CaviPRO Summer School at TUD: 24th-28th March 2025

The CaviPRO Summer School meeting at Technische Universität Dresden was a structured event that integrated academic progress discussions, technical training, and industry exposure. Across five days, participants engaged in research presentations, hands-on training, and networking opportunities. The event began with a welcome session and progress reports from researchers, followed by a key meeting with the EU Project Officer, where project progress and future directions were assessed. Researchers presented their work, discussing challenges and improvements, while restricted sessions allowed focused discussions on project evaluations. Lab visits provided hands-on experience with cavitation applications, and workshops covered scientific publishing and AI tools for research. An industrial visit offered insights into computational fluid dynamics software development. Overall, the event encouraged collaboration, refined research objectives, assessed the progress of the DCs and laid the groundwork for future advancements in hydrodynamic cavitation studies.

Day 1: Monday, 24th March 2025


The meeting commenced with an introduction of the CaviPRO consortium members, followed by an introductory session by Markus. He provided an overview of TUD’s history, its structure, key facts, and figures, along with an outline of the summer school agenda. He also gave participants a map for orientation and shared insights about Dresden and the university campus. Vivek then presented an overview of the CaviPRO project, detailing the host institutes, associated partners, and key changes, including the removal of Fraunhofer and the replacement of Elsevier with Ultrasonics Sonochemistry as associate partners. The session continued with presentations from the Doctoral Candidates (DCs), each outlining their project objectives, methodologies, results, and future work. The progress and work plan were critically assessed by the PIs and other consortium members. The closing remarks for the day were delivered by Vivek, with a discussion on finalizing the secondments of the DCs. The day concluded with a dinner at Restaurant 1900, providing an informal setting for participants to exchange ideas and discuss collaborative opportunities.


                 

              Introductory session by Markus                                                           An overview of CaviPRO by Vivek


                         

       Presentation on progress by Gasper (DC9)                                                               Dinner at the 1900


Day 2: Tuesday, 25th March 2025


The day began with an introduction of Paula, the EU Project Officer, by Vivek, followed by a Tour de Table where all members briefly introduced themselves. Paula then gave a presentation outlining the expectations for the project and the role of the European Commission in supporting research initiatives. Vivek followed with a project progress and overview session, highlighting key milestones, challenges, and future plans for the consortium. DCs presented their research progress to the PO, focusing on their methodologies, results, and alignment with the project’s objectives. The session allowed Paula to provide feedback and recommendations on individual research projects. A broader discussion on the overall progress of the CaviPRO project was held among consortium members in parallel with the restricted session of the PO with DCs to account for any challenges faced by the DCs with respect to PhD registration, funding, secondments, and subsequently, their individual research works. This included an assessment of key achievements, identification of potential challenges, and planning for the next phase of research activities. The day concluded with a guided tour of Dresden’s downtown, allowing participants to explore the city’s cultural and historical sites. This was followed by a dinner at Freiberger Schankhaus restaurant, fostering further engagement in an informal setting.


                       

      Report of the coordinator to the PO (Paula)                                                     The guided tour of Dresden


Day 3: Wednesday, 26th March 2025


The focus of the first half of the day was on laboratory visits and hands-on technical training. The morning began at the Fraunhofer Institute for Material and Beam Technology IWS with a presentation on hydrodynamic cavitation devices and their applications by Vivek, followed by an introduction to 3D printing and manufacturing techniques by Elena Lopez, Division Manager of Additive Manufacturing at the Fraunhofer IWS. Participants visited Dresden’s Additive Manufacturing Center, where they observed advanced fabrication processes and potential applications for their research. Coming back from the Fraunhofer, parallel discussions on demonstrations were conducted in the second half, where the lead DCs and PIs of the respective demonstration WPs initiated the discussion and presented a roadmap for the demonstrations going to happen in Turin towards the end of the project. A combined discussion at the end of the parallel discussions led to a decision to circulate a live document of the roadmap for each demonstration under WP 5 to keep track of the progress.


                                               

                          Visit to the Fraunhaufer, led by Elena                                      Discussion on demonstrations by Vivek


Day 4: Thursday, 27th March 2025


Participants attended a workshop on scientific publishing led by Eloísa Deola Schennerlein and Katharina Zinke (subject librarians at TUD), which covered best practices, common pitfalls, and strategies for effectively communicating research findings. A session by Paulina Hösl (Schreibzentrum, TUD) on artificial intelligence tools for academic writing followed, providing hands-on training on integrating AI into the research workflow. After lunch, participants travelled to Helmholtz-Zentrum Dresden-Rossendorf (HZDR) for a hands-on training session at the Institute of Fluid Dynamics. Researchers engaged in talks on X-ray and gamma-ray-based quantitative measurement techniques of multiphase flow, followed by experimental demonstrations of the same. The group returned from HZDR, and participants had time for informal discussions and reflections on the day’s training. The evening was kept flexible for self-study and collaboration on ongoing research projects.


                          

               A session on AI for academic writing by Paulina                      Visit to the Institute of Fluid Dynamics, HZDR


Day 5: Friday, 28th March 2025


The final day started with a bus transfer to our industrial partner specializing in computational fluid dynamics (CFD) simulation, SIEMENS. Upon arrival, participants were welcomed with coffee and an introductory session on the company’s research and development activities. Participants attended a session on software (Simcenter STAR-CCM+) development for computational fluid dynamics simulations. This was followed by an in-depth discussion on the practical applications of CFD in various industrial processes. The visit provided a valuable perspective on transitioning from academic research to industry applications. The discussions and insights were really valuable for the DCs, especially those working on multiscale flow and performance models to scale up as a part of the WP 4. A live demonstration of HC-based CFD simulation concluded the tour. The group then departed for Dresden, marking the official end of the summer school meeting.


                                   

               Transfer to the SIEMENS                                                               The CaviPRO team with the SIEMENS team


Summary


The event marked its success, bringing together researchers, students, and industry professionals to share knowledge and practical skills. Over five days, participants attended presentations, hands-on training sessions, and group discussions focused on improving research methods and exploring real-world applications. A key meeting with the EU Project Officer provided an opportunity to review progress and plan the next steps. Visits to research labs and an industrial site gave participants insight into additive manufacturing, quantification of multiphase flow, and CFD simulations. The event encouraged collaboration, helped address research challenges, and strengthened connections between academia and industry.


The CaviPRO team with the PO during the guided tour of Dresden


       


Participants from left to right:


Jai Rathod, Tobias Bauer, Gašper Bizjan, Matevž Dular, Margaux Bénit, Klara Pešić, Omkar Khare, Geert-Jan van den Kieboom, Mohamed Abbas Abdelsalam, Giancarlo Cravotto, Markus Schubert, Erçil Toyran, C. Subramaniam, Hilda Fogarty, Paula Hokkanen, and Subhrajit Swain.


.