TY - JOUR
T1 - Early-Career Complementologists (ECCO)
T2 - Past achievements and future directions
AU - Poppelaars, Felix
AU - Gaya da Costa, Mariana
AU - Inkeri Lokki, A.
AU - Mallah, Khalil
AU - Nord, Dianna
AU - Reddaway, Jack
AU - Schäfer, Nicole
N1 - Funding Information:
The authors thank Diana Pauly for her contribution to the start of an early-career complementologists network, Martin P. Reichhardt, Nikolaj Kirketerp-Møller and Michelle Elvington for their contributions to the establishment of ECCO. Furthermore, the authors thank the ECN and ICS for their support.
Publisher Copyright:
© 2022
PY - 2022/11
Y1 - 2022/11
N2 - 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.
AB - 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.
KW - Complement
KW - Early-career researcher
U2 - 10.1016/j.molimm.2022.08.012
DO - 10.1016/j.molimm.2022.08.012
M3 - Article
AN - SCOPUS:85138362227
SN - 0161-5890
VL - 151
SP - 158
EP - 165
JO - Molecular Immunology
JF - Molecular Immunology
ER -