On Friday, January 24, 2025, HiFunMat held its first training session of the year, welcoming labeled PhD students to an exciting and enriching day of learning and collaboration.
The training focused on equipping students with the skills to deliver a compelling one-minute pitch for their thesis. Designed and led by experts Anaïs Liegon (SATT Conectus), Yves Gendrault (Quest for Change), Alexia Grabkowiak (PUI-A), and Nizami Israfilov (i-PhD laureate), the session was a comprehensive blend of theory and practice.
The morning began with an introduction to the DeepTech and innovation ecosystems. This was followed by practical guidance on structuring impactful pitches, understanding different audiences, mastering storytelling techniques, and managing time effectively. After a well-deserved coffee break, students worked on crafting their own pitches, aimed at securing a new collaboration or attracting an investor, with personalized support from the training team.
Following a lunch break at CROUS, all participants presented their one-minute pitches. The organizers were thrilled with the quality of work produced in such a short time and praised the students for their creativity and effort.
To recognize outstanding performances, four prizes were awarded:
- Charlotte Jonis won both the public and jury prizes for her collaboration-focused pitch.
- Ismayil Safarli earned the public prize for his investor-focused pitch.
- Hajar El Hachmi El Gueddari secured the jury prize for her pitch targeting new collaborations.
Congratulations to all three winners for their exceptional presentations!
The day concluded with a look ahead to the year’s upcoming events, presented by Melodie Galerne. Highlights included the introduction of Charlène Dupré as the new student representative on the executive committee and the announcement of the new student board, led by Sakina Mammadova, who aims to create events by PhD students for PhD students.
