Representatives of the Faculty of Dental Medicine and Health Osijek participated in the ORPHEUS Conference which took place from 26 to 28 May 2026 at the Semmelweis University in Budapest. FDMZ and the interdisciplinary doctoral study programme Molecular Biosciences were represented at the conference by Katarina Kereta, secretary of the interdisciplinary doctoral study programme Molecular Biosciences, and Vice Tomičić, assistant and doctoral student.
Based on a survey conducted among students and alumni, the research explored doctoral students’ knowledge, attitudes and practical involvement in interdisciplinary research and interinstitutional networks. The results were presented in the poster session under the title “Closing the Gap Between Positive Attitudes and Practical Engagement: Building Sustainable Interdisciplinary Networks in Doctoral Education.” The poster highlighted the gap between doctoral students’ positive attitudes towards interdisciplinary collaboration and their practical involvement in research activities, emphasizing the need to create sustainable and functional networks within doctoral education, as well as among institutions in Croatia and abroad. The research was conducted under the mentorship of Prof. Martina Smolić, PhD, Vice-Dean for Science and Postgraduate Studies at the Faculty of Dental Medicine and Health Osijek and Head of the interdisciplinary doctoral study programme Molecular Biosciences.
This year’s ORPHEUS Conference brought together participants and experts from numerous higher education and scientific institutions, providing an opportunity to exchange experiences on the development of doctoral studies, quality assurance, internationalization and the strengthening of institutional cooperation. Participation in the conference was an opportunity to present the Faculty in an international academic environment, as well as to connect with partners and experts actively involved in improving doctoral education in the area of biomedicine and health in Europe and beyond.
