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Successful NATURE-ETN check meeting

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The NATURE-ETN check meeting with our European Commission Research Executive Agency (REA) Project Officer took place online on the 5th of October 2021. Our Coordinator reported on the progress of the project and the COVID-19- and Brexit-induced challenges encountered and successfully solved through effective mitigation measures and collaboration. On their side, our 15 ESRs introduced themselves, their project objectives and training ambitions. The discussions on the next steps and upcoming milestones with the REA Project Officer were both fruitful and informative.

This meeting was the occasion to highlight our appreciation for the REA’s flexibility and support in these uncertain times and our gratitude for being part of the Marie-Skłodowska-Curie Actions community. A community that now counts two Nobel Prize winners in Chemistry for the second year in a row.

Second training week – Entrepreneurship, IP and ESR updates

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From the 13th to the 15th of September 2021, the ESRs took part in the second online NATURE-ETN training week.

In the first two days, the ESRs updated each other on their progress and receive valuable feedback from their peers and PIs. Potential opportunities for collaboration and secondments were also explored.

On the third day, Dr. Thomas Frischmuth, CEO of baseclick GmbH, provided two training sessions on entrepreneurship and Intellectual Property (IP). Using the leading biotechnological company and NATURE-ETN beneficiary baseclick as a basis, Dr. Frischmuth shared his experience and perspectives in terms of business models and company growth. During the IP session, the ESRs were introduced to internal vs. external IP, patent filing strategies, and examples of European and national patenting processes.

First training week – combining soft and technical skills

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From the 18th to the 22nd of June 2021, the ESRs took part in the first NATURE-ETN training week, which covered a mix between soft and technical skills. The training was held virtually due to the COVID-19 pandemic and subsequent travel limitations.

During the first day, the ESRs were introduced to Hugh Kearns’ (ThinkWell) Seven Secrets of Highly Successful Research Students.

In this workshop, Kearns described key habits that help PhD students complete their research project efficiently, ensuring appropriate work-life balance and overcoming issues such as writer’s block and imposter syndrome.  
 
The second day started with a training session on Research Project Management from the partner organisation accelopment Switzerland Ltd.
 
The training covered aspects such as project planning, project monitoring, reporting, risk management, and project communication.

The scientific training consisted of both live and pre-recorded (asynchronous) lectures and the materials will remain available to the ESRs for future references.

Prof Tom Brown from the University of Oxford gave introductory and advanced lectures on the Synthesis of Biomolecules. This training notably covered nucleic acid structures, as well as oligonucleotide synthesis and their use as drugs in genetic and forensic analyses.
 
Dr Tom Brown Jnr from the oligonucleotide synthesis company ATDBio provided additional insights from more applied and commercial perspectives, and an introduction to ATDBio’s activities.
 
On the third and last day, Prof Andrew Kellett, Coordinator of NATURE-ETN, and his team at the Dublin City University (DCU) introduced the ESRs to artificial gene editing systems and molecular methods.

Prof Andrew Kellett discussed in detail metallodrug-DNA interactions, chemical nucleases, and advanced hybrid biomaterials for gene editing using click chemistry. Pre-recorded lectures with the principles of novel methodologies, techniques, and biophysical assays developed within the Kellett group were followed by high-quality virtual laboratory sessions recorded at the exceptionally well-equipped facilities at DCU.

This was the first of a series of training events that will be held both online and in-person throughout the project duration.

1st Project meeting with the newly recruited ESRs

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On 16 December 2020, the NATURE-ETN team had a first network meeting with the 12 recruited ESRs.

This was the occasion for the consortium to virtually meet each other before the Holiday season and for the ESRs to introduce themselves and their research projects. After this round of introductions, the PIs and ESRs were divided into separate rooms to discuss next year’s activities for the former and simply to get to know each other for the latter.

To stay updated on the latest news from NATURE-ETN and ESRs’ research updates, you can now follow the project’s Twitter account @ETN_NATURE.