Work Package 5 - Strengthen human capital through training
WP5 strengthens the human capital base through training, mentoring and mobility. During RP1, the training framework was established through D3.1 and linked to the scientific programme. The ERA Chair holder and RACE team have initiated training activities as planned, with emphasis on research skills, transferable skills and international integration.
The training plan covers international, interdisciplinary and intersectoral mobility through 1-3 month secondments, joint mentoring of PhD students, regular reporting and presentations at network meetings and conferences. It also covers research and soft-skills training, including lab meetings, journal clubs, presentation skills, scientific writing, peer review, project management, networking, self-awareness, stress management, entrepreneurship, pitch preparation, bioethics, laboratory animal science where relevant, and specialized workshops/summer schools in bioinformatics and bioimaging.
Formal deliverable D5.1 is due at M24 and is therefore not yet due. Nevertheless, RP1 implementation is on track and consistent with the proposal and planning deliverable.
The following training actions have been accomplished:
The 12th International Course on the Care and Use of Laboratory Animals: mice, rats and zebrafish.
As part of the training and capacity-building activities, RACE students and postdoctoral researchers followed the 12th International Course on the Care and Use of Laboratory Animals: mice, rats and zebrafish, coordinated by the Department of Biology of the University of Crete in collaboration with the Institute of Molecular Biology and Biotechnology of FORTH. The course was delivered in April–May 2026 and combined an extended online theoretical programme with intensive on-campus laboratory hands-on training in Heraklion, Crete. The theoretical component took place from 6 April to 15 May 2026 and covered the core scientific, ethical, legal and methodological principles required for responsible animal-based research. Topics included national and EU legislation, project authorisation, animal welfare bodies, animal ethics, stress and anxiety in laboratory animals, anaesthesia and analgesia, current education and training requirements, manipulation of mouse embryos, quality management systems and Good Laboratory Practice, the 3Rs principles, euthanasia, health monitoring and disease prevention, nutrition and dietary regimens, animal transportation, severity classification, humane endpoints, harm-benefit analysis, husbandry and enrichment, public communication and non-technical summaries, zebrafish biology and welfare, experimental design, statistical analysis and behavioural assessment. The programme also included a research-relevant lecture by Prof. George Garinis on the generation of transgenic, knock-in and knock-out animal models for human diseases, directly linking the course to RACE research activities in ageing, genome instability and disease modelling. The scientific committee included Prof. Michalis Pavlidis, Prof. George Garinis and Prof. Kyriaki Sidiropoulou, while teaching involved experts from the University of Crete, IMBB-FORTH, the Biomedical Research Foundation of the Academy of Athens, the Ministry of Rural Development and Food, Athens LifeTech Park, BIOEMTECH CRO Laboratories and the Hellenic Centre for Marine Research.The practical component was held on campus from 25 to 29 May 2026 at the Department of Biology, University of Crete. It provided hands-on training in rats, mice and zebrafish. Participants received practical instruction in animal handling, stitching, drug administration, anaesthesia and analgesia, water quality monitoring, zebrafish handling, welfare indicators and humane experimental procedures. The course concluded with final multiple-choice examinations covering all topics and group project presentations on animal-based research designs, including models of glioblastoma immunotherapy, sciatic nerve repair, nanoparticle therapy for diabetes-associated atherosclerosis and zebrafish-based micropollutant exposure studies. The course content was aligned with Directive 2010/63/EU and FELASA recommendations, covering functions A, B, C and D related to carrying out procedures on animals, designing procedures and projects, animal care and humane killing. Successful participants obtained a FELASA-accredited certificate demonstrating competence to work with laboratory animals for research purposes. This training strengthened the capacity of RACE early-career researchers to design and conduct animal experiments according to recognised European standards for scientific quality, reproducibility, ethical compliance and animal welfare. It also supported the implementation of RACE research involving preclinical models of ageing and age-associated disease.
Introduction to Practical Bioinformatics Course (March 12–13).
During the reporting period, RACE team members followed the on-site course “Introduction to Practical Bioinformatics”, jointly organized by the University of Crete, HCMR and FORTH and delivered at FORTH in Heraklion on 12–13 March 2026. The course targeted researchers with limited previous exposure to computational biology and provided a structured practical introduction to the digital and analytical skills required for contemporary life-science research. The training covered essential components of bioinformatics practice, including operating systems, command-line use, software installation, GitHub, Visual Studio Code, introductory programming in R and Python, basic bash scripting, workflow design, management of log and error files, use of servers and high-performance computing environments, biological databases, implementation of basic bioinformatics tools, and introductory statistical analysis and plotting. The hands-on format allowed participants to apply these concepts directly and to complete a small bioinformatics project during the course. This training was particularly relevant to the RACE research capacity programme. RACE aims to establish a high-level ageing and longevity research platform that integrates genome stability, DNA damage responses, omics-based profiling, functional genomics, imaging, and translational disease models. The planned research activities include transcriptomic, genomic, proteomic and metabolomic analyses, as well as bioinformatic interpretation of data from C. elegans and mammalian ageing models. By strengthening competence in computational workflows, biological databases, reproducible coding practices and basic analysis pipelines, the course directly supported the ability of RACE researchers to handle and interpret complex datasets generated within the project. The activity therefore contributed to WP5 by expanding the technical skill base of early-career researchers and staff, while also reinforcing the link between training and research capacity building. In practical terms, the course improved preparedness for data-intensive work packages, supported the adoption of reproducible analytical practices, and helped align the RACE team with the interdisciplinary requirements of modern ageing research.
Regular Scientific Mentoring of PhD Students and Postdoctoral Researchers.
As part of the RACE training and mentoring programme, Prof. Björn Schumacher held regular scientific meetings with the recruited PhD students and postdoctoral researchers. These meetings provided continuous expert guidance in the planning and execution of research projects related to ageing, genome stability and disease mechanisms. The discussions covered experimental design, selection of appropriate models and readouts, interpretation of preliminary findings, troubleshooting of technical problems, and refinement of follow-up experiments. They also allowed early-career researchers to present ongoing work, receive critical feedback, and place their results within the broader scientific framework of ageing biology and genome maintenance. This regular interaction ensured that trainees benefited from the expertise of the ERA Chair holder and remained closely integrated into the scientific objectives of RACE. This mentoring structure contributed directly to RACE capacity building by strengthening the scientific independence, methodological competence and analytical skills of young researchers. It complemented formal training activities and helped establish a research culture based on rigorous experimental design, open scientific discussion, data-driven decision-making and continuous supervision.
- Training activities proceeding as planned.
- Mentoring and career-development logic initiated.
- Mobility and secondment planning initiated.
- D5.1 not yet due in RP1.