Periodic Reporting for period 1 - DISCOVER (DISCOVERing treatment from biomedical research)
Reporting period: 2022-07-01 to 2024-06-30
The International Doctoral Programme Discovering treatment from biomedical research (DISCOVER), based at Biotech Research and Innovation Centre, University of Copenhagen, has recruited and is currently training 23 early-stage researchers from 14 nationalities. The programme provides researchers not only with excellent scientific training in basic biomedical research, primarily within cancer and neurological diseases, but also enhanced training in transferable skills. Peer mentoring, career mentoring, and career development activities are also key elements of the programme.
To innovatively address the increasing complexity of societal challenges, there is a growing need for researchers to enter interdisciplinary collaborations and to communicate and exploit their research. The past decades have presented great breakthroughs in the fundamental knowledge required for understanding and diagnosing many diseases. However, the ability to move basic discoveries towards new treatments is lagging the pace of discovery. With DISCOVER, our OVERALL OBJECTIVE is to empower diverse research talent to become creative and responsible researchers, with an ability to translate their biomedical research into clinical value. DISCOVER’s ambition is to inspire and enable fellows to a research career bridging basic and clinical research.
Overall, DISCOVER provides a structural and intellectual framework for the fellows to develop strong research skills, diligence, ambition and creativity. All fellows work on projects within biomedicine, providing new knowledge of important biological processes and disease mechanisms, that potentially can lead to improved diagnosis, prognosis and treatment modalities for patients.
To innovatively address the increasing complexity of societal challenges, there is a growing need for researchers to enter interdisciplinary collaborations and to communicate and exploit their research. The past decades have presented great breakthroughs in the fundamental knowledge required for understanding and diagnosing many diseases. However, the ability to move basic discoveries towards new treatments is lagging the pace of discovery. With DISCOVER, our OVERALL OBJECTIVE is to empower diverse research talent to become creative and responsible researchers, with an ability to translate their biomedical research into clinical value. DISCOVER’s ambition is to inspire and enable fellows to a research career bridging basic and clinical research.
Overall, DISCOVER provides a structural and intellectual framework for the fellows to develop strong research skills, diligence, ambition and creativity. All fellows work on projects within biomedicine, providing new knowledge of important biological processes and disease mechanisms, that potentially can lead to improved diagnosis, prognosis and treatment modalities for patients.
DISCOVER fellows perform their research projects in biomedical sciences, with supervisory teams consisting of fundamental scientists and clinicians. The fellows receive training in discipline specific research and technologies, through working with their individual experimental projects, as well as through specialised courses and workshops. As part of the training programme fellows receive training in research governance, including ethics, responsible conduct of research and data management.
All DISCOVER fellows have develop personalised career development plans (CPD), including relevant training plans, to secure progression towards their desired career goals. The plans are monitored and updated during their fellowship. As part of the training, fellows engage in transferable skills training relevant for their development as researchers and for their further career goals. Fellows are also exposed to opportunities for networking and scientific exchange, both locally and internationally. Most of the fellows conduct secondments abroad and disseminate their research at national and international meetings and conferences. DISCOVER further support peer mentoring groups for all fellows and offers career mentoring within the last year of their fellowship.
The main results of the project to date, are the publishing of research findings in 4 peer-reviewed publications in scientific journals. The individual fellow’s research project description and link to publications are disseminated on DISCOVER website https://discover.ku.dk/. The fellows disseminate their scientific results at conferences, seminars and scientific meetings in Denmark and abroad. Outreach activities by the fellows include popular science articles and engaging in teaching high school children.
All DISCOVER fellows have develop personalised career development plans (CPD), including relevant training plans, to secure progression towards their desired career goals. The plans are monitored and updated during their fellowship. As part of the training, fellows engage in transferable skills training relevant for their development as researchers and for their further career goals. Fellows are also exposed to opportunities for networking and scientific exchange, both locally and internationally. Most of the fellows conduct secondments abroad and disseminate their research at national and international meetings and conferences. DISCOVER further support peer mentoring groups for all fellows and offers career mentoring within the last year of their fellowship.
The main results of the project to date, are the publishing of research findings in 4 peer-reviewed publications in scientific journals. The individual fellow’s research project description and link to publications are disseminated on DISCOVER website https://discover.ku.dk/. The fellows disseminate their scientific results at conferences, seminars and scientific meetings in Denmark and abroad. Outreach activities by the fellows include popular science articles and engaging in teaching high school children.
Work of DISCOVER fellows has so far resulted in 4 peer-reviewed publications and continuously contributes to advancement of the understanding of mechanisms of disease. We expect numerous publications from all fellows as the programme continues. The fellows’ research holds potential to advance our scientific understanding, but also to provide optimized and new solutions to benefit the European health care sector.