On March 20, 2025, the first Paper-a-Thon of the WI Research Club took place at the Rhine-Ruhr Institute of Information Systems at the University of Duisburg-Essen in the Innovation Lab of Place Beyond Bytes. The event provided an excellent opportunity to network and exchange ideas, develop new research ideas, and receive valuable feedback on ongoing research work.

A key highlight of the Paper-a-Thon was the joint development of new paper ideas. The discussions about scientific challenges and new research perspectives made it clear how important collaboration across all IS chairs and open discussions are for scientific and personal progress. In addition to the paper development workshop, strategies and best practices for the successful organization of the PhD program were also exchanged, enriched with personal input from Dr. Gero Strobel from his experiences as a successful PhD student from the department.

The WI Research Club is an initiative launched by academic staff themselves with the aim of strengthening networking within one of the largest Information Systems institutes in Germany. The goal is to create a creative space for research and exchange in which synergy effects can be used effectively in order to jointly achieve scientific impact. The regular exchange of experience and knowledge should not only promote the scientific careers of doctoral students and post-docs, but also strengthen the enjoyment in conducting research.

Special thanks go to the initiators and organizers Annemarie Bloch, Ali Ergün und Gero Strobel, who made this inspiring exchange possible. A big thank you also to all participants from the various IS chairs for their committed contributions and constructive discussions. We look forward to the next steps and future joint projects!