From October 6 to 8, 2025, the REC Institute held a three-day retreat at the Naturhotel Hochheide in Willingen. To kick things off, Prof. Freund gave an overview of the Institute's current research priorities as well as ongoing and recently completed projects. This was followed by a discussion of the current research work by all academic staff, moderated by Maximilian Gstettenbauer. The plans for the next two years, planned procurements and strategic considerations for the laboratory were also discussed. On the second day, the medium to long-term future prospects for research were examined in greater depth. In addition, the tasks at the institute were redistributed and discussed together. At the end of the day, we defined specific to-dos and the overarching goals for the further development of research.

In addition to the presentations and technical discussions, there was also time for some relaxation. On a short evening hike through the Sauerland region, which took us across the impressive Skywalk in Willingen, among other things, work took a back seat for a moment. In this relaxed atmosphere, there was room to exchange ideas and get to know our colleagues better away from the daily work routine. Afterwards, we rounded off the evening in a pleasant atmosphere.

On the last day, the program included a workshop on resilience led by Kristin Murschalll. The workshop provided a successful framework for developing new perspectives together and taking away practical strategies for greater balance and inner stability.