RASP-UK - still going strong
I love it when a plan comes together – that is a publication plan – or should I say a strategic communication plan. What is the difference?
In this case the plan is a paradigm shift in the way we will manage the treatment of severe asthma in years to come. The plan includes a 9-year journey taking 3 years to realisation (Medical Research Council grant awarded 2014), a year of preparation and 4.5 years in the clinic.?
Competition for funding is fierce, and only a minority of proposals receive support. We knew that competition for MRC funding would be the fiercest battle you could imagine – we were right and we didn’t get funding on the first pitch. For some, the chances of success can be close to zero. The skill of grant writing is therefore essential to your average clinical researcher we applied all that we had learned in our EU funding submissions for MID-Frail (www.midfrail-study.org) and Frailomic (www.frailomic.org). You can find a summary of our key learnings in our Insider’s Insight: Grants: Success Factors and Differentiators – From Wow to Pow.??
The secret of creating appropriate applications whether the funding you are seeking is intended to support a biotech venture, multicentre consortium plan or investigational project, is based on fulfilling long-recognised criteria that define the ‘why’ and ‘how’ of your application. But times are changing and so are requirements, putting the pressure on those writing proposals to up their game. Now the focus is on what benefits patients can bring to your study design and implementation and what will the legacy of your research will be.
Again, we applied our learning from working with academic teams. Long gone are the days of the lone researcher who discovers a new scientific truth, publishes the findings in a journal and simply returns to their bench with the applause of their peers ringing in their ears. We are living in the Information Age – a world where the internet, computers and smartphones are an essential part of our everyday lives. Digital technologies have changed every aspect of our lives – from the way we work and learn to the way we play and share our scientific breakthroughs.?
The internet has transformed how our scientific findings are communicated and the way our data is shared. In many cases, technological capabilities are advancing faster than our ability to comprehend their full potential. We worked hard to get our academic team members to see the benefit of detailed publication planning involving a plethora of communication vehicles exploiting all available channels (well perhaps not TiKTok). It was challenging to get our introverted, bookish and perhaps even ‘a bit awkward’ scientists to understand about reaching beyond the ‘bubble,’ achieving share of voice and strategic communication planning long before we saw a single patient. Again, we have shared some of our learnings in “Scientific Dissemination, Self-promotion and Legacy: An Insider’s Insight.”
It is now over 10 years since we first conceived the RASP initiative in a chilly meeting room in Belfast and 9 years since our first draft of our publication plan. After nearly 20 publications and countless conference abstracts, Twitter posts, Linked-In appearances, review articles and press releases we are starting to approach the edge of the bubble we initially proposed with the publication in The Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology last week where we report on transcriptomic analysis in severe asthma – which identified two patient sub-groups and considerable effect of oral corticosteroids. A blood transcriptomic signature was identified in Type-2-biomarker-high patients; none was found in Type-2-biomarker-low patients, including those with uncontrolled asthma [1].?
However, our journey isn’t over yet. Our ‘plan’ has continued to grow and develop over the years with emphasis on maximising its legacy. In a culture that is geared towards extroverts there are still ways that quiet but determined scientists can get their contributions seen. As the saying goes – ‘on the internet you can be anything you want to be’. Times have changed, although the theory of recognition being given to those who make the most noise remains the same. In the past, a little bit of self-promotion has gone a long way. One hundred and fifty years ago Thomas Edison convinced the world that he was single-handedly responsible for a host of technological breakthroughs. Watson and Crick equally swept the board with their claims of discovery. You don’t have to claim glory or boast in the information age, there are some simple guides you should follow.?
First, the process of dissemination and promotion should be closely managed to ensure message alignment, appropriate allocation of resources and milestone achievement. Second, you should track every piece of copy you create as well as where/when it was released. Third, you should plan to evolve your promotional activities as your project matures. Although your single-minded proposition may stay the same you can expect your targets to evolve over time.?
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A good strategic communications plan should be seen as a living document working to establish your legacy, not just for today or tomorrow but for years to come.
Well done the RASP-UK team with its latest publication – now let’s get on to the next!
Dr Tim Hardman?is Managing Director of?Niche Science & Technology Ltd., a bespoke services CRO based in the UK. He is also Chairman of the?Association of Human Pharmacology in the Pharmaceutical Industry, President of?The European Federation for Exploratory Medicines Development?and an occasional commentator on science, business and the process of drug development.