From 12 to 14 December 2023, we continued to build excellence in the support services of the National Institute of Biology (NIB) when three colleagues from the corporate services (two from the project office and one from the institute library) travelled to Amsterdam, where they were hosted by the CutCancer project partner Amsterdam UMC (VUmc).

The aim of the visit was to gain new knowledge and share best practices in order to strengthen the research and innovation capacity at NIB. As part of this activity, the Amsterdam UMC organised discussions with representatives from various offices and units, such as the Research Policy Office, Research Grant Support, Medical Research Ethics Committee Office, Research Data Management, Amsterdam UMC Project Administration, Medical Library and Output Registration, and Innovation Exchange Amsterdam. The VUmc has a central support organisation to create an environment in which researchers can flourish. During the event, the focus was on the work that the participants usually do. Many best practices were shared through presentations, discussions and networking.

The event was rounded off with a visit to the VUmc infrastructure – the laboratories where the research part of the CutCancer project is carried out and where NIB researchers will learn new techniques and methodologies under the supervision of researcher Febe van Maldegem.