The first internal fully staff-organized BC3 Community Symposium, held on November 7-8, 2023 at BC3, brought together the centre’s community of technical, administrative and research staff for two days of engaging workshops and intense dialogues.

The bottom-up event was a resounding success, fostering collaboration, knowledge exchange, and a sense of community among the BC3 staff. It showcased the diverse areas of work at BC3 and emphasized the importance of ethics and intersectionality in research and workplace dynamics.

It made me feel inspired and energized to see this bottom-up initiative grow into a real co-created space by many of our colleagues. We learned a lot and built many bridges. (Céline Moreaux, BC3 Researcher)

This event has once again shown the diversity of BC3 employees and the many strengths that come with working in such an international and interdisciplinary environment. (Julia Neidig, BC3 Early Career Researcher)

The symposium served as a valuable platform for the BC3 community to connect and learn from each other. The initiative responds to the need to re-establish real human connections in a post-pandemic work environment, with the aim to maintain better personal and professional relationships and alignment with BC3’s mission of promoting integrated and transdisciplinary research while supporting staff at all career stages.

As we try to find a new normal after the pandemic, it was really heart-warming to hear from attendees about how the symposium gave them a stronger sense of connection and community at our centre. (Sean Goodwin, BC3 Early Career Researcher)