Retreat Schiermonnikoog

Perhaps an odd choice: it was a stormy weekend in november, the agencies had warned for bad weather, but the research group hyperkinetic rare disaeses, part of the expertise center, went anyway. It turned out to be an inspiring weekend. On Schiermonnikoog, one of the Dutch Islands, away from the UMCG and in the company of people working on comparable projects, we felt we could evaluate our PhD-projects in an open and honoust environment. Furthermore we discussed scientific integrity, an important subject for young researchers and their supervisors. Also, the retreat provided the opportunity to brainstorm about the general scope of our research group and new ideas for specific research projects for future PhD-students. It became clear ones again how interesting our topics actually are, as many of us found renewed motivation to work on their projects. Naturally, another important feature of a retreat is to get to know one another a bit better. The cycling through the dunes, having lunch near the sea and dinner at restaurant Marina aan 't Wad (how appropriate), provided perfectly for that. All in all a succesfull outing.