Early-Career Complementologists (ECCO): past achievements and future directions

Poppelaars, Felix, da Costa, Mariana Gaya, Inkeri Lokki, A., Mallah, Khalil, Nord, Dianna, Reddaway, Jack and Schäfer, Nicole 2022. Early-Career Complementologists (ECCO): past achievements and future directions. Molecular Immunology 151 , pp. 158-165. 10.1016/j.molimm.2022.08.012

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Abstract

The Early-Career Complementologists (ECCO) is a task force that was established, in close collaboration with the European Complement Network (ECN) and the International Complement Society (ICS), with the specific mission to support and connect early-career researchers (ECRs) in the complement field. ECRs are junior scientists at the early stages of their training which include undergraduate as well as graduate students, Ph.D. graduates, and post-doctoral fellows. This unique population within the scientific community represents the next generation of scientific leaders. However, ECRs are faced with key challenges and the COVID-19 pandemic has disproportionately impacted them. In this paper, we provide further insight into specific needs and challenges of ECRs in the complement field. We surveyed 52 ECRs in the complement field and assessed their perceptions of 1) mentor and peer support, 2) working conditions as well as 3) career interests and prospects. Furthermore, we review the various activities carried out by ECCO over the past years such as our social media presence, social events, and newly-created awards. We also discuss the future activities and events to be carried out by ECCO. Through these initiatives and activities, ECCO strives to boost collaborations between ECRs, provide recognition, and improve the visibility of their work. In addition, continuous joint efforts must also be made by the scientific community, research institutes, and funding organizations to nurture and invest in ECRs.

Item Type:	Article
Date Type:	Publication
Status:	Published
Schools:	Medicine
Additional Information:	License information from Publisher: LICENSE 1: URL: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/, Start Date: 2023-09-23
Publisher:	Elsevier
ISSN:	0161-5890
Date of First Compliant Deposit:	27 September 2022
Date of Acceptance:	15 August 2022
Last Modified:	09 Nov 2023 14:27
URI:	https://orca.cardiff.ac.uk/id/eprint/152847

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