REspiratory Science Promoted by International Research Exchanges 3

Project Information

RESPIRE 3

Grant agreement ID: 713406

DOI

10.3030/713406

Project closed

EC signature date 9 March 2016

Start date 1 September 2016

End date 28 February 2022

Funded under

• EXCELLENT SCIENCE - Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions

Total cost

€ 2 265 600,00

EU contribution

€ 1 132 800,00

Coordinated by

EUROPEAN RESPIRATORY SOCIETY
Switzerland

Periodic Reporting for period 3 - RESPIRE 3 (REspiratory Science Promoted by International Research Exchanges 3)

Reporting period: 2021-09-01 to 2022-02-28

Summary of the context and overall objectives of the project

Respiratory diseases (e.g. asthma, COPD, lung cancer, respiratory infections) account for at least one in 8 deaths in the EU according to the European Lung White Book (https://www.erswhitebook.org/). In spite of the prominence of lung diseases, research remains largely underfunded compared to their wider burden on society in Europe and beyond, as pinpointed by “ERS 10 Principles for Lung Health” (https://www.ersnet.org/news-and-features/news/ers-10-principles-for-lung-health/). Further investment in respiratory diseases and in training the next generation of leaders is thus needed, also taking into account unprecedented health challenges (e.g. pandemics) and an ageing population.

The RESPIRE3 Marie Sklodowska-Curie (MSCA COFUND) Postdoctoral Research Fellowship programme was an international, intersectoral and inter-disciplinary programme that selected, trained and supported the leaders of tomorrow in the respiratory field. It was coordinated by the European Respiratory Society (ERS) during the period 2016-2022, under the EU Horizon 2020 programme.

More in particular, in line with the Grant Agreement, the RESPIRE3 programme provided sixteen Marie Skłodowska-Curie research fellowships to early stage researchers. It thus helped to strengthen the European Research Area (ERA) as well as the respiratory specialty by:
• Promoting excellent science in respiratory research in Europe and worldwide through transnational mobility and transfer of knowledge;
• Enabling Europe to become a hub for the exchange of researchers, actively involved in respiratory medicine in both academia and the non-academic sector;
• Fostering the implementation of novel and innovative techniques and therapies as well as the development of new international collaborations; and
• Gathering expertise from various fields, even those not traditionally associated with respiratory research, as well as fostering career development.

All sixteen fellows selected secured the next career step after the fellowship, including eleven fellows in academia and five in the non-academic sector. Moreover, a new RESPIRE4 Marie Sklodowska-Curie (MSCA COFUND) programme was also launched in 2020, building on the experience of RESPIRE3.

Work performed from the beginning of the project to the end of the period covered by the report and main results achieved so far

During the duration of the RESPIRE3 programme, ERS organised three calls for applications. Sixteen Marie Sklodowska-Curie fellows were selected, as planned in the Grant Agreement, including thirteen European Fellowships and three Global Fellowships.

Compared to previous programmes, RESPIRE3 introduced innovatory elements such as the 3-year Global Fellowships, which allowed to expand the international dimension of the programme to include Third Countries and provided candidates with more flexibility within an individually-driven, bottom up approach towards research development. In parallel, the opportunity to carry out a secondment was also a novel feature of RESPIRE3, in order to promote an intersectoral approach. More in particular, the programme aimed to strengthen links with the non-academic sector by offering European Fellowships recipients with a 1-year extension if they secured a secondment in the non-academic sector in the 3rd year. Moreover, a number of fellows applied for and were granted an extension to stay at the host centre, facilitating the transition from the end of the fellowship to the next position.

In terms of the application and evaluation phases, RESPIRE3 introduced a new, dedicated, user-friendly fellowship application and reviewing platform as well as carried out a successful pilot to involve patient representatives in the interview phase. The support to selected fellows was also strengthened through the introduction of a family allowance to ensure competitive working conditions and attract the best talents. The training and networking support offered to fellows by ERS was also enhanced in order to complement what offered by host centres; this included among other: an ERS external mentoring scheme, training in self-leadership (in collaboration with EMBO), training in outreach and public engagement (in collaboration with the European Lung Foundation), attendance at the Lung Science Conference and ERS International Congresses, and dedicated RESPIRE MeetUps (face-to-face and online).

Research carried out during RESPIRE3 has led to numerous presentations/abstracts at congresses (e.g. ERS International Congress, etc) as well as papers in peer-reviewed journals and these figures will continue to rise as researchers continue to publish their results after the end of the fellowship. Moreover, fellows have also engaged in a number of outreach activities aimed at the general public during their fellowship and have started to disseminate widely their work. The statistics below give an overview of the significant impact of the RESPIRE3 programme (as of end of February 2022), in terms of dissemination and communication:

• 26 papers published to date in international journals (with several more being submitted or planned to be submitted);
• 10 articles in non scientific and non peer reviewed publication;
• 9 videos, including 7 fellows’ videos available via the ERS website and YouTube page.
• 16 conferences/workshops organised as part of the programme;
• 79 presentations at Congresses or other events by RESPIRE3 fellows;
• RESPIRE3 fellows attending 111 conferences or workshops;
• Fellows attending 21 other events (including pitch event, trade fair or exhibition);
• More than 720,000 different stakeholders reached, including the scientific community, general public and media.

Progress beyond the state of the art and expected potential impact (including the socio-economic impact and the wider societal implications of the project so far)

Thanks to RESPIRE3, ERS’ flagship fellowship programme, sixteen high-level cutting-edge and innovative respiratory research projects were supported. Projects selected covered a broad range of respiratory illnesses (e.g. asthma, COPD, lung cancer, tuberculosis), including rarer ones (e.g. interstitial lung disease, pulmonary hypertension). These projects contributed towards advancing knowledge in a range of respiratory diseases with the ultimate aim of benefiting patients and the public as well as of training the next-generation of leaders in respiratory research.

More in particular, several Global Fellowships played a key role in fostering international collaborations as well as in transferring knowledge back to the European Research Area (ERA). By training post-doctoral fellows in Europe and globally, RESPIRE3 thus helped to enhance research in the respiratory field, increasing the human resources potential in Europe, and contributing to the overall objective and impact of COFUND.

Impact can also be measured in terms of new collaborations developed. In many cases, the fellowship has led to new collaborations between the home and host institutions, within Europe but also internationally thanks to the three Global Fellowships funded. Ninety (90) new collaborations resulted overall from the RESPIRE3 programme, including with industry. RESPIRE3 fellows also secured 31 research awards or research grants to cover research costs or the continuation of their research after the end of RESPIRE3. They also attended a total of 94 courses or trainings in scientific and non-scientific skills.

Finally, the collaboration with the patient-led European Lung Foundation helped to ensure that the impact of the research undertaken within RESPIRE3 is maximised in terms of potential long-term benefits (e.g. new treatments, new diagnostics tools) for patients and citizens.

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