From November 13th to 15th, our doctoral researchers gathered at the Schwarzwald Lodge Rothaus for an unforgettable first SMART Retreat.
Day 1: Hitting the ground running
We kicked things off with parallel Write/Code/Collab/Discuss (WCCD) sessions, a structure that would continue throughout the retreat, with changing pitches each day. Doctoral researchers jumped straight into collaboratively working on their pitches that had been fine-tuned in our prep workshop.
On the first day, there were 9 pitches, and everyone had the freedom to pick sessions that aligned with their interests, resulting in engaging and intense working sessions. Topics included:
The energy carried over into our Scientific Speed Dating event right before lunch. During a series of 60-second one-to-one chats, the doctoral researchers had the opportunity to update each member of the group on their current work. Given how much interest was shown in each others’ projects, the only criticism received was that the timeframe was too short!
In the evening, we closed the day with invited speaker PD Dr. Tobias Schäfer, who provided an insightful talk on his experience with founding startups in a clinical domain. The session created valuable discussions and practical takeaways.
Day 2: Pitches, ideas, and embracing local culture
On the second day, we kept the momentum going with another round of WCCD sessions, featuring 13 new pitches. Topics covered included:
But it wasn’t all about work. In the evening, we took a break and headed to the Rothaus Brewery for a behind-the-scenes tour. It was fascinating to learn about the brewing process, and the evening capped off with a winter grill back at the Lodge.
Day 3: Moving forward and wrapping up
Our final day followed the familiar WCCD session structure with 10 pitches. Sessions from the final day included:
We wrapped up with a final plenary session where each participant had one minute to present a slide summarizing what they’d learned or achieved. Highlights ranged from identifying potential collaborations and making progress on existing projects to coding breakthroughs and publication milestones. It was inspiring to see how far everyone had come in just a few days—and to know they were leaving with concrete plans to push their work even further.
Don’t take our word for it, here’s what some of our doctoral researchers had to say:
“The SMART retreat felt like being back in a vibrant, united classroom of passionate peers—an incredible experience of learning, connecting, and exploring new opportunities for collaboration.” – Chenglong Huang (Project B06)
“The retreat offered the perfect setting to innovate, connect, and strengthen our collaborations”– Max Behrens (Project A01)
“For me, it was a highly effective knowledge-sharing and collaborative troubleshooting experience.” – M Asif Hasan (Project C04)
A huge thanks to everyone who made this possible
We are very grateful to the Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) for the funding of this event. A sincere thank you to the Schwarzwald Lodge Rothaus for your hospitality and dedicated service, creating the perfect space for collaboration and inspiration. To everyone who joined us for this SMART Retreat—thank you. Your passion, creativity, and openness made these three days truly special. We’re excited to see how these new connections and ideas continue to grow and evolve back in the lab. Until next time!
Institute of Medical Biometry and Statistics,
Faculty of Medicine and Medical Center –
University of Freiburg
