Why did you choose the service/institution you chose?

I chose the AQUASERV service primarily because it offered a good programme including an experiment, which could be implemented at one of the institutions we selected. I chose the Research Centre for Fisheries and Aquaculture (HAKI) in Hungary because it enabled me to implement the project and all its conditions, and it was in a neighbouring country.

How did this access experience support your research?

The service provided me with project financing, and the host institution provided everything else, including eight facilities for carp breeding for three months. People participated by performing work tasks, raising fish, stocking them, catching them and harvesting them. I was also provided with laboratories for diagnostics and measuring stress levels in fish.

How does your project benefit society, industry, or policy?

The results obtained will impact society, primarily in terms of using fish as a food source obtained with minimal environmental pollution and a minimal amount of water, since water has recently become a significant societal resource and should therefore be used rationally.

After the project is realised, society will benefit from a healthier and safer environment because this kind of production, which saves natural resources, is important for preserving the environment. Environmental care should be a priority for our society. A healthy environment is essential for human existence and the development of society, as well as being a key factor in ensuring the population leads a healthy life. The results will be very useful for the carp production industry as they can be applied directly.

How did this experience mark your scientific career?

My scientific field is the common carp health monitoring, its production technology development and evaluation of the quality of its meat. This research is directly related to my expertise and will significantly impact my scientific career through the additional experience I have gained, and the publication of scientific results that have emerged from the project.

Please share some words of encouragement to future users.

The program itself is very well designed and provides researchers with the opportunity to design their own experiment and its length, as well as a stay at an institution where it is possible to implement all of this. It allows gaining additional experience, broadening professional horizons and expanding the network by meeting new researchers and new opportunities for continuous progress, work and collaboration.