The European Plant Science Retreat (EPSR) came into existence in 2008 to provide opportunities for early career plant scientists to develop their scientific network. Before the COVID-19 pandemic, the EPSR occurred annually in various countries, including Belgium, France, Germany, the Netherlands, Spain, and the United Kingdom, strengthening the interactions between early career plant scientists (van der Horst et al., 2019). This event, organized by and for PhD candidates, provides an accessible environment for PhD candidates to showcase their work and