In 2024, we supported 34 EACR members to attend two online training workshops funded by the EACR and facilitated by EMBO. In this article, participants from the ‘Laboratory Leadership’ workshop share how they took the initiative to establish their own online support network.
Building lasting connections like these is one of the invaluable and transformative benefits that come with being part of the EACR community.
Empowering future leaders in cancer research: a journey with EACR and EMBO
by Chiara Bastiancich, María M Caffarel, and Federica Papaccio
In June 2024, together with other 12 early-career scientists specialising in cancer research, we were given a transformative opportunity by the European Association for Cancer Research (EACR). We attended the EACR-funded EMBO Workshop on Laboratory Leadership, a 22-hour intensive online course designed to train young scientific leaders with essential leadership and management skills.
Covering key topics like emotional intelligence, conflict resolution, effective communication, and delegation, the workshop effectively combined theory with practical application. Under the guidance of experienced trainers, the three-day program was engaging and immersive. Despite being an online course, we quickly bonded, fostering a dynamic, collaborative environment. Shared passions for cancer research and aspirations to improve as leaders created an atmosphere of trust, confidence, and companionship.
“This initiative is a great example of the critical role of organisations like the EACR in fostering connections and supporting the next generation of scientists”
The experience didn’t end with the workshop. Inspired by our time together, we spontaneously initiated “The Wannabe Leaders,” a peer-support network that meets every six weeks. These sessions provide a space to share achievements and failures, navigate leadership challenges, and find reassurance in shared experiences. While initially focused on leadership topics like work-life balance and career development, the group has now started exploring collaborative research opportunities. Although with a lower and more flexible number of participants, the same safe space that we experienced during the course is present during the spontaneous meetings.
Although it’s too early to predict how this network will shape our careers, we all agree on one thing: this peer-support network fills a unique gap, offering emotional support and practical solutions for challenges that may not easily be shared within our labs or non-academic friends. Also, realising that even coming from different research environments and infrastructures, the challenges are still the same is something that helps to cope with the responsibilities that being (or trying to be) leaders impose.
Through our EACR-funded EMBO course, we have gained not only valuable skills but also lasting connections with peers that genuinely care about us. This initiative is a great example of the critical role of organisations like the EACR in fostering connections and supporting the next generation of scientists. By investing in young researchers, they create a safety net for future leaders in cancer research making them stronger to face the demands of the field.
We are eager to finally meet in person, maybe at the EACR 2025 Congress!
Author affiliations
Chiara Bastiancich, Aix-Marseille University, CNRS, INP, Inst Neurophysiopathol, 27 Boulevard Jean Moulin, Marseille, 13005, France
María M Caffarel, Biogipuzkoa Health Research Institute, San Sebastián, Spain; IKERBASQUE, Basque Foundation for Science, Bilbao, Spain
Federica Papaccio, Department of Medicine, Surgery and Dentistry “Scuola Medica Salernitana”, Via Salvador Allende, 43, Baronissi, Sa, Italy.
