Kick Off Meeting AGILE in Brussels: The Big Launch

In April, the AGILE project beneficiaries gathered in Brussels for two days to officially launch AGILE (Advanced Training for Generation Scientists in Spatio-Temporal Imaging of Plant Cells), a doctoral network aimed at training the next generation of researchers in the field of quantitative bioimaging for plant sciences.

AGILE is a consortium of researchers from universities, research institutions, and industry partners across Europe. Our mission is to recruit talented early-stage researchers from around the world, offering them the opportunity to network, train, and grow into leading scientists. Together, we aim to advance plant science by developing quantitative microscopy imaging—bringing together specialists in advanced microscopy imaging and image analysis from academia and non-academic partners. Through this collaboration, we seek to deepen our understanding of the cellular processes- particularly at the nuclear level- that drive plant growth and adaptive responses to their environment.

Kick Off Meeting Highlights

The kickoff meeting was an opportunity to recapitulate key aspects of the project, including the budget, timeline, and structure. Most importantly, we discussed recruitment, which was in full swing during the meeting.

One of our partners, BMKGene, also joined and presented their sequencing services and platforms, which will support our plant research efforts. The meeting also included presentations on the Individual Research Projects (IRPs) and Work Packages (WPs), giving everyone a clear overview of the road ahead.

A special thank you to Teresa Cuartero-Lausin (EC Project Officer) for attending our kickoff and for her ongoing support throughout the project’s development.

A Glimpse of What's Happening Now

We are now finalizing recruitment with the help of the Recruitment Committees, and the final cohort of students will be validated by the end of June. The doctoral candidates are expected to join AGILE and join their host lab by the end of October.
The different committees have been officially created and have started working on their Deliverables:
- the Data Management Committee (C.Tatout, C.Baroux, F.Pontvianne) is working on a data management plan that will be crucial for handling, organizing and sharing all microscopy images produced during the AGILE project
- the Sustainability Committee (F.Pontvianne, C.Baroux, C.Tatout) is working on a Green Charter draft which the doctoral candidates will help finalize. The goal is to establish a spirit of reasonable conduct enabling to minimize the environmental footprint of AGILE’s research.
The first annual Network Conference is coming soon (November 2026) and will take place at IPK in Gatersleben. Our colleagues A. Houben and M. Cuarcos are working on its organization. This event will bring together the recruited doctoral candidates, their PIs, and all associated partners, featuring keynote speakers, an overview of the PIs’ research and more.

Stay tuned for future updates!