Dear attendees of the 2023 ONWAR PhD retreat,
 
Welcome to the annual retreat; the place where you will have a chance to have a meeting of minds, look beyond the boundaries of your own project, place science in a broader perspective, and relax with your peers. This year marks the 29th time the retreat is held. Of note, several of the attendees of the first few retreats are currently still active in the neurosciences in the Amsterdam, Rotterdam and Utrecht centers. You may want to try and imagine your current supervisor or promotor, walking around at the poster sessions with a brisk sleep deprivation, getting some fresh air in the woods between sessions, or sitting at the bar with a beer like you do now.
 
The both of us are among those who attended the retreat in its earlier versions; were a member of the organisation committee in our day; and currently have the pleasure to assist the PhD committee in their organisation of the retreat; full circle!
 
When we say ‘assist’, we really mean ‘attend’ the meetings of the organisational committee; every year we are impressed by the activities, ideas and proactive nature of the committee. The choice of topics, the time schedule, the grouping of talks and posters, the metascience program and the social every year rests in the hands of your committee.
 
We hope you enjoy this edition of the annual retreat, a time to look back at 29 years of neuroscience but also the place where you meet your future collaborators, the professors and professionals that will influence neuroscience, knowledges and society in the coming decades!
 

Vivi and Rogier