LIV Scientific Retreat 2026: Research, Collaboration and New Perspectives

On 11 September 2026 researchers as well as supporting staff from the LIV came together for this year’s Scientific Retreat. The retreat provided an opportunity for scientific exchange, new perspectives and personal dialogue across individual research areas and supporting units.

The day began with an overview of the LIV’s scientific strategy, presented by Prof. Marcus Altfeld. This was followed by two sessions featuring a series of cross-group grant pitches. The aim of the pitches was to prepare early-career researchers for future grant pitches and funding applications, giving them the opportunity to present their research ideas to an expert audience and receive valuable feedback. At the same time, the sessions aimed to initiate new collaborative research projects and strengthen cooperation between research groups at the LIV. Each research group contributed its specific expertise to the development of new joint research ideas and potential research packages.

After the break, the technology platforms at the LIV had the opportunity to present their services and demonstrate how technologies based at LIV can support researchers in addressing scientific questions. Furthermore, the CSSB introduced its cryo-electron microscopy facilities and Protein Facility.

Alongside scientific presentations and discussions, the importance of science communication was also addressed. In her talk, the LIV’s Public Outreach and Science Communications Officer highlighted the responsibility of scientists to communicate their research effectively to the public and actively engage with society.

In addition to the scientific programme, this year, the scientific-supporting units had the opportunity to introduce themselves as strategic partners of the institute. They provided insights into the ongoing change processes within the scientific support areas, including digitalization initiatives, and illustrated these developments through concrete examples.

Throughout the day, participants had the opportunity to step in front of the camera at the LIV Photo- and & Filmbooth and have a go at science communication. The researchers learned how to communicate their research in a clear and engaging way and how to break down complex scientific topics for a broader audience. Afterwards, they had the opportunity to watch their own recordings and reflect on their performance. This helped strengthen their awareness of how they come across on camera and boosted their confidence in communicating science.

In addition, the PhD Coordinator provided an overview of the LIV Graduate School. The retreat also provided an opportunity to recognize the outstanding achievements of early-career researchers. Each year, the LIV presents a Best Author Award to an early-career researcher for an outstanding publication. This year’s award went to Luca Genz, a PhD student in the Integrative Virology group.

The retreat concluded with a Science Pub Quiz, where researchers and supporting staff could put both their virology knowledge and general knowledge to the test. One particularly entertaining challenge was identifying viruses based on microscopy images.