JING goes from strength to strength

This year the ECMC Junior Investigators Network Group (JING) hosted its hugely successfully JING: Training the Next Generation residential in Glasgow. Now in its fifth year, the two-day meeting saw over 90 Network members come together to share their knowledge and experience in running early-phase clinical trials.

JING was set up in 2013 to help support junior investigators from across the ECMC Network early in their career development right through to becoming independent researchers. It brings together trainees from a variety of clinical and non-clinical disciplines, increasing awareness of the ECMC, facilitating networking and collaborations between centres and providing training opportunities.

Faculty members from all ECMC locations including senior clinicians, translational scientists, statisticians and the CRUK patient and public involvement team generously commit to giving up two days from clinical and research commitments to provide expertise and make the residential a success. One attendee noted that “it was a pleasure to discuss research projects with people who were so willing to share information and advice.”

Raising the importance of PPI in clinical trial design is another central aim of the residential. For many trainees, this interaction with patients gave invaluable insight: “This is one of the most beneficial and inspiring events I've had the pleasure to attend.”

The hope is that junior investigators complete the course and return to their ECMCs with more confidence in trial design that then enables them to develop their own studies. And importantly, that they leave the residential armed with good memories of a workshop full of potential colleagues and collaborators from around the UK’s research community.