added event invite for research cocktail

Author: Iffat Fatima

_posts/2026-02-27-research-cocktails-invite.md

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+---
+layout: post
+title:  Academia-Industry Collaborations
+subtitle: Research Cocktail
+cover-img: /assets/img/posts-screenshots/cocktail.jpeg
+share-img: /assets/img/posts-screenshots/cocktail.jpeg
+thumbnail-img: /assets/img/posts-screenshots/thumb-cocktails.jpeg
+event-type: cocktail
+event-date: 2026-03-25
+---
+
+**Invitation to a department-wide research cocktail about “Academia-Industry Collaborations”**
+
+It is our great pleasure to **invite you to the upcoming DiSC research cocktail with the topic “Academia-Industry Collaborations”.** Following the last research cocktail on using BSc/MSc thesis projects to pilot collaborations, people expressed pronounced interest in this specific part of research collaborations. We will therefore dedicate one research cocktail to this topic.
+
+**What are research cocktails?**
+
+Research cocktails are cross-disciplinary activities designed to establish and strengthen connections between researchers within the Computer Science department and beyond. Several years ago, the department conceived the research cocktails. We are now bringing them back to life under the umbrella of VU’s Digital Sustainability Center (DiSC), coordinated by Justus Bogner and Filip Ilievski.
+
+
+**About**
+
+The event will be structured as a moderated panel discussion with 4 experts in academia-industry collaborations from both inside and outside the VU. Potential topics will be:
+
+- Understanding and managing industry needs and expectations
+
+- Navigating bureaucratic / administrative hurdles
+
+- Finding and starting collaborations
+
+- University support structures
+
+We aim for a very interactive format with many questions from the audience
+
+**When and where?** 
+
+This event will take place on **Wednesday, March 25th, from 16:00 to 17:30 in the NU building (room NU-3A65).**  Afterward, there will be a borrel with drinks and snacks until roughly 19:00. 
+
+**Program** 
+
+- 16:00 - 16:10   Introduction to DiSC and Research Cocktails
+- 16:10 - 16:15   Introduction of panelists
+- 16:15 - 17:30   Panel discussion with questions from moderator and audience
+- 17:30 onwards   Snacks, drinks, and socializing
+
+
+**How can I join?** 
+
+If you would like to join us, please fill out the registration form by March 13th: [https://forms.gle/1o9LP4PxwSwiMy289](https://forms.gle/1o9LP4PxwSwiMy289)
+Registering is important so that we don't order too many or too few drinks/snacks. However, we also only have space for approximately 40 people (first come, first served).
+ 
+If you have any questions, concerns, or suggestions, please feel free to reach out to us!
+