I was delighted to be asked to attend the final TRANSMIXR review as hosted by by Satore Studio in Lisbon 🇵🇹. While only a small group gathered in person, with the majority joining online, the hybrid setup did nothing to reduce the significance of the occasion. If anything, it underscored how international and collaborative the project has been from the very beginning.
This was my first rodeo for a Horizon project and a final review, however from what I understood in advance it’s far from a casual affair. With expectations on moments of scrutiny, reflection, and accountability we prepared the day before to make sure the contributions came across clear to the reviewers. This involved some last minute (4AM starts! 🥱) video edits from our success at UnitedXR, and re-polishing of diagrams to suit the form factor of a presentation. These moments in research are rarely glamorous, but more so coffee fuelled, detail focused, and slightly sleep deprived, but they matter most. In representing three years of work, clarity is everything.
On the day of the review, the reviewers asked challenging and thoughtful questions throughout, but the consortium was prepared. Each partner spoke with confidence about their role, their outcomes, and the broader vision of TRANSMIXR. By the end of the session, there were smiles all around always a reassuring sign that the message had landed.
Decisions, Decisions...
A brief moment of tension set in as the reviewers left the online meeting to deliberate on whether we had met their expectations. During the hour long wait, the consortium did what it has always done best, acknowledged one another’s efforts and reflected on the collaborative work that brought us to this point. Regardless of the outcome, we were a team, united and absolutely proud of what had been presented.
When the reviewers returned, their feedback was overwhelmingly positive. They spoke highly of the ambition, delivery, and impact achieved over the three-year journey. The tension quickly dissolved, replaced by smiles and a well-earned sense of celebration! 🎉
A special word of thanks goes to Tupac Martir for the professional setup and seamless hosting. The technical environment, staging, and presentation space within the studio in Lisbon reflected the same creative precision that has characterised the project throughout.
Fado and Farewells..
Of course, no visit to Lisbon would be complete without sampling its culinary offerings. The first evening brought delicious seafood fresh, simple, and unmistakably Portuguese. The final night took us to O Corrido – Casa de Fado, where traditional Fado music provided a fitting soundtrack to close the chapter. There’s something powerful about Fado, emotional, reflective, rooted in storytelling. It felt like the right way to mark the end of a journey defined by narrative, immersion, and human connection.
Not every ending is perfectly polished, however. The trip home was less poetic to say the least. I was unfortunately quite ill on the return journey, and the flight back proved to be a long and uncomfortable one. Still, even that couldn’t lessen the sense of achievement that came from seeing TRANSMIXR reach its final milestone.
Three years of ambition.
One final review.
And a consortium that delivered.
