff session is designed specifically for operational teams.
- How long are the sessions, and how many people can attend?
- Minimum 90 minutes. We recommend anything between two and five hours, up to 25 participants, with one facilitator. We have a venue in the centre of Copenhagen, where the training can take place, or we can come to you. All we need is an empty space large enough for everyone to stand in a circle.
- Which universities and research institutions have you worked with?
- We have delivered trainings for the Neuroscience Academy Denmark, DTU, the University of Copenhagen, the Danish Diabetes and Endocrine Academy, and the Danish Data Science Academy at ITU, among others, alongside R&D teams at Novo Nordisk, Novartis, Novonesis and Fujifilm Diosynth.
- Can the sessions be combined into a full programme?
- Yes. Many institutions combine sessions across a seminar, a retreat or a cohort journey. We deliver a six-session programme annually for the Neuroscience Academy Denmark. Start with an exploration call and we'll design the right shape for you.