Training

Local training and interaction activities

The trainees are embedded in an inspiring environment and will actively participate as part of their hosting research groups in the group-seminars. In their local research work the trainees will receive an individual and comprehensive "training through research". They will be guided and instructed by their supervisors and mentors and will benefit from working alongside with their colleagues. All participating PIs of SPOT-ITN have a long standing expertise in supervising PhD students and postdoctoral fellows. The infrastructure at the participating institutions and within the network with respect to instrumentations will ensure a high quality of the projects. All projects will be hands-on research projects with focus on self defined and designed research strategies to stimulate the development of the ESR/ERs to independent scientists. The research projects of SPOT-ITN are at the leading edge of science, involve state-of-the-art approaches and techniques, and are based on international collaborations.

Day-to-day research - All PIs of SPOT-ITN are embedded in a very active, productive and diverse local research community. The interactions with this research community through lecture series, seminars, colloquia and personal contacts will contribute considerably to the training. Within the host communities the young researchers will be able to find additional experts who can help to provide solutions to their day-to-day research challenges.

Scientific and generic education - All participating research institutions have an active scientific life, which is most of the time organised in graduate schools (e.g. the graduate academy GRADE, Frankfurt; the Graduate School Experimental Plant Sciences, Wageningen; the Doctorate School of Computational Biology and Bioinformatics; Neaples; or CINADCO, Bet Dagan). Participation in activities provided by the host institution will complement the educational program provided by SPOT-ITN. At the different locations mentoring programs for female ESR/ERs exist (e.g. SciMento at the University in Frankfurt) and PIs of SPOT-ITN will actively participate in such mentoring programs and will encourage female trainees to enter these structures.