EMBO Workshops are meetings that cover different and growing aspects of life-science-related subjects and bring scientists together to present and discuss their latest findings. Workshops are usually held in Europe but they can also take place outside Europe with the scope to facilitate interactions between scientists worldwide.

From 26^th to 30th August 2019 I participated in these workshops with special focus on Autophagy in Crieff, Scotland. One of the organizers of this workshop was Prof. Dr. Claudine Kraft, a beneficiary of the ITN DRIVE. Other beneficiaries, such as Prof. Dr. Fulvio Reggiori, the coordinator of the ITN DRIVE, Dr. Eeva-Liisa Eskelinen, Dr. Vladimir Kirkin and Dr. Zvulun Elazar, also participated by giving talks about their research.

The focus of the meetings was to present unpublished data and I had the opportunity to find out about the latest discoveries in Autophagy field from many experts and pioneers in the field. The talks varied from studies in yeast to mammalian cells, and translations into preclinical and even clinical trials. Every talk was followed by a nice discussion where participants could ask questions and discuss ideas, which I enjoyed very much. Myself and few other ITN DRIVE fellows also presented posters about our PhDs and I had the chance to meet people from both academics and industry working in drug discovery in mammalian cells (the focus of my PhD) in person and receive feedback about my work. I also introduced myself to scientists whose work I admire and I feel more motivated about my research.

The location of the conference was rural, surrounded by trees and mountains, perfect for those who wanted to have a mini vacation. We also had the chance to go on an excursion to see Stirling Castle or go for hiking, and learned about Scottish traditions. Overall, it was a very pleasant and informative meeting with many opportunities to network and find collaborations.

Saba Ezazi Erdi