‘Use rejection to sharpen ideas and open unexpected new directions’
How often do academics talk openly about rejection? Unsuccessful grant applications, rejected manuscripts, and missed opportunities are a familiar part of academic life, yet they are rarely discussed as openly as successes such as awarded grants, publications, and promotions. The session Failing Forward – Turning Rejection into Future Opportunities, held on June 15 at the Agora, set out to change that.
The event was initiated by Billy Tsagkroni, Senior Assistant Professor at the Institute of Political Science, whose initiative brought together researchers from different career stages to discuss a topic that is familiar to everyone in academia but rarely addressed openly. Billy opened the afternoon by sharing their personal experiences with rejection and their motivation for organizing the session.
Engaging
The session was moderated by Lenneke Alink, who guided the conversation with care and skill. Throughout the afternoon, she connected the personal reflections shared by the speakers with the questions and experiences raised by participants, helping to create an open and engaging atmosphere.
What sparks you?
Eveline Crone, Professor at Leiden University and Erasmus University Rotterdam, started her contribution in an interactive way. She invited participants to reflect on three questions: What sparks you? What inspires you? What guides you? The exercise encouraged everyone to reconnect with the motivations that drive their work and careers.
Rejection as redirection
Drawing on her own experiences, Crone shared practical and inspiring advice for navigating the setbacks that come with an academic career. She encouraged participants to follow their own path, focus on the next two to five years, and stay true to their values and interests rather than pursuing opportunities simply because others think they should. She also framed rejection as redirection: valuable feedback that can sharpen ideas, strengthen proposals, and open unexpected new directions.
Healthier culture
The discussion that followed explored how academia can develop a healthier culture around failure and rejection. Participants exchanged experiences and ideas on how colleagues, supervisors, and the faculty can better support researchers facing setbacks.
Opportunities
A recurring message throughout the afternoon was that rejection does not mean the work itself lacks value, nor that the person behind it has failed. Rather, rejection is part of the academic process; what matters is how we respond to it. Participants were encouraged to see setbacks as opportunities to learn, adapt, and grow. Failing Forward highlighted an important message for the academic community: setbacks are not the end of the story. Often, they can become the starting point for new ideas, renewed focus, and future success.