Bringing together researchers, supervisors and partners from across Europe, the SPM4.0 consortium held a productive week in Berlin that combined its first training workshop with the project’s midterm meeting. The event marked a key milestone for the network, strengthening collaboration and advancing the training programme for its doctoral candidates.
The SPM4.0 consortium gathered in Berlin from 17–21 November for an intensive week that combined the project’s midterm meeting with its first training workshop. Hosted by Charité Berlin, the event offered a unique opportunity for the 15 doctoral candidates recruited so far to meet in person for the first time and engage directly with the wider consortium.
This inaugural training workshop marks the beginning of a planned series of six training events designed to equip the doctoral candidates with robust scientific and professional skills. Over four days, participants received comprehensive theoretical instruction and hands-on experience from leading academic and industrial experts in the fields of Scanning Probe Microscopy (SPM), Machine Learning and BioMicroscopy.
The programme covered four core modules:
Underpinning of Machine Learning
History of machine learning. Inference statistics. Introduction to supervised, semi supervised and unsupervised learning. Advanced topics of model learning and model evaluation. Data preparation. Multi-dimensional data. Outlier detection.
Microscopy for Life Sciences and Medicine
Basic structures in biological samples. Optical microscopy (bright field, fluorescence, confocal). Electron microscopy (scanning and transmission electron microscopies). Medical imaging techniques (X-Rays, PET, MRI).
Introduction to atomic force microscopy imaging
Brief history and principles of SPM. Set-up description. Imaging modes (contact, intermittent contact, non-contact, force-volume). Spectroscopic modes. Application in Life Sciences. Hands on laboratory.
Introduction to SPM image processing
Basics of SPM image processing: flattening, equalization, line/spot removal, smoothing, profiling, tip de-convolution. Advanced image processing: volume data, clustering, roughness, nanoparticle detection. Introduction to Gwyddion.
Following the training sessions, the midterm project meeting (M12) took place on 21 November, bringing together doctoral candidates, principal investigators, supervisors, the project manager and the communication officer to review the progress evolution of the project. The Project Officer opened the meeting with an overview of the monitoring process, guidance on recruitment procedures and recommendations to support the effective advancement of the project.
The coordinator then provided an update on scientific progress, followed by presentations from the project manager on recruitment, training, financial and administrative reporting, secondments, deliverables and milestones. The communication officer subsequently outlined the project’s dissemination and outreach activities, including updates on the website and recent public engagement initiatives.
In the afternoon, each doctoral candidate briefly introduced their background and research project before attending a dedicated meeting with the Project Officer to review their recruitment experience and integration within their host institution and the network. Meanwhile, the principal investigators met with the project manager and communication officer to discuss coordination and management topics. After a private meeting with the coordinator and the project manager, the Project Officer concluded her participation with general feedback and remarks addressed to all attendees.
The week closed with individual Assessment Commissions, in which three PIs or Supervisors with different expertise and background and from institutions other than the candidate’s host organization, evaluated the progress of each doctoral project. These assessments ensured independent review and provided valuable recommendations for the next stages of the candidates’ research.
This successful week in Berlin marks an important milestone for SPM4.0, strengthening collaboration across the network and laying the groundwork for the next phases of training and scientific development.