The Scientific Committee of ECCO (SciCom) was one of the first committees created at ECCO and now, almost 60 committee meetings later, its core mission remains to link basic and translational research to the clinical parameters of IBD in order to achieve better therapeutic management and improved long-term outcomes for patients.
To accomplish this task, SciCom undertakes a number of diverse activities which, on the one hand, aim to support the generation of new scientific evidence through the generous funding of ECCO and, on the other, promote the dissemination of acquired knowledge through a series of educational activities. In more detail:
- SciCom is responsible for the allocation of Fellowships, Grants and Travel Awards in an annual call worth EUR 2.5 million, a significant research fund dedicated to IBD. Over the years, the portfolio has grown to encompass funding opportunities for experienced pioneering research, global partnership development and early career specialists in clinical, surgical, basic science, nursing and dietary fields. Among these, of special significance is the ECCO Young Researcher Award, which aims to recognise and promote young researchers demonstrating excellence in IBD-related fields. Two prizes of EUR 5000.- are awarded to selected basic and/or clinical/translational scientists not older than 40 years; currently these prizes are limited to applicants from Member Countries who have a record of high impact factor publications and a demonstrable commitment to ECCO.
- SciCom recommends topics and speakers for the main Scientific Programme of the ECCO Congress, assuring that the most current and top research is presented, analysed and discussed at the meeting. Notably, since 2017 there has been a dedicated Basic Science session at the ECCO Congress. Finally, every year, during the ECCO Congress, SciCom organises a specialised educational activity, the SciCom Workshop, which focusses on one or several specific up-to-date hot topics in IBD research.
- SciCom endorses various scientific activities within the ECCO Community. Firstly, it promotes the dissemination of IBD-relevant science by organising its Scientific Workshop Papers. With a biennial open call for topics, ECCO Scientific Workshops focus on a key, unanswered question in the field of IBD, bringing together multiple working groups, each exploring different aspects of the topic. Over the course of two years, these groups systematically evaluate existing evidence, identify research gaps and set priorities for future external studies. The current topic of the 10th Scientific Workshop is “Primary Sclerosing Cholangitis and Inflammatory Bowel Disease: towards a better understanding of a unique nosological entity”.
Second, it aims to update IBD clinical specialists and trainees on the most recent techniques and main developments in research fields associated with IBD through the SciCom–Y-ECCO Basic Science Webinar Series. Its aim is to fill the gap between the vast advances in various basic science research fields and the daily life in IBD clinics by exposing clinical gastroenterologists to novel research. The ultimate goal is to enable physicians who are not involved in basic science, and who feel they don’t have the tools to analyse data and publications, to acquire a critical thinking perspective on new data. The link between our patients’ needs in clinic and an understanding of the basic science is key to the development of better approaches to diagnosis and treatment.
