Our collaborative research centre CREATOR commences its second funding period with an internal Kick-Off event in Graz, from July 02 until July 03. Before (from June 30 until July 02), our CREATOR PhDs pass the torch during our PhD Retreat. Some already have finished their PhD (even during the Retreat – congratulations to Dr. Nepomuk Krenn for that matter!), others started their employment shortly beforehand and can now connect with their peers and share their experiences with CREATOR.

Over 30 Doctoral Students from TU Graz, TU Darmstadt and JKU Linz were present during the event. On Tuesday, June 30, CREATOR members Michael Wiesheu, Eva-Maria Haslhofer, Kourosh Heidarikani, and Leon Blumrich held presentations on their journey within the Collaborative Research Centre. Afterwards, students visited the laboratories at Electric Drives and Power Electronic Systems Institute as well as at the Institute of Fundamentals and Theory in Electrical Engineering.

Day 2 of the PhD Retreat saw some interesting talks: First, Jasmin Hus of TU Graz International Office spoke on the services provided by TU Graz for international students. Second, Coordinator for Doctoral Studies Sabine Vogl, who gave talks on the stages of the TU Graz doctoral programme from admission until examination. The day concluded with workshops by Katja Mittrenga on Working in Intercultural Teams as well as Research Data Management by Hermann Schranzhofer.

Overall, the event was a great opportunity for our CREATOR PhDs to get to know eachother, establishing strong connections between our members from the beginning of the project.