ELRIG UK Establishes Engagement Strategy Work Group

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Group aims to improve access to scientific programmes and grow ELRIG community.

Cambridge, UK, 14 September 2023: The European Laboratory Research & Innovation Group (ELRIG) UK today announced the formation of its Engagement Strategy Work Group (ESWG). The group will provide strategic direction and guidance to help ensure the ELRIG community continues to grow and thrive. It aims to engage audiences in different ways, beyond face-to-face events, broadening access to high-quality science across a more diverse and inclusive network.

ELRIG is a not-for-profit, volunteer-led community, comprising a diverse global network of over 22,000 life science professionals from biopharma, CRO’s, academia or vendor companies. ELRIG aims to bring the life science and drug discovery communities together to learn, share, connect, innovate, and collaborate, on an open-access basis through the provision of conferences, networking events, webinars, and digital content. The board delegates its tasks to a series of work groups, which work with the ELRIG team to ensure it achieves these objectives.

The ESWG will focus on developing and implementing a cohesive digital content strategy, social media presence and media partnerships, improving accessibility and inclusivity, and

creating additional value from its scientific content. It will make key recommendations that support the strategic pillars of the organization and strive to ensure that the perspectives of all its community members are considered and represented in discussions and decisions.

Dr Chris Williams, ELRIG Board Member and Founder & Managing Director, Questae Coaching & Consulting, will lead the ESWG. She has over 20 years’ experience in the pharmaceutical industry having worked at Pfizer, UCB, Ipsen and the NHS demonstrating a breadth of scientific, project, business, and change management experience. Dr Williams will be supported by ELRIG’s Sanj Kumar, CEO, and Emily Norman, Marketing & Communications Manager, and volunteers from across the scientific community: Abby Edwards, Senior Content Editor at BioStrata; Alison Rawlinson, Head of Marketing at Qkine; Kayvan Richter, Research Communications and Marketing Manager at Cancer Research UK; Dr Michelle Ricketts, Managing Director at Codon Communications; and Dr Sophie Rose, Head of Business Development, Europe at Metrion Biosciences.

“Driven by the philosophy of sustainability and accessibility, we want to make sure that our scientific content can be reached by those not able to attend our events. Whilst not being there in person means people don’t benefit from the spontaneity and networking that happens, we want to promote access and digital connectivity to enhance the application of scientific and technological innovations wherever you are. We are aiming to provide platforms for scientific exchange that resonate whether you are an early career professional, academic, entrepreneur or pharma/biotech leader. This mentality has provoked the change to a more strategic look at different ways to engage our community through the ESWG,” said Dr Chris Williams, Engagement Strategy Work Group Lead, ELRIG UK, and Founder & Managing Director, Questae Coaching & Consulting.

“As ever, we are truly thankful to our volunteer members who have stepped forward to join this team and are open to other applications from those who believe they can bring these philosophies to life across our community,” she added.

The formation of the ESWG follows the reorganization of ELRIG’s governance and workgroup structure earlier this year which saw Saleha Patel, Associate Principal Scientist, Emerging Innovations, Discovery Sciences, R&D at AstraZeneca, selected as Chair of Scientific Programme Work Group, and Nick Clare, Interim Chief Business Officer and VP of Strategic Alliances at DefiniGEN, appointed as Vendor Strategy Work Group Lead.

Emily Norman, Marketing & Communications Manager, ELRIG UK, said: “We are passionate about engaging our members in the high-quality content we provide and committed to delivering complementary scientific programmes that are relevant and respond to the needs of our diverse network. The newly formed Engagement Strategy team will work alongside all ELRIG’s Work Groups to improve access to the scientific content from our conferences and networking events through digital platforms, publications, and media partnerships, as well as promote inclusivity, collaboration, and sustainability. In doing so, we hope to widen our reach into the life sciences community, attracting new members to our events and into the ELRIG organization.”