Training
The training mission of ARCAID is to provide ESRs with the best possible research and professional skills to empower them to become the next generation of European translational immunological rheumatology experts,who take a leading position in tackling the challenge of personalised treatment. ARCAID achieves this through advanced multidisciplinary research training extended with development ofdedicated transferable and entrepreneurial skills. ARCAID ensures that the ESRs will become ethically responsible and enthusiastic ambassadors, adequately disseminating and communicating their research resultsresponsible and enthusiastic ambassadors, adequately disseminating and communicating their research resultsto the society.
ARCAID Training Schools are organised efficiently and supported via existing training resources from the graduate schools at Amsterdam UMC. This structured training complements the local research training directed primarily at specialist and project-specific research skills and generic research skills, that fellows receive from supervisors, mentors, technical staffand experienced peers, also during group meetings and journal clubs.
The graduate schools of AMC and VUMC have recently merged into one doctoral school. A video explaining their work and aims can be found here
The ARCAID Training Programme (see Table 5) is organized by the ARCAID project manager, in collaboration withthe MC, ARCAID PIs and graduate schools.
The programme starts with the ARCAID Kick Off meeting, where the overall aims of the programme and the training to be provided will be presented. Supervisors will connect, outline plans in detail and discuss recent developments. They also receive instructions on essential network aspects such as financial, quality and risk management, ethics and gender issues. Subsequently, a Midterm and Final Scientific Symposium are organised by the ESRs where the ESRs present their data to their fellow ESRs and all ARCAID supervisors.
| Events |
ARCAID TRAINING SCHOOLS Topics |
Days | |
| Kick-Off | PIs meet and discuss recruitment, research and training plans. | 1 | |
| Specialist and project-specific research skills | Non-research oriented and transferable skills | ||
| Training school 1 | Theme: Advanced Immunology
Topics: Molecules, mediators and cells involved in immune responses;Antigen processing; Regulation of immune responses; effector mechanisms; Infectious diseases, cancer autoimmunity and allergy |
Topics: Scientific integrity; Responsible Research & Innovation; Project management | 10 |
| Training school 2 | Theme: Medical Imaging 1
Topics: MRI: basic understanding for (bio)medical research |
Topics: Literature and bibliometric courses;
Digital tools; Risk management |
5+2 |
| Training school 3 | Theme: DNA technologies
Topics: DNA technologies; advanced qPCR |
Topics: Presentation skills; Data visualisation | 5+3 |
| Training school 4 | Theme: Clinical Epidemiology 1
Topics: Evaluation of medical tests;Observational epidemiology |
Topics: Scientific writing; Publishing in English | 3+2 |
| Midterm symposium | ESRs organise a symposium to present their results and invite keynote speakers | 2 | |
| Training school 5 | Theme: Bioinformatics
Topics: Bioinformatics; computational modelling |
Topics: Teacher training; FameLab (training in science communication to a lay audience) | 5+3 |
| Training school 6 | Theme: Medical Imaging 2
Topics: Advanced imaging; Cellular imaging |
Topics: Entrepreneurship in Health and Life Sciences; Peer to peer group coaching | 3+2 |
| Training school 7 | Theme: Systems Medicine
Topics: Concepts and approaches used in Systems Medicine |
Topics: Career development and training; Women in Science | 5 |
| Training school 8 | Theme: Clinical Epidemiology 2
Topics: Randomised clinical trials |
Topics: Grant proposal writing | 2 |
| Final symposium | ESRs organise a symposium to present their final results and invite keynote speakers | 2 | |
ARCAID programme course: During the Training Schools (all ESRs appointed) this course will provide key specialist research skills. Lectures are provided by programme PIs and invited external experts. The course gives a common background and terminology to all ESRs by providing an in-depth overview of translationalimmunological rheumatology and the four research pillars in the program.
Pillar specific program course: During the Training Schools, ESRs will be taught pillar-specific courses in parallel sessions. These courses provide the ESRs an in-depth approach of their research projects.
The Scientific Lectures during the Training Schools are taught by experienced teachers from Amsterdam UMC and experts from Partner Organisations.
Several skill-courses that are provided by the graduate schools are integrated into the ARCAID training programme:
– Project Management will teach ESRs to implement a research project in a structured way.
– All ESRs at the Amsterdam UMC have to follow a compulsory module on Ethics of research on Human Subjects.
– A course on Risk Management helps ESRs understand how to minimize and manage possible risks when performing research and how to solve internal disputes.
– The FameLab (training in science communication to a lay audience) course teaches ESRs howto explain their research to a non-expert audience.
– The Entrepreneurship in Health and Life Sciences course enable the ESRs to review relevant academic and patent literature and critically evaluate theories, concepts and methods underpinning entrepreneurship, IP and valorisation and apply these insights in real business contexts.
Generic Research Courses are offered by the graduate school (see below), and provide research and skills training relevant to ESRs:
– All ESRs are obliged to follow the Advanced Immunology course at the start of the ARCAIDprogramme.
– All ESRs who will be involved in animal experiments must follow the compulsory course on Laboratory Animal Science (compulsory course by Dutch law for animal research)
– All ESRs involved with imaging the Radiation Protection is compulsory.
| Training in generic research skills
Topic |
| AMC world of Science |
| Good research practices: GCP/GLP |
| Ethics of Research on Human Subjects |
| Laboratory animal Science |
| Laboratory safety |
| Radiation protection |
| Research Data Management |
| Practical Biostatistics |