NetwOArk Conference Kickoff

The venue was Casa Bellafila, part of Reina de la Pau, in Barcelona and hosted by the NetwOArk members Dr Josep Vergés Milano, dr. Marco Bibas and dr. Nina Martinez from OAFI.

On the 23rd of January, 2023 three Action group meetings were held at the conference venue

  • 14-15 hrs Core group meeting
  • 15-16 hrs Scientific Communication Committee meeting
  • 16:15-17.30 hrs MC meeting

On the 24th, we welcomed 69 members of the CA21110 NetwOArk for a full day of meet & greet, discussing the working group plans and sharing the progress and insights so far within the Working Groups and Scientific Communication Committee.

Each Working Group Lead shared the current progress within the Working Group during a plenary session.

It is clear that each Working Group is gathering momentum as people start to get to know one another and work on tasks can start. An important point of attention is to maintain good communication between Working Groups, to align plans and avoid duplication or discrepancies.

The Scientific Communication Committee, in a joint effort with WG4, is working on communication strategies and communication tools, such as a logo, webpage and newsletter.
During the conference, the logo was presented and, in the meantime, has been approved by the MC, so it can be used to showcase NetwOArk in Europe and abroad.

All participants were also asked via vote by hand if they objected to the sharing of the photos taken during the day for use on the website, social media and other communication tools. No one raised an objection.

Another interesting part of the programme was the Young Researcher Presentation session. Several Young Researchers from the working Groups presented themselves to the members. As the presenters did not use slides, but props to support their story, each presentation had a nice personal touch or made the expertise of the researcher clearly visible to everyone. Props such as plants, balls and sensors made their appearance and from the presentations it became clear that NetwOArk has a nice, diverse group of talented and motivated people aboard.

During the breaks, lunch and dinners, people took the opportunity to get acquainted, share their backgrounds and discuss the Action so far. Also, in that sense, the Kickoff Conference has provided good momentum to the Action and the tasks ahead.

All in all, it has been two very worthwhile days, promising a good start for NetwOArk.