- If you could describe the ted4lat project in a metaphor, what would it be and why?
A long-distance team race. Indeed, the project is a demanding effort over a duration of several years and its goal can only be achieved if everyone in the team keeps being committed.
- How has your involvement in the ted4lat project changed your perspective on your field of study?
It has opened me to the practices of research in Latvian universities. Trying to be more familiar with the economic and cultural context of Latvia is in my view a part of the collaboration.
- What unexpected discoveries or insights have emerged from the ted4lat project so far?
The TED4LAT project led to close collaborations between a French or an Italian experienced scientific advisor and a Latvian scientist in their early carrier. The main insight is that these regular collaborations were mutually beneficial and led to co-authored scientific productions.
- If you could collaborate with any historical figure on the ted4lat project, who would it be and what would they contribute?
Charles-Maurice Talleyrand, the famous foreign minister of Napoleon the First. Talleyrand is known as one of the best diplomats of his time. In other words, he was able to understand people with very different interests and cultural backgrounds and find the common ground on which they could build together.
- How do you balance the scientific rigour of the ted4lat project with the need for creativity and innovation?
I think that this balance varies in the different specific scientific collaborations. This balance is also a constant subject of discussion when framing scientific work. We always need to clearly identify the novelty of research with respect to existing literature and rigorously demonstrate its advance.
- What personal experiences or passions inspired you to join the ted4lat project?
Interest in exchanging with people from different horizons and finding paths for building together.
