PROTECT Industrial Secondments – Ourania Misiou

By PROTECT ITN Comment Closed

One of the main pillars of ITN programmes is the industrial secondment of Early-Stage Researchers (ESR) at different universities and industrial partners. Thus, all ESRs participating in this project had the opportunity to move abroad and join their industrial partners at least for a few months.


The industrial partners participating in the PROTECT project were selected and allocated based on their expertise to support ESRs with their research. I had the honour to join the Nestle Research Centre located in Lausanne, Switzerland for almost 9 months during my PhD. Apart from the scientific opportunities and the research performed at Nestle, this secondment taught me important lessons regarding the industrial working place, the soft skills needed to achieve my career goals, as well as combining scientific interests with business needs.


During my secondment at Nestle I learnt how to communicate scientific research to non-scientific and multidisciplinary audiences whilst successfully translating science into business. During my staying in Nestle, my supervisors and managers motivated and supported me in implementing my scientific work in real day-to-day business. Moreover, I grabbed the chance to meet new colleagues and expand my network outside the PROTECT project, which I truly believe will help me boost my career in years to come. Last but not least, it was a privilege working with all these amazing scientists. On a personal note, I was able to make life-long friends.

Midterm Check/Plenary Meeting, 12th June 2020 – Stella Roufou

By PROTECT ITNNo Comments

Our first plenary session has been completed and everything went smoothly. During these difficult quarantine days, we must face a new reality of virtual communication. Fortunately, we did not have Wi-Fi connection problems. The meeting was hosted by Zoom software with almost 30 participants. The majority of participants were at home, but coffee and lunch breaks were as usual. It was a unique experience full of fun and I feel grateful for it. The organizers did a great job!

The first day of the event began with a supervisory meeting that ESRs did not attend. At the end of this section, all of us presented our progress and received some comments from supervisors. Mainly, it was an update on our work during these months and how we are handling this pandemic.

On the second day of the meeting, there were more participants, including supervisors, the REA officer and the advisory team. Professor Enda introduced the other professors with their teams, as well as the agenda of the event. The first session was an introductory section by REA officer Stanka Miteva, where she presented the implementation of the project, the report and the purpose of the mid-term check. Later, Professor Enda named the objectives and progress of the project. After the break, all PhD students introduced a little about themselves and their project and they received comments and advice. I feel so grateful for the opportunity to receive comments from these professors. An additional presentation section was recorded to help us improve our presentation skills.

Finally, all the PhD students had a private meeting with the REA officer and we discussed our problems, our questions and she gave us important advice. At the end of the meeting, the whole PROTECT team received positive feedback on the progress of the project. This has led to friendly and funny discussions, as well as an explosion of relevant tweets! In general, the topics focused on the importance of the project, as well as ways to improve our research.