Periodic Reporting for period 3 - ENABLE (European Academy for Biomedical Science) Reporting period: 2019-07-01 to 2021-06-30 Summary of the context and overall objectives of the project ENABLE (European Academy for Biomedical Science) is the first European symposia series 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 2021, four European cities hosted annually a 3-day international congress on biomedicine organised by and for young biomedical scientists: Barcelona 2017, Copenhagen 2018, Nijmegen 2019, and Milan 2021 (which due to the COVID-19 pandemics was organised fully on-line). ENABLE involves four renowned European Research Institutes (IRB Barcelona – Spain, RIMLS – Netherlands, NNF CPR – Denmark, SEMM – Italy) and an innovative science communication agency (Scienseed). Work performed from the beginning of the project to the end of the period covered by the report and main results achieved so far The ENABLE conferences, organised by young researchers for young researchers, aimed to be a reference event on the agenda of aspiring predoctoral and postdoctoral researchers. The project has fully achieved its objectives, organising four European PhD and Postdoc conferences. Due to the Coronavirus outbreak, the fourth event of the ENABLE series, originally planned to be held in Milan in November 2020, was moved to May 2021 fully online. The 4 ENABLE European PhD and Postdoc symposia gathered on average 240 attendees from more than 25 countries: 1. “Breaking Down Complexity: Innovative Models and Techniques in Biomedicine”: held in Barcelona from 15 to 17 November 20172. "The Promise of Future Medicine: from Research to Therapy": held in Copenhagen from 7 to 9 November 2018. 3. "Next-generation life scientists: Side by side to break new ground": held in Nijmegen from 13 to 15 November 2019. 4. "Exploring life dinamics: In and out of equilibrium" held remotely from Milan from 12 to 14 May 2021.Thanks to the generous support of our sponsors (7/conference on average) a total of 162 travel grants have been offered and the organization of 5 satellite events during the last conference was possible. ENABLE has created a European network that boosts scientific excellence whilst engaging society. The results presented at the events as well as information for career orientation have been made available. The project website and social media have become essential tools of dissemination and communication. An yearly newsletter summarizing the outcome of each event was issued and distributed to our emailing list. A video of each event, capturing the spirit of ENABLE through interviews to participants and speakers, was produced to boost interest for our events among young researchers.The exploitation plan aimed to ensure continuity of these events and to turn them into a European reference for the celebration of biomedical science, becoming a young European Academy for Biomedical Science. Thanks to the outstanding quality of its conferences and a strong communication strategy, ENABLE has gained recognition as a Europe-wide event, as shown by the increasing number of participants (see Table 1). The number of sponsors secured in each event are a clear indication that companies acknowledge ENABLE as an excellent opportunity to promote their business and seek new customers among a representative community of young scientists. The Federation of European Biochemical Societies (FEBS) and The International Union of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology (IUBMB) were platinum sponsors in all ENABLE events. The synergies between their objetives and those of ENABLE have led to FEBS IUBMB and ENABLE joining forces to give continuity to these successful events beyond the EU funding, opening up the possibility for molecular life sciences research institutions all over the world to host and participate in the organisation of one of these conferences. Four conferences will be organised between 2022 and 2025 thanks to the financial support of FEBS and IUBMB. You can watch the 2021 event video recapitulating the story of the project and announcing the sustainability of ENABLE at this link: https://youtu.be/ZroRFbNPmmk 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) The annual meetings organised by the project gathered 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 were exploited to translate the results of the scientific discussions into a forum of debate in which the society had the opportunity to participate. A wide range of sectors from society benefit from this experience. This is the first time that conferences focused on Biomedical research and organised by predoctoral and postdoctoral researchers from four independent European research institutions, join forces to create an innovative conference format which became a reference for the young researcher community. ENABLE designed and organized a series of outreach activities for primary, secondary and high schools’ pupils and all aimed at fostering interest in science, such as “The scientific method for children” and “What is a scientist”, or at a more advanced level, activities addressed to high schools, such as “Biomedicine is out there” and “on-line science”.These activities were organised each year during the international gatherings. Such activities are crucial to stimulate the intrinsic inquisitiveness shown by children from an early age. Finally, the ENABLing Career Days further inspire researchers as to go beyond their own perceived boundaries, to actively address young reserchers questions regarding availability of job opportunities, requirements and personal skills development. 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 orchestrated a series of actions that gave them a unique opportunity to be the protagonists and to show their talent to an international scientific audience, which also included 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. poster of the third PhD and Postdoc Symposium that will be held in Nijmegen in 2019 Poster Enable 2021 Picture 2021 edition Enable attendees at the 1st PhD and Postdoc symposium in Barcelona opening ceremony of the 2nd PhD and Postdoc symposium held in Copenhagen in 2018 Outreach activities during 2021 edition Table 1: facts and figures of ENABLE conferences poster session during the Barcelona event held in 2017 brochure of the third PhD and Postdoc Symposium that will be held in Nijmegen in 2019_1 ENABLE project Organisers of the 1st PhD and Postdoc Symposium held in Barcelona in 2017 organisers of the 2nd PhD and Postdoc Symposium held in Copenhagen in 2018 Cross-disciplinary session held in Barcelona in 2017 brochure of the third PhD and Postdoc Symposium that will be held in Nijmegen in 2019_2 Picture 2021 edition Enable
