The Young Talent Network Forum, held as part of the DGPF Annual Conference 2026 in Darmstadt, was a successful and enjoyable event. With around 45 participants, the forum provided a lively and welcoming setting for exchange, discussion, and new connections. Throughout the event, the atmosphere was very positive and marked by a strong spirit of openness and interest.
A particularly nice start was our get-together at Coco on the evening before the forum. It was a fun and relaxed round that gave everyone the opportunity to arrive, meet each other informally, and start the event in a welcoming setting.
The feedback we received shows very clearly what made the forum special. Many participants joined out of interest, curiosity, for networking, or simply because the event had been recommended to them. At the same time, it was encouraging to see both many new and returning participants: 11 attended the DGPF conference for the first time, while 15 had already taken part before. For the Young Talent Network Forum itself, 22 participants joined for the first time and 5 were returning attendees.
The overall mood during the event was described as excited and attentive. Most participants came from Germany, while a smaller number travelled from France, Austria, and other countries. Many hoped to gain inspiration, exchange ideas, build contacts, and explore future collaborations, and we are very happy that the forum could provide a suitable space for this.
The topics and interests represented in the group also showed the broad range of questions currently relevant to young researchers and professionals. Many participants are currently looking for a thesis topic, a PhD topic, or an internship. Others reported that they are currently working on topics such as point cloud registration or climate change adaptation and management. This diversity led to many valuable conversations across disciplines and backgrounds.
It was also very interesting for us as the organizing team to learn how participants would like to stay connected in the future. Most expressed the wish to remain in contact via a WhatsApp group, followed by email as the second preferred option. In addition, many participants would welcome more excursions organized by our team in the future.
A special highlight was the poster award: Clara Lößl received the Best Poster Award. As a prize, she was presented with a stainless steel thermal bottle as well as a one-year free DGPF membership. We warmly congratulate Clara on this achievement.
Overall, we are very grateful for the open exchange, the positive spirit, and the strong interest in the Young Talent Network Forum. We would like to sincerely thank all participants for contributing to such a lively and pleasant event, and we are already looking forward to continuing this exchange in the future.
Many thanks to all participants for this wonderful morning!