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On 6 and 7 July, a two-day Plenary Event brought together, for the first time in-person, the PhD students and the industrial and academic supervisors of InnovaXN, an EU-funded Marie Skłodowska-Curie doctoral training programme. The programme has 38 PhD students studying industry-related projects in areas such as materials science, soft-matter science, biology and physics.

This event was an important moment for InnovaXN to bring together all students and supervisors from ESRF, ILL and our partners in industry and universities, enabling face-to-face cross-disciplinary discussions and networking amongst participants.

Feedback from one of the students, Wenke Müller:

“Both, my industrial and academic supervisors enjoyed it a lot and even my local supervisor who couldn't come enjoyed the online version. They all agree on that the talks were so nicely selected and the programme well organised. I myself also enjoyed the event a lot and it was super nice to have had my supervisors in the same place for some time. I think it really helped our collaboration. Therefore, thanks again and I am looking forward to the next plenary event!“

External guests gave their precious time to be with us and to share their experiences in research, innovation and professional development.

The first call students had five minutes to pitch their projects and share their first results or objectives. Then all students could present their work at the poster session. The very nice picnic dinner on the EPN campus lawns was an excellent opportunity for informal discussions. The event was concluded by a very lively brainstorming session on how to enhance industry–academia collaboration.  

Congratulations to all for the very interesting presentations, even for those who are at an early stage of their projects, and to the organisers for setting up such an inspiring and friendly event.