At Aldersbach Monastery, the fellows of the third cohort of the Passau Young Researchers Excellence Centre (PYREC) began their two-year programme of excellence at the University of Passau with a two-day kick-off retreat.
The focus was on getting to know one another, exchange across faculties and the presentation of interdisciplinary research projects. Fellows from the second cohort shared their experiences and offered the First-year Fellows valuable insights for the coming two years.
In joint workshops, the fellows also helped shape the programme for the year: plans include interdisciplinary specialist workshops, informal fireside chats with experts and a joint excursion. Initial preparations for the 2028 PYREC Annual Conference were also launched.
PYREC supports particularly high-achieving doctoral researchers and postdocs from all faculties by providing cross-disciplinary training, interdisciplinary networking opportunities and targeted career guidance. The aim is to empower early-career researchers to raise the profile of their academic work and actively shape their career paths.