The first day of the retreat was all about team building. Intensive exchange took place not only on research topics, but time was also found to get to know one or two colleagues whom one usually only meets in passing in the kitchen, and to clarify important questions about the institute life together.

On the second day, central questions of research ethics and integrity were discussed. The handling of authorship, effective data management and the correct handling of scientific misconduct were central topics. PhD students presented their projects and received valuable feedback.

Apart from the discussions, the retreat also offered space for social activities. With a knights’ dinner at Ottenstein Castle, accompanied by rousing music, a raffle and medieval dances, the community celebrated its successes and strengthened its cohesion.

A special highlight of the retreat was the exclusive first edition of the “LBI Trauma Press”, edited by Johannes Zipperle and Veronika Hruschka. In the two-part newspaper, young scientists had the opportunity to present their projects. All submissions were evaluated by a jury outside the “science bubble” and the best contributions were awarded prizes.

Tanja Szikora received 3rd place for her paper “Skin Deep Dilemmas”, Lukas Narendja 2nd place for “The forgotten twin”. The winner, Chrissie Baltzaki, can look forward to an exclusive interview in the AUVA magazine “Alle!Achtung!” for her contribution “Medical devices for sticky situations”. The jury praised the winning entries for their comprehensibility and entertainment value, and emphasised that all three texts highlighted their topic in a refreshingly different way.

A small “Easter Egg” was found at the end of both parts of the “LBI Trauma Press”: In a humorous way, Johannes Oesterreicher and Simon Sperger reported on the latest ice cream project of former director Heinz Redl and provided fascinating insights into the personalities of our researchers in the laboratory horoscope. To be continued.