Central administration, tissue banking, and clinical translation.
Final Report Abstract
Interdisciplinary collaboration, shared expertise, scientific exchange, integration of early career scientists, and clinical translation were key ingredients for successful and dynamic work within the SKELMET research consortium. We provided regular face-to-face meetings at annual retreats, symposia, and workshops as well as everyday communication measures like webinars and skype and phone conferences. The webpage (www.skelmet.de) fostered the communication and networking process. We executed interactions between the projects and supported young researchers to perform lab rotations to learn specific methods in other SKELMET labs. In addition, we specifically promoted PhD students and young postdocs by offering expert classes on scientific topics and soft skills. To guarantee the best synergistic outcome of both basic and translational research, we encouraged bidirectional networking between basic scientists and clinicians. We used the public gender funds to support female scientists and young parents, while offering an intensive mentoring program as well as a “Flying nanny” childcare service for work-related emergencies. Furthermore, we supported women by providing bridge funding immediately after parental leave. These central measures served the entire consortium and helped to ensure efficient and productive working conditions for all involved scientists.
