We are thrilled to share highlights from our recent Collaboration Kick-Off Days held on February 20th and February 27th, 2024. The goal? To ignite collaboration and spark project ideas with disciplines outside of doctoral researchers’ labs.
In preparation for the event, doctoral researchers sought out potential research collaborations with docs from other labs within SmallData. They produced presentations outlining the mutual benefits of their proposed collaborations and detailed the necessary tools and resources required to transform these collaborations into concrete action plans. Through thoughtful discussions and interactive brainstorming sessions, the docs explored how their combined expertise could address complex challenges and drive meaningful progress in their respective fields.
The event, which was organized by the IRTG SMART, also hosted presentations from our SMART PI Nadine Binder, and our Scientific Coordinator and Research Data Manager, Sophia Nolde. Nadine shared valuable insights from her personal experience with collaboration. Sophia delivered a presentation on the utilisation of GitHub as a powerful tool for streamlining collaborative efforts.
The depth of knowledge and creativity showcased during the doctoral researchers’ presentations was truly inspiring, laying a strong foundation for future collaborative endeavors.
This is what two of our doctoral researchers specifically liked about the Collaboration Kick-Off days:
Hannah Habenicht (Project B02):
“I liked how the workshop highlighted the importance of a certain mindset. Venturing outside your expertise feels like being a novice again, reminiscent of first university lectures. Yet, when overcoming the initial feeling of inadequacy by embracing the unknown and learning to effectively communicate your knowledge to others, can lead to some remarkable ideas. As a strong proponent of interdisciplinarity, seeing the creative outcomes from different fields finding common ground was inspiring to see.”
Lukas Hoffmann (Project C01):
“I liked that the workshop put me out of my comfort zone in the lab where I saw my project through lab glasses. Suddenly, I had to learn theories and techniques from other disciplines which ended up helping my own project and which gave me the opportunity to practice working in an interdisciplinary setting. This was a great training experience for my future career – whether in industry or science.”
Stay tuned for updates on the exciting projects that emerge from these collaborative efforts!
Institute of Medical Biometry and Statistics,
Faculty of Medicine and Medical Center –
University of Freiburg
