The Department Life, Light & Matter (LL&M) at the University of Rostock would like to express its sincere thanks to KiNSIS – Kiel Nano, Surface and Interface Science at Kiel University for the invitation and excellent organization of the joint KiNSIS & LL&M Retreat held in February 2026.
The two-day meeting at Kiel University’s Faculty of Engineering provided an outstanding setting for scientific exchange and networking between researchers from both locations. Lightning talks, speed-dating sessions, and open discussion formats enabled participants to present ongoing projects and to identify concrete opportunities for future collaboration.
From the Rostock perspective, the laboratory tours and the strategic discussions during the World Café were particularly valuable, highlighting the strong complementarity of the research profiles at KiNSIS and LL&M. The contributions of early career researchers further underlined the importance of joint efforts in sustainable research training and academic development.
The retreat clearly demonstrated the great potential of the Kiel–Rostock collaboration. LL&M very much looks forward to continuing this successful exchange and to welcoming the next joint retreat in Rostock in 2027.