SFB Conference and Graduate School Meeting 2021 in hybrid

The 2021 SFB annual conference and graduate school meeting took place from 1.11.2021 - 2.11.2021. Due to the ongoing pandemic, meeting with all members in Hohwacht was not possible for the second consecutive year. Instead, the conference was held in hybrid in Hamburg, with Zoom sessions including all members and in-person sessions in small group with hygiene concepts. The goal of the annual meeting is to summarize key works and to encourage exchange about past and future research projects. This was achieved through highlight talks, group sessions and a poster session.

The first day of this year's meeting started with a general assembly via Zoom that reflected over the past year in the SFB and gave an overview of the conference schedule. This was followed by a set of highlight talks, which presented the outstanding work conducted in the SFB.

In the afternoon, two discussion rounds were organized that allowed the PhD students to discuss their work in small groups and in person. The first round put a focus on past research and encouraged exchange about each other's projects in a conversational environment. This has been a popular format in past years, since it allows the PhD students to openly discuss and fully understand each others work, and leads to fruitful discussions. The second discussion round focused on possible future research that the PhD students would like to conduct. This served the purpose of encouraging open-ended discussions about new ideas and potential collaborations.

The day was concluded with a social event that was made possible by being conducted with a hygiene concept and partially outdoors. This gave all members of the SFB the opportunity for personal and professional exchange, which was well appreciated.

The second day of the conference started with a graduate school discussion round via Zoom that gave PhD students the opportunity to contribute ideas for future seminars, graduate school lectures and general improvements of the graduate school. This provided the students with a platform to partake in the development of the graduate school. This was followed by a second set of highlight talks, which further presented key publications of the past year.

In the afternoon, an in-person poster session was held by the PhD students. A proper hygiene concept and conducting the session outside made it possible to bring back this popular format. This gave all students the opportunity to present their work and enabled detailed inter- and intra-area discussions.

In conclusion, the format of this year's conference was well received. In particular, the in-person group and poster sessions, as well as the social event, were appreciated and helped bringing the SFB together in preparing successful future research projects.