Letter from the Chair: Evolving with purpose, designing for growth
This issue marks the beginning of a new era for the MCAA Newsletter, and this story is, in many ways, personal. I currently serve as Chair of the Marie Curie Alumni Association (MCAA), but I write here not in that capacity, rather as someone who spent many years contributing to shaping the Association’s communication, including serving as the first Editor-in-Chief of the Newsletter.
The Newsletter’s evolution parallels, in my view, the maturation of the Association itself. Decisions about format, governance, tone, and channels were never merely technical; they reflected questions of identity, legitimacy, and service: to members, to the Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions (MSCA) programme, and to society. What follows is a reflection on how our communication has grown and must continue to grow alongside the Association.
When I took over coordination in 2018, the Newsletter was produced by an external contractor that, despite its professionalism, was not embedded in the Association’s culture, values, or vision. The publication shared information, but lacked an overall editorial direction and did not feel like the voice of a community speaking to itself or to the world. The MCAA, however, was growing, diversifying, and gaining visibility. If the Newsletter was to represent the Association, it had to be designed and shaped from within. Identity cannot be outsourced if communication is to be authentic and trusted.
As I have written on other occasions, I was fortunate in the leadership I encountered. The Communication Working Group (WG) Chair and, more broadly, the MCAA Board, especially the Board member supervising communication, consistently welcomed the proposals I advanced. Both she and I brought solid expertise in communication, which meant that discussions could take place on a shared technical and strategic basis. This proved particularly important given the scope of the reforms I was proposing. That shared understanding enabled constructive engagement and gave me the autonomy to translate vision into practice.
The transformation unfolded in phases. First, a revision of workflows with the external company. The true turning point, however, was governance: I proposed and oversaw the creation of a volunteer Editorial Board composed of members, operating under internal regulations that the MCAA Board subsequently approved, guaranteeing substantial autonomy. Once that structure was in place, we could address form and content. The old Newsletter’s visual design suffered from limitations in graphic coherence, readability, and accessibility, issues I had repeatedly raised. With the new structure in place, we redesigned the visual identity, modernised formatting, and ensured technical compliance. The most profound shift concerned content: we made it structural for members to write about their own work and activities, and we also identified key topics aligned with members’ priorities and the broader MSCA ecosystem, which became the subject of special issues. The Newsletter was no longer written about members; it was written by members. Raising editorial standards also led to formal recognition: we obtained an ISSN, anchoring the publication within the broader publishing ecosystem.
Even when a model works, it may cease to be the most appropriate. Over time, the Association’s needs evolved, the media landscape shifted, and information consumption habits changed. The old format had become a capable outlet. But the production and fruition rhythms required sustained attention and resources that no longer suited the pace of a growing organisation with expanding channels and, now, even a dedicated communication staff responsible for operational and day-to-day communication. The idea that the Newsletter required some reconsideration was becoming increasingly clear to many of us involved in the communication side of the Association. What was not clear was the form this reconsideration should take. I began thinking about a more agile format, and first floated the idea of the revised model presented in this issue at an internal meeting some months ago. It was an impromptu suggestion, as I had not yet fully thought through the possible scenarios, but I was glad it was well received. It was then shared with the Editorial Board, who responded positively.
The revised model, presented in this issue, returns to the literal meaning of “newsletter”: a curated digest, primarily email-based, published every two months, focused on concise updates, while retaining up to three member-written articles per issue. The email serves as the gateway; the website as the source of record; the PDF as an archival format. As our communication ecosystem expands, member-authored content may find a more natural home elsewhere, and that is not a loss. Mature organisations assign clear roles to each channel rather than expecting one to do everything.
One natural venue for longer member content is the MCAA Blog. Years ago, I worked to have it recognised as an official periodical with its own ISSN, laying the foundation for it to function as a formal editorial platform rather than just a web page. One further step remains: the Blog is currently hosted on an external platform and should instead be integrated into the Association’s own new website. The new website itself, the result of years of planning and work, now provides the architecture needed to support a richer communication ecosystem.
The most strategic expansion, in my view, lies in book publishing. Years ago, I proposed to the then Board that the MCAA be registered as a publisher, anticipating the need for durable and high-level institutional outputs. As with the Newsletter, internal regulations were devised and approved to ensure extensive editorial autonomy and shield editorial decisions from undue internal and external interference. A publication plan has existed for several years, but its implementation required a dedicated website section that, though designed years ago, could only be activated once the new site was live. Now it is. The recently published MSCA impact report is the first book-type publication issued through this channel, with several long-standing projects now finally able to move forward.
These developments also raise a governance question I have long reflected on and raised with MCAA colleagues over the years: whether the Communication WG should reconsider its name. The issue became more pressing once the Association contracted paid professionals for operational and day-to-day institutional communication, effectively creating an internal communications department. Sharing the same label as the volunteer WG (which focuses on member engagement, training, and broader initiatives) has created confusion both internally and externally. Renaming it could help, though the choice requires care. One option I have explored is “Science Communication WG,” a name connected to my own long-standing interest in the topic, the same interest that led me to propose dedicating the December 2025 special issue to science communication, which fittingly turned out to be the last in the old format. But that name may be too narrow. Any renaming must reflect the full scope of the WG’s activities without constraining them, and I firmly believe the process should involve the WG members.
Looking back, each stage of institutional growth required redesigning communication rather than merely adjusting it. MCAA communication is an ecosystem, each channel serving a distinct purpose and complementing the others within a unified vision.
Today, the MCAA has more tools and capacity than when I began working on its communication. The challenge now is coherence: ensuring that structures match the scale of our institutional role. As the Association’s standing grows, including through its presence in high-level European bodies and initiatives such as the MCAA Policy Forum, expectations grow accordingly. Sustaining this trajectory will, I believe, require further strengthening communication capacity, and especially bringing in more people capable of making a substantial contribution to this goal.
If one guiding principle should remain central, it is this: communication is a service, to members, to partners, and to society, enabling the MCAA and MSCA community to share its knowledge, voice, and impact. The new format of the MCAA Newsletter is, in its own way, a contribution to that vision.
Gian Maria Greco
MCAA Chair
[email protected]
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