SAIL Research Network Retreat 2025

From 17–18 November, the SAIL research network gathered in Bad Sassendorf for its third retreat. The event provided an inspiring setting to reflect on achievements, deepen scientific exchange, and strengthen the collaboration across the consortium.

A central focus of the retreat was on the presentations by our PhD candidates and PostDocs, who shared their ongoing research and recent accomplishments with the SAIL community. The poster session format proved ideal for this purpose. The PhDs opened the session with short project pitches, offering concise and engaging introductions that sparked interest in their posters. Afterwards, participants had ample time to visit the posters, discuss the research in depth, and exchange ideas with the early-career researchers.

The contributions once again highlighted the breadth, quality, and interdisciplinarity of research within SAIL. Projects spanned the Research Areas R1: Human Agency, R2: Prosilience & Robustness, and R3: Sustainability & Efficiency, as well as the Application Areas A1: Industrial Work Spaces and A2: Adaptive Healthcare Assistance Systems.

In the next session, our PostDocs presented the latest advancements from their respective research groups: AI and Inclusion, Interpretable Data Processing, Human-Centered AI: Continual Learning from Multimodal Data Streams, Learning from Small Data, and Longitudinal Analysis of Change and Variety in Natural Language Data. Their talks offered valuable insights into cutting-edge methodological developments and demonstrated how these approaches complement and extend the work across SAIL.

Beyond the scientific programme, the retreat provided a welcome opportunity for informal conversations, networking, and strategic discussions. Taking time away from the daily research environment allowed participants to connect across disciplines, exchange perspectives, and explore new ideas for future collaborations. Such retreats play an essential role in fostering communication, cohesion, and shared vision within a large scientific consortium.

We were delighted to see the impressive progress of our early-career researchers and the continued dedication across the entire network. The retreat in Bad Sassendorf marked a highlight to our joint meetings and a celebration of the collaborative spirit that has shaped SAIL throughout its project lifetime.