The MSCA-DN RBP-ReguNet consortium held a lively and enriching training workshop in Trento from 11 to 14 March 2026, offering our doctoral candidates an intensive blend of scientific lectures, innovation-focused training and informal networking in the beautiful setting of Trentino. The event opened with a welcome dinner at Antica Trattoria Due Mori in the historic centre of Trento, giving everyone a relaxed opportunity to reconnect and set the tone for the days ahead.
On 12 March, the scientific programme started with a session on “From Hit Identification to Lead Optimisation: Strategies in Drug Discovery” by Dr Daniela Arosio, followed by “Chemistry meets biology in early drug discovery: a needed, synergistic marriage” delivered by Prof Pierfausto Seneci. These talks highlighted how chemistry and biology come together in modern drug discovery pipelines, sparking lively questions from the doctoral candidates. After a short coffee break, Prof Enrico Domenici then explored “Pharma and Drug Discovery Innovation in the Genomic Era”, providing valuable perspective on how genomic technologies are reshaping therapeutic development.
The afternoon moved into innovation and translation. Prof Jörg Scheuermann gave a seminar, and Milena Bigatto from Fondazione HIT led three consecutive sessions on research valorisation: setting the framework “From Research to Valorization”, understanding “Intellectual Property as an Enabler of Research Valorization”, and a hands-on activity to build a “Valorization Hypothesis” from concrete research results. These interactive elements allowed the doctoral candidates to work in small groups and think through how their own projects could generate impact beyond academic publications.
The second training day continued with HIT’s sessions on “Business Models as Support Tools for Research Valorization”, “Open Innovation and Collaborative Valorization in Healthcare and Life Sciences”, and a further hands-on activity on “Mapping Valorization Pathways”. Through these exercises, participants explored different routes to bring research to market, from collaboration with industry to new venture creation. After lunch, the focus returned to advanced research topics, with Prof Emiliano Biasini presenting “Protein folding pathways across disease, therapy and technology transfer”, followed by Prof Luca Fava’s session on “Massively parallel genetic screens: from principles to experimental design”, which provided a practical overview of large-scale functional genomics strategies.
To round it all off, on 14 March, the group set off for a mountain excursion guided by alpine guide Luca Stefenelli. The easy hike, surrounded by snow-capped peaks and panoramic views, was a highlight for many participants and a welcome balance to the intensive scientific schedule.
The workshop was made possible thanks to the excellent organisation and support of the University of Trento, the Department of Cellular, Computational and Integrative Biology (CIBIO), and Prof. Alessandro Provenzani. Their careful planning ensured a programme that combined high-level science with concrete training on research valorisation and memorable moments in the mountains. For the RBP-ReguNet doctoral candidates, the workshop was both professionally valuable and personally rewarding, and will surely stand out as a key milestone in their doctoral journey.
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