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Since their launch, the Marie Sk艂odowska-Curie Actions (MSCA) have been playing a major role in attracting talented researchers to collaborate in any field and across disciplines throughout Europe. The 鈥淎pplying Sustainability Transition Research in Social Work tackling Major Societal Challenge of Social Inclusion鈥� (ASTRA) project is the first MSCA-funded project that combines transdisciplinary sustainability transition research, policies, and practices in social work.

Since its launch, the ASTRA project has been strengthening researchers鈥� mobility opportunities through summer schools, thematic workshops, and secondments. The latter represents a great opportunity for researchers' development, building research skills, gaining knowledge, and establishing new relationships and networks.

As an early-stage researcher working for the ASTRA project, I have been privileged to begin my secondments at Bielefeld University, Germany. I arrived in Bielefeld on 2nd of January where I had the chance to meet my dear ASTRA colleagues assigned at Bielefeld University. We had a great time together having a tour around the city and visiting the Sparrenburg Castle of Bielefeld. Furthermore, I was happy to get familiar with the city center, visit the city library as well as find some Syrian restaurants where I enjoyed Syrian cuisine after a while of missing it.

The time of actual posting started on the 3rd of January. Since then, I have been going to the university where I was warmly welcomed by Veronica Horbach, who made sure that my secondment proceeded smoothly. Additionally, I am grateful to Eva Lange who took me for an orientational tour around the Bielefeld University campus. Furthermore, during my secondment there has been a great opportunity to meet Prof. Dr. Holger Ziegler. We had multiple opportunities to meet in person as well as online to discuss my research topic. He was super helpful in highlighting new perspectives regarding my research topic, building a research network, and assessing my first research paper. Moreover, he gave me all the support needed by accessing outstanding books which have been published in the field of the capability approach and social work.

The secondment has also been a great chance to keep focusing on writing my scoping literature review. In fact, a wide range of new points highlighted by Prof. Dr. Holger Ziegler were of great importance and interest. We additionally discussed the possibility of establishing a research network and getting in contact with researchers specialized in the area of the capability approach and human security.

Although the secondment has been quite informative and crucial for my research, the Covid-19 pandemic was the main obstacle to visiting agencies, collecting empirical data, and meeting new people. Additionally, as storms raged across Germany, people were being warned to stay at home as much as possible.

Finally, I have a couple of weeks remaining for my secondment before heading to Amsterdam with other early-stage researchers of the ASTRA project. As our symposium proposal has been accepted for the 11th European Conference for Social Work Research of the European Social Work Research Association (ESWRA), we are looking forward to speaking about 鈥淪ustainability Beyond Borders: Re-imagining Social Work Research & Practice with Astra Project鈥�.