On February 25 and 26, 2025, SNP2Prot members gathered at the Leibniz Institute of Plant Biochemistry (IPB) in Halle (Saale) for the kick-off symposium. It was only two days – but two intensive days.
The event began with a welcome from Marcel Quint (MLU Institute of Agricultural & Nutritional Sciences), who outlined how the idea of a Collaborative Research Center (CRC) was conceived during a retreat in Quedlinburg, took shape in discussions at backyard barbecues, and ultimately evolved into one of the most promising plant research initiatives bringing together outstanding projects and PIs from the MLU Halle-Wittenberg, the University of Leipzig (UL), the IPK in Gatersleben, and the IPB in Halle. With 71 attendees on-site and even more joining via livestream, the IPB lecture hall was nearly at full capacity, bringing people quite literally close together.
Marcel Quint presented the vision of the CRC, encouraging the team to make exciting discoveries, foster synergies within and between projects, build a strong community, and establish long-term connections between plant and protein sciences at SNP2Prot sites in Halle, Gatersleben, and Leipzig. Panagiotis Kastritis (MLU Institute of Biochemistry & Biotechnology), Alexandr Zlobin, representing Jens Meiler (UL Institute for Drug Discovery), and Debora Gasperini (IPB, Molecular Signal Processing) highlighted the interdisciplinary expertise within the CRC, featuring diverse structural expertise, the impressive structural modelling expertise, and the extensive plant infrastructure for studying molecular, (sub)cellular, and plant phenotypes. Many attendees may have wondered: With such a vast array of expertise and methods available, how can we tap into these resources efficiently for our projects? Carolin Delker (MLU Institute of Agricultural & Nutritional Sciences) addressed this by introducing the integrated research training group (IRTG) PROTEOFORuM, which will equip early-career researchers with fundamental concepts, methods, and principles through seminars and workshops.
A highlight of the symposium was the project presentations by PhD students and postdocs. Some of them had only started their project work a few weeks ago, yet the quality of all talks was absolutely remarkable. Lively discussions showed how much the audience valued these outstanding talks. Besides scientific exchange, networking was also a key focus. A campus tour provided insights into Halle’s research infrastructure, including NMR, Cryo-EM, and MS labs. Later, team-building activities and a World Café session led by moderator Claudia Langosch encouraged participants to engage beyond their comfort zones and generated valuable and long-lasting ideas. The day concluded with a dinner in Halle’s city center, fostering further informal exchanges.
The second day was dedicated to high-level scientific talks, with special recognition given to central projects D01 and D02. Timo Mühlhaus (DataPLANT) raised awareness about professional research data management and the importance of FAIR data principles.
The symposium concluded with official elections: Marcel Quint was confirmed as speaker, with Andrea Sinz, Tina Romeis, Nico von Wirén and Clara Schoeder as additional steering committee members. The first early-career representative Irem Aycan Sentürk with Alexander Ciattoni and Christian Tüting as deputies, and Debora Gasperini in the role of equal opportunity officer were elected. Congratulations to all!
In summary: The two days of the Kick-off Symposium were filled with valuable information, inspiring talks, productive discussions, a supportive atmosphere, perhaps improvable food – but certainly were an absolutely promising start for SNP2Prot!
