Communication Highlights

The Oncode Communications Team is responsible for all communication to the Oncode research community and to external audiences such as funders, partners, media and other stakeholders. In 2019 we successfully built our community, established the Oncode brand, and engaged with our external audience. Oncode Investigators are now frequently invited to speak at national and international conferences and seminars. These occasions greatly benefit the Oncode brand, with the Oncode Investigators being introduced as Oncode affiliates and their presentations incorporating Oncode templates and logos. The following overview highlights key accomplishments of the Communications Team in 2019.

Launch and promotion of the community platform

In order to facilitate collaboration within the Oncode community, the Communications Team launched the online Oncode Community Platform at the beginning of 2019. Via this platform, Oncode researchers can easily find each other, look for specific expertise and technologies, and register for events. This makes initiating collaboration between researchers from different institutes much easier.

Workshops, masterclasses and training

In addition to large events, Oncode hosts smaller events focused on specific topics and typically organised by researchers from the Oncode community. The goal of these events is to provide attendees with the opportunity to deepen their knowledge and strengthen their network. In 2019 we organized a 2-day meeting on the topic of Tumour Heterogeneity. The aim of this meeting was to exchange the latest insights, approaches and model systems in understanding the origins of tumour heterogeneity and its implications for tumour evolution and therapy resistance.

Social media

In 2019 we made extensive use of our social media channels (LinkedIn and Twitter) to share scientific highlights from our research community and relevant news from our partner institutes, and to congratulate our scientists on awards, grants and other achievements. Our efforts resulted in over 2,700 followers on LinkedIn by December 2019 (an increase of 50.6% in 1 year) and over 1,100 followers on Twitter (an increase of 64.7% in 1 year).

Large events

Oncode organises two large events (up to 400 attendees) each year. In January 2019, we organised the Annual Scientific Meeting, where researchers gathered to enjoy, discuss and experience cancer science. In addition to its informative interactive presentations, the 2-day event also featured other engaging ways to stimulate interaction: a science booth marketplace, parallel sessions on topics such as research funding and personal development, and a ‘pub quiz’ for junior scientists. In November, we organised the Annual Conference at the KIT Royal Tropical Institute in Amsterdam. The topic ‘From tissues to cells to molecules: multi-scale visualization of cancer processes’ brought together world-class speakers from many different parts of the world, each representing a different focus area.

Digital magazine

In 2019 we launched the Oncode digital magazine, which is circulated to both our research community and external stakeholders. The magazine, which features full Oncode branding, showcases the broader impact of Oncode Institute in a visually appealing way through articles, graphics, videos and photographs. Each issue spotlights several Oncode researchers with in-depth interviews, visuals and scientific highlights.

Videos

To increase the impact of our communications, we incorporated videos into the mix. In 2019 we produced a video interview with Oncode’s Scientific Director Geert Kops around World Cancer Day, and interviewed several Oncode Investigators about the impact of Oncode on their research, network and valorization opportunities.