Meet the team behind c4c! We are a diverse group of people from many different backgrounds, but all of us are working towards a common goal: better medicines for children through European clinical trials. This time the spotlight is on the Young Investigators Community (YIC).
A happy camping coincidence in 2021 lead to the creation of the Young Investigators Community (YIC). Eva Degraeuwe, c4c project manager of Belgium (BPCRN), and Tessa van der Geest, former c4c project manager of The Netherlands (PedMed-NL), finally met up in person after too many online meetings, resolved an ongoing issue in less than an hour, and decided there was a need for a community where c4c colleagues can share experiences and solve issues together in an informal setting.
The YIC coordination team is made up of Eva Degraeuwe and An Spiessens (Ghent University/BPCRN) and Cintia Spira and Marloes Jonkers (Radboud University Medical Center/PedMed-NL). They share a passion for enhancing the impact of research and clinical trials by including the voices of young investigators and other researchers into paediatric clinical trial conception, processes, and research. They motivated to create a sense of community among disparate and diverse researchers. This is achieved through mentoring programs, crossovers with other research communities, a “Buddy system”, education (invited speakers from c4c or externally, informal reviews on internal processes, and more) and in-person meet-ups.
“Our main principle is that we can help create a higher impact for the hard work that’s being done in the c4c project. We cultivate knowledge for investigators inside and outside of c4c. We also want to protect and improve the horizontal level (NH or site level) of the colleagues that are new to this topic.” Eva Degraeuwe.
Not just young but young at heart (or career!)
While the YIC targets early career investigators, clinicians, or project managers, it is also open to people who are new to the topic. The team aims to unite these different actors in one community that can efficiently and effectively share their experiences, questions, and work towards common goals. The overall goal, of course, is to optimise paediatric clinical trials and create better medicines for babies, children, and young people.
To make sure this happens, the YIC also creates links to later-career researchers who are knowledgeable about a particular topic so that the young investigator has an opportunity to create a dialogue, exchange ideas, and gain valuable insights, ultimately leading to enhanced professional growth. Speakers, such as people from Johnson & Johnson and Novartis, are invited on an informal basis to explain their research and career trajectories at a (monthly) YIC session. Furthermore, the YIC participates in “crossovers” with other research areas and societies such as the ESDPPP – European Society for Developmental Perinatal and Paediatric Pharmacology. The coordination team also connects new researchers to experts who, in turn, can learn from the YIC by answering questions and getting fresh new perspectives.
Giving young investigators a stronger voice
The YIC mainly serves as an “impact enhancer” for all c4c activities by enabling a shared working environment and providing a single voice to all the investigators involved. The community is therefore known for its contribution to the decisions made within the c4c project; participants can add their opinions or questions to important topics.
The YIC has also inspired other spin-off initiatives and research projects, for example, submitting an article on the development of Young Investigators Platforms in the Czech Republic and the CRC subcommunity in Belgium. Creating these new collaborations all around Europe has led to ideas that have resulted in grant applications, which then will lead to future funding and paediatric research.
“It’s so much more pleasant to communicate to your colleagues after speaking with them in a more relaxed way and getting to know them better. I really see the value of having a community in place so we can work better by working together.” Marloes Jonkers
What’s next?
The coordination team is planning to expand the network to full-time on-site clinicians and expand the pilot mentorship. The current growth results from the many new members of the YIC and so the coordination team is working on fine-tuning and streamlining the onboarding process.
A good start is half the work, and the YIC has certainly helped early-career investigators and researchers to make a great start in paediatric medicine.
