Communication strategy, brand and innovation workshop for the Photoheart project

PhotoHeart


Communication strategy, brand and innovation workshop for the Photoheart project

At the end of 2021, the Medical Chemistry Group of the Institute of Advanced Chemistry of Catalonia (IQAC-CSIC), commissioned us to develop the brand, communication strategy, and communication products of the PhotoHeart project, which is developing a new photopharmacology therapy to minimise cardiovascular damage after a heart attack. 

The communication strategy we have proposed is based on concentrating efforts on a small number of key actions, and thus optimising the impact. From UbiK, we created the visual identity of the project and its narratives, and we also designed the project page on the IQAC website. It is a fresh page with graphical media that facilitates reading and understanding of the project. We also created the social media communication strategy, with a hashtag guide and tips to improve circulation on social media, as well as a video and a leaflet.

PhotoHeart is a project supported by the “la Caixa” Foundation through its CaixaResearch grants in Research and Health, and has an interdisciplinary consortium which, in addition to the IQAC, which develops the drug, includes the Vall d’Hebron Research Institute (VHIR), which leads in vitro and animal models trials, and the US Johns Hopkins University (JHU) which is developing the medical device to illuminate the affected area and thus activate the drug when needed. In addition, PhotoHeart has the GICOR patients’ association as a project partner, which not only facilitates project communication to benefit audiences, but also allows us to improve how and what we explain from feedback from a community of interest.

Following this initial deployment of brand and communication products, 2023 focused efforts on creating links with another community of vital interest for the future of the project: the entrepreneurial sector in pharmacology and medical devices. To do so, we organised a workshop at the CosmoCaixa Science Museum that brought together researchers, entrepreneurs, and members of the pharmaceutical sector to discuss the needs and opportunities of photopharmacology. The event was very well received, and enabled us to promote networking and to establish fruitful conversations and contacts among the more than 50 attendees. 

The project is still under way and, in fact, there is much more to do. We will continue to work with Amadeu Llebaria (IQAC-CSIC), Javier Inserte (VHIR), Pedro Irazoqui (JHU) and their teams to contribute to the communication of a project that can improve the lives of many people here and abroad.