This year’s DIFUTURE retreat took place from 8 July 2024 – 10 July 2024 in Regensburg and was a great success. In a training room with an impressive view of Regensburg Cathedral, we took the opportunity to engage in intensive dialogue and discuss forward-looking topics.
Opening and round of introductions
After a welcome from the consortium leader, Prof. Dr Martin Boeker from the Technical University of Munich, and the site manager at Regensburg University Hospital, Prof. Dr Dirk Hellwig, the retreat began with a round of introductions in which each site presented an overview of the current status and ongoing projects. This promoted mutual understanding and cooperation between the different sites.
Public relations and communication strategies
Public relations work was a key topic. We presented how our public relations work has changed in recent months and how we want to communicate on various channels in future. This ensures that all locations are informed about the communication strategies and can act in a standardised manner.
Project presentations and further development
We focussed intensively on the presentation and discussion of the various projects currently being worked on at the individual locations. The presentations on milestones and current projects such as DIFUTURE, ABIDE_MI, CORD_MI and POLAR were particularly interesting. These provided valuable insights and helped us to learn from each other and develop new approaches for collaboration.
Process optimisation and data usage
Another important item on the agenda was the optimisation of our internal processes. We exchanged experiences and developed ideas on how we can make our workflows more efficient. An experience report on the use of data, from enquiry to provision and delivery, provided many valuable suggestions for future processes.
Brainstorming and sustainability concept
On the last day of the retreat, we focussed on development opportunities and brainstorming on a sustainability concept.Topics such as the further development of DIFUTURE, the role of the deployment units and the publication concept were discussed intensively.
The retreat provided an excellent opportunity to engage in intensive dialogue away from the daily routine and to develop new ideas. The open communication and intensive dialogue made us even stronger as a team. We are looking forward to putting the knowledge gained into practice and are motivated to tackle the challenges and projects ahead.
We look forward the next retreat and further collaboration!