Enhancing communication of health research projects
The project COMMHERE (Communication of European health research) comprised a nine-partner consortium of institutions active in health research. All had experience and responsibility for coordinating EU-funded health research projects, and all members were professional communication or administration officers. The project thus had a strong base to achieve its goal of improving the understanding of health-related topics for all and boost awareness of funding support for health research in Europe. Initially, local networks were built with researchers funded by FP7 Health within their own institutions. Communication activities focused on media and audiences beyond the scientific community, and included media releases, online activities and outreach events on a national, European and international level. As baseline analysis 51 Sixth Framework Programme (FP6) Health projects coordinated by partner institutions were identified to highlight previous successful approaches to public relations. An article summarising the findings of this work was published in the LINK magazine of the European Association of Research Managers and Administrators (EARMA). Tools and guidelines were developed and subsequently used for coordinating production and distribution of health research news. For example, various online Twitter accounts supported distribution at European level and the HorizonHealth.eu web portal was launched for the general public. EU-funded health research projects were presented at local science festivals, and also in Wroclaw, Poland and in Prague, Czech Republic. Other activities included organisation of popular scientific sessions at ESOF and AAAS conferences, a Research Forum on Active Ageing for policymakers in Brussels, and a study visit to cutting-edge research institutions in Barcelona for science journalists. Evaluation of project work and outcomes showed that mentoring and coaching activities had a visible impact on the quantity and quality of communication activities. Topical sessions and local outreach events were particularly successful for communicating the activities of health research projects. COMMHERE has enhanced and boosted communication of ongoing research, and established a long-term impact through close collaboration with research leaders and representatives of ongoing and new research projects.
Keywords
Health research, communication activities, dissemination, mentored projects
