Media presence

In the year 2018 a total of 1872 news items in the media making reference to the IMIM were recorded. The number of impacts was 37% higher with respect to the year 2017, thanks to greater interested aroused in the issues we have worked on as a press release in the media. With respect to the number of press releases made, there were 32, four releases fewer than those issued during the year 2017.

Of the overall figure of appearances in the press detected, 94% were motivated by the press releases from the Communication service and only 6% were due to requests not directly linked to any information issued from the Institution, a percentage that denotes the pro-active nature of the Institution before the media.

Distribution of news items by type of media outlet. Comparison 2017-2018

​

Website notes

Subjects that have scientific and/or institutional importance but that would have no repercussions as a press release sent to the media are chosen as website notes, thus offering a new communication reference. This year, 23 website notes have been made.

Distribution of presence in the media by research programme

This year has seen a predominance of media in instances of Cancer (806 instances) and an increased presence of programmes such as Inflammatory and Cardiovascular Disorders, Epidemiology, and Public Health and Neurosciences programmes.

Distribution of news items by research programme. Year 2018

​

Website

During the year 2018, a total of 103,041 visits were received with views of 401,123 pages (4 pages per visit on average). If we study the origin of the visits by countries, we find that 81% of visits originated from Spain, followed by the United States (4%), the United Kingdom (2%), Mexico (1.9%) and Germany (1.7%). It is also confirmed that the most-visited pages on the website continue to be the home page and the job offers page, followed by the research programmes space.

A major event took place in the month of May when the website was upgraded with the goal of making it a responsive website, in other words, adaptable to access by any type of device, whether PC, tablet or mobile. This has facilitated the fact that, this year, 23% of users consulting the website do so via their mobile phone.

Intranet

A total of 756 news items were published on the intranet, of which 468 were scientific sessions in the agenda space, which was created in February 2017 and incorporates the agenda of all the sessions held at the PRBB. Of the other types of news, the most numerous are Inforecerca (research info, 100 items), Institutional information (99) and Press Releases (32).

Social Networks

Twitter

The IMIM Twitter account (@imimat) currently has 3,520 tweets published and 5,793 followers, around a thousand more than at the end of 2017. We were pioneers in the year 2008 in using this tool on a scientific level; now it is a consolidated tool with new followers joining day after day.

The most prominent tweet during the period was “A new study identifies hundreds of fragments of the genome without any apparent function, that can generate new proteins and, potentially, evolve into de novo genes”. A study by @maralbasoler and @jruizorera published in @NatureEcoEvo, which achieved 6,147 impressions.

Flickr

The Flickr channel has been established as an images repository and current hosts 1342 images, organised into 35 albums.

​

Science Communication Actions

For the general public

Science Cafés

During the year 2018, the cycle “Losing the fear of cancer” began in collaboration with the Barcelona Libraries Network. It forms part of the “Visions of Science” project that has been run by Libraries of Barcelona for several years, and on this occasion they entrusted its organisation to the Hospital del Mar Institute for Medical Research (IMIM) thanks to the success obtained with the science cafés series that was organised last year.

Every week the talks deal with a different issue related with the disease: immunotherapy, the genetics of cancer, personalised medicine, cancer in old age, blood cancers, the importance of exercise and diet for cancer, the management of emotions and how technological advances are helping treatment. The series lasts 8 weeks and the talks are held every Monday at 7 p.m. alternating around 4 libraries in the Barcelona area: Camp de l'Arpa Library, Sagrada Família Library, Vila de Gràcia Library and El Clot Library.

Open Day

The Open Day is organised annually at the PRBB with the participation of all the centres that make up the PRBB. Some 255 volunteers collaborated on this tenth edition, which was held on 6 October, and around 2,000 visitors were able to enjoy activities and workshops, guided tours to the laboratories, science talks and activities for children.

“Experience the research of La Marató”

A project by the La Marató de TV3 Foundation to raise awareness around some of the projects promoted by this telethon at research centres. Two guided tours are organised, led by a researcher from a project funded by La Marató, which on this occasion was a lung cancer research project led by Dr. Bellosillo.

For secondary and sixth-form students

Project for Bringing Science Closer to Secondary Education Centres (ACCÉS)

Continuing with the ACCÉS project, up to the month of October we have been visited by 7 centres from around Catalonia, which represented participation in the programme of over 170 pupils. The ACCÉS project is included in the Escolab Project, an initiative from the Barcelona Science Programme of the Institute of Culture and of the Scientific Culture Programme of Barcelona City Council’s Education Institute, which groups together research centre activities, providing us with greater visibility.

Visits by International Students

This year we have received visits from students from the Howest University in Belgium (41) and from the Vibor Cathedral School in Denmark (30).

Biojunior

This is an activity aimed at young people in the last year of Compulsory Secondary Education (ESO) and the first year of higher secondary education (batxillerat) organised by the PRBB and open to some 300 pupils. At this fourth edition, the IMIM has participated with two stations: the laboratory of the research group in Integrated Pharmacology and Systems Neuroscience and the group for research into doping in sport.

Science talks for students (4th year of ESO)

Science lectures offered by the PRBB to secondary schools in collaboration with Scientific Culture at the Municipal Institute of Education of Barcelona.

YOMO

Organised within the framework of the Mobile World Congress is the Youth Mobile Festival Barcelona, aimed at secondary and sixth-form students from all over Spain and hosting some 40,000 pupils per edition. The IMIM participated with an activity on the PRBB’s stand.

For a children’s audience

Interview with a scientist

This is an activity organised by the PRBB and aimed at children in the second cycle of primary education (9-12 years) which began in the year 2014. It is programmed as one of the educational activities that are offered at primary school centres and some 4/5 are held in each school year. The IMIM participates with 2 researchers each season.

​