The first cohort of the NeurotechEU Doctoral Network holds its inaugural meeting

The first cohort of the European University of Brain and Technology (NeurotechEU) Doctoral Network met for the first time during the Alliance's General Assembly, held at Radboud University (Netherlands). The meeting introduced the network’s vision of building a community of early-career researchers in Europe and allowed PhD candidates from various European universities to meet in person, share their research lines, and begin building an international academic community focused on neuroscience and neurotechnology.

The aim of this initiative is to connect early-career researchers from disciplines as diverse as neuroscience, biomedical engineering, artificial intelligence, neurology, and data science, fostering a genuinely interdisciplinary environment. Throughout the various sessions, participants exchanged experiences regarding the challenges of doctoral research, explored potential collaboration opportunities, and discovered the tools and activities that the NeurotechEU Doctoral Network will offer them over the coming years.

For many of those attending, the meeting also presented an opportunity to expand their professional networks beyond their home universities through opportunities including international collaboration, interdisciplinary learning, mobility, and professional development. An open discussion was held on NeurotechEU Doctoral Network website and social media channels, where researchers could share their suggestions about the content they would like to see. The meeting also included a workshop on communication skills by Prof. Bob Harris from Karolinska Institutet.

“As members of the first cohort, we were encouraged to actively contribute to shaping the network through activities such as research idea pitches, early-career seminars, and networking opportunities. Being part of the NeurotechEU Doctoral Network is a great opportunity as it brings together diverse perspectives, share ideas, learn from each other, and build collaborations that can lead to exciting things.” - Osama Ejaz, Boğaziçi University

NeurotechEU Doctoral network felt like the missing piece in the alliance. It is a structured programme focused on the usually ignored aspects of a PhD. I particularly liked the communication skills workshop and the interactive discussions in which we as PhD students got to learn some tips and tricks from experienced faculty.” - Belal Tavashi, Boğaziçi University

The establishment of this first cohort marks a new milestone in the development of NeurotechEU. Beyond the training activities to be rolled out in the coming months, the NeurotechEU Doctoral Network aspires to become a European community of young researchers committed to advancing neurotechnology