Unite! Research School: A Week of European Collaboration in Research
From October 14 to 18, 2024, Grenoble and Autrans hosted this groundbreaking week, which welcomed nearly 200 doctoral and master’s students, and researchers. The event offered participants opportunities to connect across disciplines, collaborate on multi-day case studies, and share insights within their scientific fields.
The event was more than a networking opportunity; it marked the beginning of a European doctoral collaboration within Unite!, enabling students to benefit from co-supervised theses and training across partner institutions.
“Unite! collaboration provides Aalto’s doctoral students in technology fields with the opportunity to find courses that suit them from a broader selection. Unite! offers a chance to network within their field and accelerate their academic careers,” explains Minna Söderqvist, Head of Doctoral Education Services. “Aalto’s doctoral students also benefit from pre-negotiated cotutelle agreement templates between Unite! universities.”
Bridging disciplines through case studies
The Research School focused on five strategic themes: artificial intelligence, Industry 4.0, sustainable electronics, electrochemical energy storage, and nuclear engineering. Participants engaged in expert-led lectures and keynote presentations. One evening, doctoral students had the opportunity to discuss their doctoral research in a poster session. During multiple sessions, all doctoral students worked in mixed heterogenous groups with case studies of their fields during the whole week. At the end of the week, the best cases from each research field were nominated, with several doctoral students from Aalto participating in the winning teams. Among them was Zhineng Fei, a Doctoral Researcher at the Department of Electrical Engineering and Automation at Aalto, who was part of the team awarded a diploma for outstanding performance in the Case Study Assignment and Pitch
Exploring Grenoble’s Innovation Ecosystem
A dedicated day of site visits immersed participants in Grenoble’s vibrant technological and scientific ecosystem. They toured key institutions like the ILL, CEA, Schneider Electric, and the S.Mart technology platform, gaining first-hand insights into local innovations and industrial partnerships.
“Unite! Research School is an exceptionally innovative event because it’s the first time we’ve organized an international week dedicated to research involving students, PhD candidates, and faculty from Unite! partner universities,” says Franz Bruckert, lead of Unite! activities at Grenoble-INP.
Strengthening Networks and Sharing Success
The week concluded with testimonials from doctoral students and researchers, who reflected on their academic journeys, challenges, and triumphs. A research project pitch session provided a platform for students to showcase their work, fostering further collaboration.
“It was a very nice experience, mixture of disciplinary lectures, transversal skills for research, team working, and a lot of networking. I had the chance to meet representatives from CEA and Soitec, both are working on fields related to my research topic. It was enlightening to learn about their facilities and current projects. I am confident that I will visit Grenoble for research in the future,” shares Mohamed Radwan, a Doctoral Researcher at the Department of Electrical Engineering and Automation.
With its resounding success, the Unite! Research School set the stage for a robust and sustainable network of European doctoral researchers, fostering collaboration across disciplines and borders.
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