PLAN FOR INVOLVING THE MOST RELEVANT STAKEHOLDERS
Due to the broad impact and development capability of stents in the different fields of Science and Technology, the number of stakeholders is high:
- Research driven Universities and Technologic Institutes. There are multiple development paths for the stents improvement and there are many disciplines involved: Translational, Engineering, Biotechnology, Stem cells, Nano-technology, Biomaterials, Simulation, Regenerative medicine, Bioprinting, etc.
- Patient Organizations. These organizations are essential in ENIUS as they identify patients’ experience. Patients are the main reason to creation this network with the objectives of reducing side effects and increase quality life. Furthermore, these organizations will become disseminators of the ENIUS achievements.
- Clinical medicine. They are experts in side effects and the stents lack patients´ tolerance. They face daily the failure of current stents in resolving the urological problems. Their involvement in the network allows the connection between clinical and research fields.
- Scientific Associations. These associations gather clinicians and researchers in ENIUS. They are stakeholders interested in the progresses will be made in the network. Their involvement will allow us to take advantage of their dissemination system (congresses, meetings, etc.) to spread the network and its achievements.
- SMEs-Industrial stakeholders. Use of new stent designs is highly dependent of companies’ involvement. This is why main stent enterprises are involved in ENIUS. Their presence is essential to assess a market-driven technology new stent designs. This is also an excellent opportunity to link the academic to the industrial sector and promote the technology transfer.
The first step to draw the attention of the stakeholders of this Action will be to create a Webpage. This Website will allow to spread the objectives, as well as to notify all the activities performed in the Action to both participants of the networks and researchers or stakeholders that might be interested in this area. The aim is to recruit as many researchers, urologists, bioengineers and industry partners as possible. This Webpage will not only serve as a means of communication but also to connect the network. There will be a private intranet where the partners from the networks can communicate with each other: share advances in their researches, doubts, have debates, etc.
The action will include feasibility studies, guidelines and scientific papers to develop innovative solutions. There will be also a contact with the main biotechnology industries that may use the ENIUS´s results. The diffusion in European technologic forums is a pillar of great importance. Furthermore, during the action, meetings will take place to involve technological companies.
Similarly, information of the different WGs will be included to the webpage and OpenAire, in order to increase the network´s visibility. The plan to draw stakeholders will be complemented by making contacts with Scientific Societies (Biomedical Engineering, Urology, Biomaterials-Biotechnology), to create WG and include their own networks in the Action. It will also be complemented by disseminating the information regarding this network within the Patient-Scientific Societies (15.000 members from over 120 different countries) that participate as stakeholders.
DISSEMINATION AND/OR EXPLOITATION PLAN
Dissemination strategies include the following:
- A dedicated website, microblogging service and OpenAire will be set up to allow the dissemination of all the activities performed within the ENIUS network. The results will be presented with links to open-access Scientific Papers, Guidelines, Handbooks, Video-presentations, conference-presentations, as well as the dates of all Meetings and Training Schools.
- The first tasks that will be performed are Systematic Reviews about the causes of urinary stent failure, in specialized Journals of Urology and Engineering in order to settle the bases for multidisciplinary research.
- The different WG of the action will publish scientific papers and will participate in Congresses of their specialties to spread the conclusions of each of these groups.
- Workshops will serve for both knowledge development and dissemination within ENIUS partners.
- Guidelines will be written on jointly developed standardized criteria, for the creation of a manuscript for guidance in the assessment of new urinary stent designs, so that subsequent trials of stents in the urinary tract will be simplified.
- Training Schools will be developed annually. Engineers will be trained in the particularities of the urinary tract and the biological effects of stents, and translational researchers and physicians will be trained in aspects concerning biomaterials, and new technologies with application in biomedicine.
- One of the aspects of most importance in this network is the STSM (Short-Term Scientific Missions). Young researchers will be encouraged to spend short periods with expert researchers. The program of STSM will continue during the whole term of the ENIUS network.
