The 5th StaPa Retreat organized with the Stefan Angeloff Institute of Microbiology, (Sofia November 25-27, 2024)

On 25-27 November 2024, the Stephan Angeloff Institute of Microbiology (SAIM) and the Scientist Association of the Institut Pasteur in Paris (StaPa) organized the 5^th StaPa Retreat in Sofia. The event was held at the French Institute in Bulgaria (IFB).

This StaPa Retreat 2024 was dedicated to Young Researchers, PhD students and postdoctoral fellows of the both institutes. During the whole event, participants were involved in the process of organizing a scientific event, disseminating their work and establishing connections at different levels. A friendly atmosphere was created by the networking of young scientists with different backgrounds and perceptions on their career development.

The venue of the event, the IFB, allowed the organizers to arrange a nice scientific symposium with keynote lectures and workshops on grand writing and the perspectives of the young scientists. The program highlighted the research of the scientists with focus on Bioinformatics, Microbiology, Infection microbiology, Cell Biology and Immunology.

More than 40 participants from 10 nationalities, part of StaPa or SAIM, participated in this prolific event comprising:

• 27 posters, presented during the poster session

• 17 talks were given across sessions

• 2 workshops - one on opportunities at the Pasteur Network and one on Scientific Grant writing

Party time was not to be underestimated, as the festive dinners were a small part of the experience acquired by all the participants.

This event opens a new page in the history of SAIM and the young researchers in it. Participation in such international young scientific meetings is essential for members of any department. Efforts will be made for such an association to be created at the SAIM and to link it with StaPa and other association of young researchers