Profile Field Neuroscience & Neurotechnology in Freiburg

Looking back

Successful kick-off of the profile field Neuroscience & Neurotechnology

All in all around 150 Freiburg neuroscientists took part in the first annual retreat

“This event provided a broad overview of neuroscience activities in Freiburg. It is through these joint meetings, that the feeling of community grows”, says Prof. Dr. Ilka Diester, research group leader Optophysiology, who was mainly responsible for the organization of the first annual retreat of the profile field Neuroscience & Neurotechnology. In this way the neuroscientist also describes the main intention of the event, which was intended as a prelude to bring the diverse neuro community in Freiburg closer together, strengthen it and improve networking.

The profile field Neuroscience and Neurotechnology is one of a total of eight profile fields at the University of Freiburg which are intended to promote such networking activities within central, interdisciplinary research areas. The long-term hope associated with this is to identify common research interests more quickly and give them a higher priority, for example by means of jointly initiated and realized collaborative projects.

A total of around 150 participants took advantage of this first opportunity to get to know each other and gain a compact insight of Freiburg's various activities in the field of neurosciences and neurotechnology. These included lectures by professors and research group leaders who have recently come to Freiburg, as well as reports on the work of various neuroscientific centers, joint projects or current and planned research initiatives.

The organization team of the retreat, led by Ilka Diester and Prof. Dr. Andreas Vlachos, Department of Neuroanatomy, particularly welcomed the fact that not only university staff presented their activities, but also colleagues from the University Medical Hospital actively participated. "We would be delighted if the cooperation between the University and the University Hospital in the field of neurosciences could become even closer. There is still a lot of untapped potential here. We are convinced that everyone involved would benefit. This would strengthen Freiburg as a research location in the long term".

Prof. Dr. Andrew Straw, research group leader Neurobiology and Behavior, is of the same opinion and is one of those who are actively committed to stronger networking: "The retreat was a great chance for neuroscientists from all over the university to meet and hear what's new. I think this is already leading to greater connectedness in the community and in the long run should also lead to new collaborations and exciting science."

Dr. Julia Veit, Emmy Noether research group leader at the Medical Faculty, is one of the researchers who have just come to Freiburg. "I was very lucky to have the opportunity to present my research and get an overview of the different areas of the profile field during my first month at the university and as a completely new member of the Freiburg neuroscience community," she says about the retreat. For her "it was the perfect setting to talk to other associated researchers and find out common interests. In the future, it would be great to have a mix of scientific content next to updates of the large cooperative projects, to stay up to date on the progress of the other neuroscience groups."

But young scientists were also able to benefit from the first neuro retreat, says Guilherme Miotto, MSc Computer Science Student. "I really enjoyed the event! It was interesting to see how many projects are going on or being proposed," he concludes. "It was also a good opportunity to get to know the many neuroscience chairs spread throughout the university. This event is a must for MSc. students seeking a thesis topic or considering doing a Phd. I'm looking forward to the next edition!"

This is already being prepared. "The framework for the next event, however, has not yet been decided. "We are currently examining various concepts and ideas through which we can best pursue our long-term goals," says Ilka Diester.

Original announcement

We cordially invite you to the 1st Annual Retreat within the "Profile Field Neuroscience & Neurotechnology" in Freiburg. The Retreat provides an opportunity for everyone in the Freiburg Neuroscience & Neurotechnology community – faculty, fellows, students, researchers, and clinicians – to meet and discuss their work in order to increase awareness of ongoing research and approaches/technologies, to generate novel ideas, and to foster new interactions and collaborations.

Registration

Closed

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Profile field spokespersons

PD Dr. Tonio Ball
Prof. Dr. Ilka Diester
Prof. Dr. Thomas Stieglitz

Contact

Katja Kukatz
katja.kukatz@bcf.uni-freiburg.de