The Communication and Training Unit (UCOM) of the Institute of Molecular Medicine (IMM) is complementary and transversal to the research units. This unit focuses on three themes: communication; funding and advanced training, each coordinated by a PhD researcher. The aim is to approach areas, which although not generating scientific knowledge, are vital for research, in a dedicated and professional manner, and to allow the remaining researchers and respective units the time for “their science”.

The UCOM team has six people who have opted for a career in science communication and management. We work in the “backstage of science” supporting researchers and our institution in searching and applying for funds, internal and external communication as well as in the dissemination of scientific culture and on advanced training programmes.

Advanced training is the topic for this article. The IMM has a strong commitment to education, promoting post-graduate programmes of excellence. Through post-graduation the Institute aims at not only actively contributing towards the training of the future generation of scientists but also to reach the clinicians, including them in its programmes and/or creating specific ones for medical doctors, taking advantage of the proximity of the Santa Maria Hospital and Faculty of Medicine campus, the largest university medical centre in Portugal.

I recently joined UCOM/IMM to coordinate the advanced training programmes. Currently, one of the main challenges is the launch of the PhD programme of the Lisbon Academic Medicine Centre. We hope that this joint doctoral programme, between the Medical School, the IMM and the Hospital acts as a catalyst for translational research and for an increase of collaborations amongst basic and clinical researchers.

Since its creation the IMM has served as a host institution, and since 2007 has offered a doctoral programme for its approximately 80 students. The IMM’s mission is to enable these students to be able to carry out independent, original and scientifically significant research, and become critical thinkers. The core of the IMM PhD programme is the research project (individual and supervised), which is complemented by an advanced training component. This component is “student-oriented”, modular and flexible. Students, together with their supervisors, choose the modules that better fit their profile.

At UCOM the PhD Team, to which I belong, is responsible for the overview and management of the IMM doctoral programme and organizes a wide selection of courses, aimed at providing: (i) fundamental scientific knowledge; (ii) expertise on specific topics among the IMM research programmes; (iii) know-how on techniques and equipment handling; and (iv) transferable skills training. Of note is the fact that we assume as an educational module the student’s participation in internal (seminar series and lab meetings) and external (national and international conferences) scientific meetings.

In addition, students are challenged to organize several activities, namely the “Annual IMM PhD Students Meeting”, the “Student’s Retreat” and a seminar series, hence promoting networking and the student’s management and organizational skills.

This is another of the goals of the PhD Team and UCOM: to allow for the necessary conditions and to encourage students to acquire complementary skills in order for them to become successful researchers.

This academic year UCOM is organizing two optional courses: one on “Interacting with Different Publics” and another on “Presenting your Research: from bench to peers”. These courses mean to teach how to write, present and disseminate their research work, in an effective way to both scientific and non-scientific audiences, and to their colleagues and supervisors.

Additionally, we plan to organize complementary skills courses aimed at experienced researchers, post-docs and principal investigators. This is an area that UCOM is particularly interested in expanding. Therefore, next month there will be a course on “Effective Writing for Grant Proposal”, in partnership with the Gulbenkian Science Institute. This is the first of a series of courses on science management and communication planned for the near future.

To know more about us and our work please visit our website: www.imm.ul.pt.

Inês Crisóstomo
Advanced Training Executive Coordinator
Communication & Training Unit, Institute of Molecular Medicine
21 7999 411 (# 47022), icrisostomo@fm.ul.pt