A seven-member interdisciplinary team of researchers recently represented the University of Innsbruck in the p2i In Action programme, held at the University of Edinburgh from 4–7 November 2025. The delegation included four postdoctoral researchers and PhD candidates – Alessia Giarola, Natalia Piorecka, Vikas Remesh, and Akansha Sanwal – from the Departments of Geography, Architecture, Experimental Physics, and Mathematics respectively, supported by Luna Bersch from the InnCubator, as well as Alexander Knapp and Sara Matt from the Transferstelle Wissenschaft–Wirtschaft–Gesellschaft, who jointly led the initiative. The Postdocs to Innovators (p2i) network is a Europe-wide collaboration designed to help postdoctoral researchers explore innovation, entrepreneurship, and the translation of academic research into practical impact. The University of Innsbruck was a founding member of this network in 2015. The p2i In Action event brings together postdocs from across Europe for immersive workshops, mentoring, and networking activities.
This year’s event offered team-based challenges focused on developing entrepreneurial thinking, workshops on communicating, refining, and testing innovative ideas, and networking opportunities with experts from academia, industry, and innovation ecosystems. The event was hosted at the Bayes Centre – Edinburgh’s hub for artificial intelligence, data science, and innovation – providing a stimulating environment for collaboration across disciplines.
Reflections from the Team
The experience was described as both intellectually enriching and personally transformative. The postdocs highlighted the value of interdisciplinary exchange and the practical relevance of entrepreneurial skills for researchers. “This event helped us network with other researchers from a wide range of disciplines at our career level on a deeper level, which is a rather uncommon and enriching experience, as most conferences are discipline-specific,” said Alessia Giarola. “The event was meticulously arranged to facilitate close interactions to discuss potential ideas that can be commercialised. In these sessions, we bounced various ideas among ourselves, received helpful suggestions from experienced facilitators, and scrutinised the ideas for their commercial value,” Vikas Remesh further elaborated. “The skills we gained in this event are also beneficial for purely academic interests. For instance, learning an effective way to pitch your ideas is extremely important for both academics and entrepreneurs alike,” Akansha Sanwal added.
Strengthening Innovation at the University of Innsbruck
Participation in p2i In Action aligns with the university’s broader mission to foster innovation and cross-disciplinary collaboration among researchers. The Transferstelle Wissenschaft–Wirtschaft–Gesellschaft and InnCubator played a key role in supporting the team before and during the event, ensuring that lessons learned can now be shared with the wider research community. “This programme gives our researchers the mindset and tools to see their work from new perspectives – whether that means identifying a commercial opportunity or understanding how to communicate research more effectively,” said Alexander Knapp from the Transferstelle. “I am very proud of our participants. I would not be surprised to see them in the future founding a meaningful company,” said Sara Matt, head of the Transferstelle at the University.