During our stay at the University of Manchester, on January 16, we participated in the Training in Collaborative Skills and Project Leadership, organized within the TWIN-RELECT project and held at the Kilburn Building.

The training, focused on collaboration, teamwork, and project leadership, was led by Ruth Norris, programme co-lead of the Teams Build Dreams initiative, while the keynote on SpiNNaker technology and project leadership was delivered by Steve Furber from the University of Manchester.

Thanks to the openness, engagement, and collegial spirit of all participants, the atmosphere throughout the training was highly inspiring and energizing. Through interactive group work, we had the opportunity to further strengthen our connections and get to know our colleagues from the TWIN-RELECT project better.

A highlight of the session was the well-known Marshmallow Challenge, where participants were divided into teams and tasked with building the tallest possible structure using simple materials, with a marshmallow placed on top. We are happy to share that the winning team, composed of members from both the AIDA4Edge and TWIN-RELECT projects, successfully built the highest tower, demonstrating in practice the importance of teamwork, communication, and creative problem-solving.

We would like to sincerely thank Davide Bertozzi for inviting us to take part in this training. The session provided valuable insights into effective teamwork, collaboration, and leadership skills, which are essential for successful research projects.