Report

Teaser, summary, work performed and final results

Periodic Reporting for period 2 - ENABLE (European Academy for Biomedical Science)

Teaser

ENABLE (European Academy for Biomedical Science) is the first European symposium organised by and for PhD students and postdoctoral fellows. This initiative seeks to promote excellence in the biomedical sciences in Europe by supporting young researchers, strengthening...

Summary

ENABLE (European Academy for Biomedical Science) is the first European symposium organised by and for PhD students and postdoctoral fellows. This initiative seeks to promote excellence in the biomedical sciences in Europe by supporting young researchers, strengthening scientific careers, and bringing biomedicine closer to society. To achieve this, ENABLE is organised around three main pillars:

• Scientific symposium: Two full days on which young scientists from all over Europe learn about various biomedical fields and cutting-edge techniques through talks, posters, round tables, and informal chats with renowned scientists.

• ENABLing Career day: A full day on which participants attend workshops, chat with professionals, and learn about career options at the “job fair”, in which companies ranging from the publishing world to the biotechnological and pharmaceutical sectors are present.

• Outreach activities: A series of sessions in which participants explain biomedicine to the general public and thus bring science closer to society.

The ENABLE symposia is about opening academia from within to promote a new research culture through a real exchange between young scientists, renowned researchers, industry professionals, and citizens. Moreover, unlike other conferences, predoctoral and postdoctoral fellows are in charge of the event, thus enabling them to acquire a series of skills and empowering them regarding their future career choices.

Until 2020, four European cities will host annually a 3-day international congress on biomedicine organised by and for young biomedical scientists: Barcelona 2017, Copenhagen 2018, Nijmegen 2019, and Milan 2020.

ENABLE, which has received funding from the European Union’s H2020 research and innovation programme under grant agreement 724115, involves four renowned European Research Institutes (IRB Barcelona – Spain, RIMLS – Netherlands, NNF CPR – Denmark, SEMM – Italy) and an innovative science communication agency (Scienseed).

For more information, you can watch the ENABLE presentation video (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JU79rZUahZI), the video was released after the first conference held in Barcelona in November 2017 (https://youtu.be/v361-eeQwBA), the motion graphic series (https://youtu.be/9VSgg9Nu5SA), visit our website (www.enablenetwork.eu) or follow us on Facebook and Twitter (ENABLE Network EU).

Work performed

\"ENABLE has successfully organised two European PhD and Postdoc symposia.
The first one, “Breaking Down Complexity: Innovative Models and Techniques in Biomedicine” was held in Barcelona from 15 to 17 November 2017.
The programme included:
- key-note lectures by 8 renowned international speakers
- masterclasses in small groups, about 1 or 2 articles proposed by the keynote speakers and IRB Barcelona Facility managers
- short-talks given by 16 selected attendees
- 100 selected posters in two separate sessions
- interaction activities with invited speakers, such as \"\"tapas with speakers\"\"
- career chats with 18 professionals
- 8 workshops addressing transferable skills
- Opportunity Fair involving 20 companies and 8 academic institutions
- two round-tables for the general public
- 24 microtalks for the general public held in 4 pubs in Barcelona
- activities for schools

The second symposium, \"\"The Promise of Future Medicine: from Research to Therapy\"\" was held in Copenhagen from 7 to 9 November 2018. The programme included:
- Key-note lectures by 8 renowned international speakers
- Short-talks given by 15 selected attendees
- 141 posters in four separate sessions
- Interaction activities with invited speakers, such as \"\"Nordic tapas with speakers\"\"
- Career chats with 20 professionals
- 8 workshops to improve career development / transferable skills
- Opportunity fair with 20 companies and 4 academic institutions
- 16 micro-talks for the general public in 4 different pubs in Copenhagen.
- 2 activities for schools
- 2 adult outreach events


The registration period for the third symposium is still open. The 3rd European PhD and Postdoc symposium, \"\"Next-generation life scientists: Side by side to break new ground\"\" will be held in Nijmegen from 13 to 15 November 2019.

The ENABLE symposia are organised by young researchers and for young researchers and will be a reference event on the agenda of aspiring predoctoral and postdoctoral researchers

Previous events gathered more than 400 attendees from more than 25 countries. Thanks to the generous support of our sponsors, more than 50 travel grants have been offered each year.
\"

Final results

The annual meetings organised within the duration of this project will gather outstanding researchers from all over the world at all levels of their careers to discuss cutting-edge topics on Biomedicine, a field in continuous transformation. The events will be exploited to translate the results of the scientific discussions into a forum of debate in which the society will have the opportunity to participate. A wide range of sectors from society will directly benefit from this experience. This is the first time that symposia focused on Biomedical research and organised by predoctoral and postdoctoral researchers from four independent European research institutions join forces to launch a series of symposia which is expected to become a reference for the young researcher community.
ENABLE has designed a series of outreach activities for primary and secondary school children and aimed at fostering interest in science, such as “The scientific method for children” and “What is a scientist”. These activities are organised each year during the international gatherings. Such activities are crucial to stimulate the intrinsic inquisitiveness shown by children from an early age. At a more advanced level, activities addressed to secondary school kids are organised, such as “Biomedicine is out there” and “on-line science”.
Finally, the ENABLing Career Days further inspire researchers as to go beyond their own perceived boundaries.
ENABLE is also a way of increasing the visibility of an immense talent bank in Europe. Indeed, the Scientific and Local Organising Committees, formed exclusively by young researchers of the four participating European institutions, carefully orchestrate a series of actions that have concluded and will conclude with the celebration of ENABLE. This event gives the young organisers a unique opportunity to be the protagonists and to show their talent to an international scientific audience, which also includes renowned scientists.
The strong communication strategy that has targeted groups belonging to the whole scientific community, as well as industry, patients associations, charities, SMEs, pharmaceutical companies, schools, and the general public, have turned ENABLE into an event of reference.

Website & more info

More info: http://www.enablenetwork.eu.