Networking

Working at Vibratec is highly profitable. The Vibratec team is very talented and has a strong background in structural dynamics, noise, and vibration. They are very supportive and helpful with guidance, feedback, and skill sharing.
The team is divided into measurement and calculation teams. Since I have worked on both numerical and experimental parts at Vibratec, I took advantage of being in direct contact with Vibratec experts on both teams, which helped me build a reliable numerical model and a fruitful experimental investigation.
Vibratec provided an excellent opportunity to spread awareness about LIVE-I. We have visitors on a regular basis (clients, partners, and trainees…). And we are always presented as ESRs in the LIVE-I project, which allowed us to introduce ourselves and our topics and get relevant feedback.
Besides, I had the opportunity to get into multiple discussions with technical support from different companies to tune my research, especially numerical models such as (ROMAX, NASTRAN, and MARC…). Conversely, Vibratec has provided us with a test bench that we must adapt to develop our experimental campaign. I was responsible for the test set-up preparation of components (gears, oil box, sensors…) and ensuring the tests’ smooth running within the specified time frame. This allowed me to get in touch with different companies such as:

Novotech: manufactured my metal-hybrid gear solution. We had several meetings in which we raised many discussions about solution feasibility and recommendations, and they expressed their high interest in seeing the results outcomes,

Misumi and SMH: for the purchase and machining of the gear,

Kübler: For encoders and sensors to measure position.

All these interactions with professionals and specialists in multiple fields have provided significant added value, both professionally and personally, by establishing new relationships and contacts valuable in my future career plans.

Wael Masmoudi – ESR 1

The LIVE-I project has provided me with many opportunities to expand my professional network so that I formed connections with renowned professionals from academia and industry, as well as other young researchers and experts in the field, relationships that are already proving to be fruitful for my professional career. The participation of several companies and universities in the project already creates an extensive network of professionals linked to themes related to my thesis both in industry and academia. The training, field visits, and social activities provided by the program, mainly with external guests and carried out in person, also allow us to talk to several professionals. I also greatly benefited from the period with the industrial partner, as the immersion in the industry and moving to another country forced me to create new connections.

The great incentive to disseminate the work within the LIVE-I project, both in conferences, events open to the public, and digital platforms, was also a significant factor in expanding networking since they serve not only as a tool for disseminating the project and the science, but also a form of personal outreach. Through these events and online dissemination, I created and maintained several contacts in the community. The possibility of contacting companies and academics to clarify project doubts was also a great platform to increase my connections.

Barbara Zaparoli – ESR 6

Being part of the LIVE-I project was an excellent opportunity to connect with experts and specialists from several fields, both in academia and in the industry. It was also an opportunity to network with creators of startups in different countries, explore what were/are the difficulties of creating a company from scratch and also to understand the importance of developing a good business plan. On the academic side, conferences and workshops were occasions to present and talk about our project to individuals external to the project.

Daniel Amaral – ESR 3

The H2020 Marie Curie Program offers its researchers a unique and unparalleled opportunity. It brings together early-stage researchers with different cultural backgrounds from across the world and provides them with an excellent platform for all-around development. The very nature of the program enables interaction and collaboration with academic and industrial experts in relevant fields. As part of the LIVE I project, I have had the opportunity of collaborating with industrial experts from France and interacting with researchers from Poland, Italy, and Germany, all within a short span of just 1 year. The most significant of these experiences was my secondment where I spent seven months working with the industrial partner of my project, Vibratec SA, in France. Furthermore, I have had the opportunity of participating in various training activities which were organized by the academic and industrial partners of the projects. These included in-person training activities that were held in Poland, Italy, and Germany, in addition to remotely organized seminars by organizers and participants from France and Brazil. These training activities not only provided insight into state-of-the-art techniques and current trends relevant to my research but also provided an excellent platform to expand my professional network.

Sidharth Dave – ESR 4

Networking at vibratec is very fruitful. The vibratec team is very skilled and carries strong numerical or experimental experience. They are very supportive and generous with their orientation, feedback, and sharing skills… having a secondment at vibratec has been a big added value on a personal and professional level. I’ve built good friendships there. Besides the technical support, I’ve learned and experienced different challenges that helped me build communication and social skills that added value to my personality and upcoming career.
I also had the chance to communicate with another French company called “B2G”, which was in charge of the metrology tests required for my thesis topic. Together we shared knowledge, experience, and suggestions that helped me orient my topic better.
Vibratec was also a good exposure to the LIVE-I project. On a weekly basis, we have visitors in the company or customers who check the lab, and we’ve been introduced as ESRs in the project. This offered us the opportunity to present ourselves and our thesis topics, especially when we were working on the experimental test bench. We had interesting feedback. Also, I was happy to introduce LIVE-I on Social media platforms and had beautiful feedback. As well as my Italian language class where I explained more about my topic and the Marie-Curie grant agreement. At the conference that we attended in Poland, I met engineers with different backgrounds and introduced them to our project.

Ranim Najib – ESR 5