Connecting with the AUFRANDE Community – Bordeaux 2025

Bordeaux, 03.11.25 – 07.11.25

Seven months into my PhD, I had the chance to take part in my first AUFRANDE event. Due to a delay of my train, I arrived just in time for the first session. After the greeting by the director of ICMCB, the institution hosting the event, and the welcome address by Pauline (our project manager), I had the opportunity to facilitate the discussion of one of the groups in the subsequent workshop. To be honest, I was very nervous beforehand. I quickly realised that there was no reason to be. The other fellows were keen to participate and we had fruitful discussions. In the evening a larger group of fellows spontaneously met at Place de la Victoire to have dinner. I was impressed by the curiosity of the other fellows to try the various dishes of French cuisine, some of which I would have been afraid of ordering myself.

The second day revolved around the project review with the project officer from the European Union. We, the doctoral candidates, met beforehand in the morning to collect the feedback of all the fellows present. Afterwards, to present the AUFRANDE Program to the project officer, three candidates gave a presentation which was followed by a broader poster session. I found it enriching not only to learn about the research projects of the other candidates, but also about their personal backgrounds and aims. After lunch, the doctoral candidates met with the project officer. He engaged thoughtfully with our feedback and perspectives on the programme, showing genuine interest in our experiences. The feedback was then discussed in a plenary session with Pauline and the present supervisors. After the intense day, we took a boat tour on the Garonne. Thanks to our guide, I learned, for example, that the water has its muddy color – which locals call blond or golden – because of the tidal variations of the river, which can reach a difference in height of about 6 meters.

The third day we received training on technology intelligence. After an introduction, we explored lens.org, which allows to users to create visualise search results on a scholar or patent database. Finally, we applied the analysis to our own domain to identify research and innovation trends as well as the corresponding players. At the suggestion of our local fellows, we met in an Indian restaurant for dinner. When, after dinner, one after another got up to dance to Indian music, I had no choice but to join in. We had a lot of fun.

On the fourth day, after completing the technology intelligence training in the morning, we had two discussion panels in the afternoon. In the first panel, four former PhD candidates gave us insight into their professional journey after their PhD. In the second panel, two speakers shared their start-up experience. In the afternoon, the Marie Curie Alumni Association, who had co-organised the panels, invited us to a rallye through Bordeaux. Due to bad weather, we met instead for bowling.

On the last day, we had workshops on standardisation and wellbeing in the morning. After lunch, the event was over. Besides the insightful sessions, I particularly appreciated the opportunity for exchange with other candidates. It went beyond technical aspects and opportunities for cooperation. I would like to thank Pauline and all the other people involved in the organization of the event. My thanks also go to the speakers and fellow candidates for the stimulating discussions, and to the project officer for his attentiveness. Finally, I want to acknowledge the European taxpayers, whose financial support makes our research possible.

To learn more about my own research project click here: https://aufrande.eu/project/dc-11/.