On 5 and 6 March 2026, the PDPC Next community, consisting of early-career researchers of the PDPC, came together at the annual PDPC Winterschool. This year, the researchers traveled to Fletcher Hotel Elzenduin in Monster to exchange knowledge, discuss ongoing research projects, and strengthen connections within the group. With the hotel located directly by the beach and sunny weather throughout the event, participants were also able to enjoy walks along the coast during breaks, providing a refreshing setting for the varied program.

On Thursday, the researchers got a full-day media training, designed to prepare them for professional and confident interaction with the media. The training was led by science communications advisor Maaike van Zuilen, journalist and media trainer Mark de Bruijn and cameraman Pieter Huisman. The training started off with exercises to formulate a clear key message about their own research, with a specific focus on translating it to layman’s terms. The participants then took turns practicing in front of a real press camera. The trainers helped the researchers with calmness and authenticity on camera, and effectively handling difficult or unexpected questions. When not practicing with the camera, researchers did a scientific illustration training organized by Sophie Wintermans, science communicator at the PDPC, using  graphic design software Afterwards, everyone had the opportunity to unwind and enjoy the sunny weather with a walk along the beach.

At the end of the day, all participants joined the reflection session, in which key insights from the day were discussed. The participants all agreed on the importance of knowing your key message, being able to build a bridge between the question and what you want to say and using less scientific jargon in front of the camera. Compared to the start of the training, it was striking to see how much these researchers improved in communicating their research in a relaxed, clear and easy-to-understand way. These newly acquired skills will be applied in the coming months with the filming of Science Speaks, the science video series of the PDPC that explains the PDPC research about how to prevent new pandemics and disasters.

The next morning, Karin van Vuuren, researcher from PDPC Frontrunner 3: Pandemic lessons for flood disaster preparedness, presented the governance structure for crisis response in the Netherlands, using the flooding of Limburg in 2021 as a specific example of how response is organized. She highlighted the complexity of the governance structure and pointed out where difficulties can arise during a crisis. Yared Abebe, also researcher in Frontrunner 3, then gave a deeper insight into different types of floods. He discussed the impact of several recent floods, with an additional focus on the impact of floods on healthcare systems.

Friday continued with a serious game about a fictional flooding scenario, developed by Frontrunner 3 researcher Julien Magana, and UNITY project researcher Emma Wijers. The game centered around a flooding of a city due to high rainfall, which led to the collapse of a nearby dam. The participants were tasked with making crisis management decisions, while minimizing the impact on human health, animal health and the economy. The five rounds of the game featured different ´phases´ of the flooding, including evacuation of both the general population and hospitals, contamination of floodwater with infectious diseases, pneumonia outbreaks in shelters and an eventual increase in mosquito nuisance and mosquito-borne diseases. Through these topics, all Frontrunners could summarize and share their expertise in the specific scenario. The game ended with a reflection by Georgie Mills, ethicist of the PDPC, who also encouraged researchers to take ethical considerations into account during their research.

All in all, the PDPC Winterschool once again provided a valuable opportunity for early-career researchers to exchange ideas, develop new skills, and strengthen connections within the group. With many of the researchers approaching the end of their PhDs, we wish the group the best of luck in the coming months during the final stages of their projects!