The ERU organizes biennial writing weeks since 2012 where early career researchers work together on a pre-registered scientific paper under the supervision of leading scholars in the field of developmental psychology. The writing weeks are targeted at ERU members and aim to foster international collaboration and networking opportunities among early career researchers working in developmental psychology across Europe. Writing weeks comprise of a five-day program full of training activities, networking events, and writing time to kick-start the collaboration on a joint paper with fellow early career scholars and leading scholars in the field. The writing weeks are highly successful as evidenced by the publications that have resulted from them.  

The 2025 ERU-EADP Open Science Writing Week took place in Póvoa de Varzim, Portugal, from March 31 to April 4. A total of 21 junior researchers from across Europe—including Croatia, Germany, Greece, Finland, Italy, the Netherlands, Portugal, Romania, Turkey, and the UK—came together for an intensive week of collaborative research and writing.

Participants were divided into six thematic groups, each led by a senior mentor who provided both guidance and a relevant secondary dataset. The mentors included Prof. Daphne van de Bongardt, Prof. Ana Catarina Canário, Prof. Spyridon Tantaros, Prof. Laura K. Taylor, Prof. Katja Upadyaya, and Prof. Antonio Zuffianò. Each mentor also delivered a short lecture during the week, which were both inspiring and practically helpful in guiding early career researchers.

Throughout the week, participants worked closely with their mentors to develop and draft pre-registrations for future collaborative manuscripts. Some groups submitted their pre-registrations during the week, while others continued work afterwards, with all groups aiming to publish their projects in the future. The collaborative setting—everyone lived and worked together in a seaside hotel—fostered both productivity and connection. Evenings brought long conversations, beach walks, ice cream outings, and shared laughs during a mid-week social night with games and a pub quiz.

The writing week was “intense but energizing,” with many participants noting how much progress they made in just a few days thanks to the focused structure and supportive atmosphere.