As part of its career development objective, the OPEN action runs a mentorship program for its members representing young researchers and innovators (YRIs). The program supports the academic training of YRIs by providing the opportunity to be paired with experts in their fields of interest, to meet for joint work and guidance (in person or virtually). The mentorship program is co-administered by OPEN’s grant coordinator and scientific outreach coordinator. By facilitating collaborations between researchers at different stages of their careers, the program provides a space for mutual support and learning between leading scholars on higher education and European integration, and an emerging generation of thinkers working at the cusp of these issues and generating novel perspectives and knowledge.