Dates: 8–10 July 2026
Venue: KU Leuven, Leuven, Belgium

The HINA Career School 2026 brought together HINA doctoral candidates, researchers, invited experts, and industry representatives for three days dedicated to career development, professional skills, scientific exchange, and networking.

The programme was designed to help doctoral candidates explore career opportunities both within and beyond academia, better understand their professional strengths, and prepare for the next steps after completing their PhD.

The school included interactive workshops on career planning, transferable skills, professional communication, and job-search strategies, led by Dr Ulrike Schneeberg. Participants worked individually and in groups to reflect on their experience, identify suitable career paths, and improve the way they present their skills to potential employers.

The programme also featured:

• A poster session and scientific presentations by HINA doctoral candidates
• Individual progress and evaluation discussions
• A round-table discussion with professionals from academic and non-academic sectors
• Networking activities with researchers and project partners

The school provided an excellent opportunity for participants to exchange experiences, receive practical career guidance, strengthen connections within the HINA network, and reflect on their future professional development.

The Introductory School 2026 is an intensive three-day program combining professional skill development with advanced scientific training in materials science, crystallography, and device-oriented applications.

The programme included the following sessions:
Session 1: Time-management. Dr. Ramiro García Galán (UPM, Spain)
Session 2: Presentation skills.  Dr. Ramiro García Galán (UPM, Spain)
Session 3: Crystallography and Tensors of Physical Properties of Materials.
Prof. Ausrine Bartasyte (UMLP, France - Coordinator)
Session 4: KNbO₃, (K,Na,Li)NbO₃ and related materials: how to obtain single crystals and to manipulate their domain structure. Prof. Daniel Rytz (Brevalor, Switzerland)
Session 5: Introduction to integrated electro-optics, requirements to the materials. Prof. Laurent Vivien (CNRS, France)
Session 6: Introduction to nonlinear optics and metasurfaces, requirements to the materials. Prof. Giuseppe Leo (University Paris Cite, France)
Session 7: Introduction to piezoelectric devices. 
Prof. Emeritus Paul Muralt (PieMACS, Switzerland)
Session 8: Introduction to BAW, material requirements, devices.
Prof. Marta Clement (UPM, Spain)
Session 9: Introduction to SAW, material requirements, devices. Dr. Alberto Hernández-Mínguez, Dr. Mingyun Yuan (PDI-FVP, Germany)