The four pillars of an exhaustive communication plan for ENHPATHY

By focusing on the genomic and epigenomic features that determine enhancer activity under normal and pathological conditions (obesity, diabetes, inflammation and immunity, cancer…), ENHPATHY offers an unprecedented opportunity for scientists to increase knowledge and eventually open up new diagnostic and therapeutic perspectives for patients.

The STED communication plan intends to Structure (S) the training programme to fulfill its primary missions: Train (T) a new generation of researchers in the scientific and technological issues of enhancers; Engage (E) a broad audience on major associated societal issues and Disseminate (D) new science discoveries in the emerging field of human enhanceropathies.

STRUCTURE – the communication strategy of the ENHPATHY programme:

STED uses the most proficient tools to increase the visibility of the consortium and support the implementation of all its scheduled actions: (i) An appropriate and engaging corporate design or visual identity becomes the DNA of the consortium and guarantees the consistency of its messages on any released media (web, social media, slideshows, printed documents, etc.), thereby imprinting the memory of the media, the scientific community and the public; (ii) Online tools including a state-of-the-art website featuring interactive solutions to share information within the consortium and a lay public, a blog (see public engagement and dissemination), social media and web-based project management applications. A first version of the ENHPATHY’s website (www.enhpathy.eu) along with a video featuring Coordinator Salvatore Spicuglia and Vice-coordinator Alvaro Rada-Iglesia, and a twitter account (@EnhPathy_EU) were published during the brainstorming meeting of ENHPATHY hold in Marseille on November 6th 2018, and (iii) Off-line tools such as brochures, posters, flyers, programmes, banners, etc. All communication tools are produced by KOM and operated by beneficiaries and partners, with a strong involvement and commitment of all ESRs to ensure the proper functioning of the consortium.

TRAIN – Network-wide actions:

As the key players of the consortium, our ESRs will be involved in all actions organized under the coordination of our WP6 leader and the expertise of all beneficiaries, partners and external contributors. These actions are: (i) participation in all training events and conferences; (ii) online tools maintenance, content production, editing and management of webpage, blog, social media, research network platforms; (iii) involvement in press releases, articles, reviews and publications, and (iv) proactive involvement in webinars, journal clubs as well as e-lab meetings and e-learning sessions.

ENGAGE & DISSEMINATE – External communication plan:

The ENHPATHY community will rely on its on- and off-line communication strategies (tools and actions) to share its discoveries on enhancer activities and enhanceropathies with a broad audience including basic & translational researchers, clinicians, health organisations, industrials, journal editors, science reporters, high-school, undergraduate and graduate students, artists and the general public, including members of patients associations.

To reinforce local and international public outreach actions, ENHPATHY will launch Enhancer in art (see related page), a creative and ambitious cross-disciplinary project regrouping ESRs and artists to develop concrete, memorable and engaging ways of communicating science on epigenetics and gene regulation with special interest on enhancers and enhanceropathies to the public.