From the 3rd to the 6th of November, the 2nd Annual Meeting of the MSCA-DN YAF project was hosted by Åbo Akademi University (YAF Project Partner) in Turku, Finland.
From the 3rd to the 5th of November 2025, the DCs participated in the training course “Professional Development for Young Scientists”. This course, delivered by hfp consulting trainers Annika Lübbert and Jorg Stange, supported the DCs in strengthening their skills in project management, self-organisation, communication, and collaboration.
As newly elected DC Representative 2025/2026, Maria Spinosa (DC8) shared her impressions of the course:
“The success of this hfp consulting training was clear from the very beginning. It was the first workshop delivered by hfp consulting for the YAF consortium with all twelve Doctoral Candidates together and this created an especially strong and collaborative atmosphere. The group worked in great harmony, supported each other, and stayed fully engaged in every activity.
In the Leadership and Management Skills course, we learned about leadership roles, team dynamics, and how to communicate in a clear and confident way. Experiencing this training as a full group made everything more meaningful and helped us grow stronger as a team.
As DC Representative, I was very proud to see how naturally everyone collaborated and how positive the atmosphere was. This workshop was more than a course: it reminded us that when we work together, things simply flow better. I’m excited to bring this spirit into our daily YAF work and, who knows, maybe even into our next shared adventures as a team!”
On the 5th of November 2025, YAF Supervisors attended the “Leadership and Management Skills Course 2”, which focused on developing leadership competencies in project and time management, delegation, motivation, and team vision-building.
The 2nd Annual Meeting concluded on the 6th of November with a Project Progress Meeting, during which partners reviewed the project’s status and outlined the next steps. One of the highlights was the presentation of the Individual Research Projects (IRPs) by the DCs, offering all participants the opportunity to appreciate the significant advancements achieved by each doctoral candidate.
Overall, this annual meeting fostered a shared vision, strengthened commitment among all partners, and laid a solid foundation for the continued success of the YAF project.
