On October 9, 2024, the MEDem Steering Committee and OP-level team gathered at GESIS in Cologne to strategize the next steps toward the ESFRI Roadmap 2026. This meeting followed closely after the official ESFRI Roadmap call on October 8, providing an excellent opportunity to explore critical updates and refine the MEDem proposal.

Accordingly, key agenda items included discussions on updates from Brussels, reviewing the ESFRI proposal requirements, and ensuring a seamless application process.

The participants were:

• FORS: Georg Lutz, Annika Lindholm, Elie Michel
• Free University of Amsterdam: Mariken van der Velden
• GESIS: Alexia Katsanidou, Sebastian Ziaja
• LUISS: Elisabetta Mannoni, Lorenzo De Sio
• University of Gothenburg: Henrik Ekergren Oscarsson
• University of Silesia in Katowice: Damian Guzek
• University of Vienna: Hajo Boomgaarden, Jakob-Moritz Eberl, Jana Bernhard, Johanna Willmann, Sylvia Kritzinger, Emmanuel Meillan, Andrea Stockinger

A heartfelt thank you to GESIS for hosting this productive and inspiring meeting! We look forward to building on this momentum as we progress toward the next stages of the ESFRI application.