We propose 4 different formats to have a unique mix of researchers and high participation in the workshop.

Session 1 and 3 will have curated talks related to specific themes within the workshop topic in order to stimulate focused discussion related to the workshop aims.

Session 2 will have short lightning talks. For the lightning talks, we will solicit participation from the community through a single call for participation. From the received submissions, the ones that fit best with the themes planned will be selected to be presented in the curated talks sessions 1 and 3. The other selected submissions will be presented in Session 2 (Lightning talks). Besides general call for participation that will be widely publicised, the organisers will reach out to directly by personal communication to researchers whose work will contribute to the dialogue to also submit to the general call for participation.

Session 4: Early Career Researchers showcase is a unique initiative we introduce in this workshop. As postdoc phase is challenging to navigate and reach independent positions, we focus this session to improve visibility for promising early career researchers (excluding those in full-time faculty positions). Senior PhD students and postdocs often have a significant body of work produced. Thematic presentations (as opposed to talk on a single publication) will be solicited from early career researchers not already in an independent academic position. The submissions will be evaluated for excellence in research, vision, and explanation of how their work contributes to the field. This is aimed at putting a spotlight on early career researchers’ contribution to significant developments, highlight their vision and provide impetus for their career progress.

The ECRs will also join the established researchers in the panel discussion. The panellists will be composed of the invited speakers and selected invitees from the conference attendees who will be expected to be present for the entirety of Session 4. The topic of panel discussion is on how to develop fully integrated functional soft robots - challenges and pathways. The topic of panel discussion is on how to develop fully integrated functional soft robots - challenges and pathways.A moderator will direct the discussion. A clear format will be established to channel the discussion towards tangible outcomes.

An example is as follows: The moderator will ask the speakers on integrated soft robots (session 3) to outline challenges for functional integration. Based on the outputs, questions related to specific aspects on sensing, actuation etc will be directed to thematic leads (session 1). ECRs will finally be asked to summarize their perception of the pathways towards solving the challenges.

The panel discussion will be followed by a summary of the day’s program by the organisers. The organisers will make notes throughout the workshop and present a summary of the state-of-progress and challenges in soft robotics integration. These insights will also be utilised in the dissemination of the workshop outputs (elaborated in dissemination plans section).