GREENS Training School 2

The Mid-Term Meeting (MTM)

The Mid-Term Meeting (MTM) is an important event in the MSCA work programme to assess the progress of the GREENS Doctoral Network activities between the REA Project Officer, Dr. Roberta Gentile, and the beneficiary network participants; principal investigators (PIs) and doctoral candidates (DCs). It took place at the Aula Magna of the Department of Bioscience, Biotechnology and Environment, UNIBA, on Monday, April 20, 2026. The meeting commenced with opening remarks by the host of the second training school, Prof. Gianluca Farinola. He welcomed everyone to Bari and provided a short history and overview of UNIBA and the department.

This was followed by a brief introduction by the PO, who joined the meeting remotely via video conference, to begin the MTM agenda. After that, the next item on the agenda was a tour de table by the PIs of all the beneficiary institutions, introducing their institution and research group, and explaining their role within the GREENS network.

After this were the individual presentations by the fifteen DCs. They each made a presentation introducing themselves, talked about their personal and educational background, motivation, how they found the GREENS position, what their research is about, their training programme, and what they hope to do after completing their doctoral programme.

The next item after this was a private session between the PO and DCs for them to discuss with the REA representative about their experiences within the GREENS doctoral network till date; their training, supervision arrangements, progress, and hopes for their future careers. This was then followed by a similar private session between the PO and the coordinator to discuss any issues related to the progress of the network.

The final item on the MTM agenda was a feedback session by the REA Project Officer on the output and progress of the network so far. She congratulated the network on the relatively smooth and timely hiring of the DCs despite a few visa issues. She expressed her contentment with the progress made by the GREENS network so far.

Soft Skills Training

The next two days; Tuesday 21 April and Wednesday 22 April were devoted to soft skills training directed by TPM Science. Sessions on various core skills on communication, time, and project management were provided to the doctoral candidates through a highly interactive and engaging workshop to guide them in their PhD journey and future careers.

Technical Presentations

The remaining weekdays; Thursday 23 April and Friday 24 April were devoted to technical presentations by some of the GREENS supervisors and invited subject matter experts.

• Dr. Richard Murray (Editor, Advanced Intelligent Materials) — Meet the Editor
• Prof. David Cappelleri (Purdue University, USA) — Magnetic Mobile Microrobots
• Prof. Eva Pellicer, UAB — Electrolytic fabrication of micro- & nanostructures
• Prof. Salvador Pané, ETH Zürich — Microrobot preparation
• Dr. Rita Giuffredi — Responsible Research and Innovation (RRI)
• Prof. Luisa De Cola, University of Milan — Hybrid responsive materials
• Prof. Gianluca Farinola, UNIBA — Functional building blocks from biological matters
• Prof. László Péter, WIGNER RCP — Characterizing Materials: Techniques & Insights

Sant Jordi

Thursday, 23rd of April was also Sant Jordi, an occasion celebrated in Spain, especially in Catalonia. It coincides with World Book Day and is marked by the exchange of books and roses. As it fell during GREENS TS2, it was commemorated with a book and flower exchange between GREENS PIs and DCs.

Bari City Tour

To round up the activities of the training school in a light-hearted manner, a guided city tour of Bari was organized on Saturday 25 April as a team building event for DCs and PIs. Many historical and iconic places in Bari were shown to the participants

Appreciation

We would like to give special thanks to:

• Our hosts, Prof. Gianluca Farinola, Dr. Davide Blasi, Dr. Pietro Cotugno, Dr. Danilo Vona, and all other UNIBA staff involved, for their flawless hosting and organization of the training school events.
• The GREENS coordinator, Dr. Maria Guix Noguera; technical manager, Dr. Carlos Franco Pujante; training manager, Prof. Péter László; and project managers, Dr. Babajide Muritala and Dr. Beltzane Garcia Cirera, for their contributions to the organization of the training school events.
• The REA Project Officer, Dr. Roberta Gentile, for her role in the success of the MTM.
• All the speakers that delivered technical talks; Dr. Richard Murray, Prof. David Cappelleri, Prof. Eva Pellicer, Prof. Salvador Pané, Dr. Rita Giuffredi, Prof. Luisa De Cola, Prof. Gianluca Farinola, and Prof. László Péter.
• All the PIs and DCs who were able to join us in Bari.