Below you find all tools and resources used in this module, grouped by category.
Internal resources
| Category | Resource | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Internal | ELIXIR Branding Hub | Official ELIXIR logos, colour palette and templates (intranet - consortium login required). |
| Internal | ELIXIR communications contacts registry | Living directory of communications contacts in every Node, plus a mailing list that reaches them (consortium login required). |
| Internal | ELIXIR Communications Group | Open, collaborative space where communicators from all Nodes share practice and shape consortium communications (intranet). |
| Internal | ELIXIR Communications Strategy | Full channel details and submission guidelines for the consortium’s communications (intranet). |
| Internal | ELIXIR Node Communications Strategy Toolkit (ELIXIR-STEERS) | The Hub’s full toolkit for building a Node communications strategy - objectives, scope, audiences, channels, messages, evaluation and a strategy template (ELIXIR-STEERS M5.3, 2025). |
| Internal | ELIXIR Node internal newsletters - guidelines and recommendations | Recommendations for running a Node-level internal newsletter (intranet). |
| Internal | ELIXIR social media hashtags and accounts | The consortium’s standard hashtags and account handles for social media (intranet). |
| Internal | ELIXIR Style Guide | Guidance on fonts, layouts and image use for a consistent look and feel across all Nodes (intranet). |
| Internal | Social media guidelines for ELIXIR consortium members | Guidance for individual consortium members posting about ELIXIR (intranet). |
| Internal | Social media guidelines for Node account managers | Guidance for those running a Node’s social media accounts (intranet). |
External resources
| Category | Resource | Description |
|---|---|---|
| External | Adobe Color | Free colour wheel and palette tool with accessibility and contrast checks. |
| External | Adobe Express | Free design tool with templates and AI-assisted features (text-to-image, background removal, resizing); can hold ELIXIR-branded templates. |
| External | amCharts SVG Maps | Free, editable vector maps of countries and regions worldwide - useful for showing Node locations or event geography. |
| External | Axe accessibility checker | Free accessibility testing tool, available as a browser extension, for finding and fixing WCAG issues. |
| External | Buffer | Free social media scheduling tool - write a batch of posts and schedule them across platforms in one sitting. |
| External | Buttonbuddy | Free tool for accessible colour contrast, especially for links and buttons. |
| External | Canva | Free, browser-based design tool with ready-made templates for slides, social posts and flyers - the most common starting point for non-designers. Save an ELIXIR-branded template and reuse it. |
| External | Communication Toolkit for European Projects | |
| External | Communication Toolkit for Research Infrastructures | |
| External | CONVERGE workshop - communications tips for different audiences | Practical video on tailoring communications to different audiences. |
| External | CONVERGE workshop series - Design made easy for communicators | Practical video on design made easy for communicators - design tips for non-designers in research communications. |
| External | Coolors | Free colour palette generator with built-in contrast and colour-blindness testing - pick two colours and check they’re accessible. |
| External | EmailOctopus | Email marketing tool with a generous free tier - a lower-cost alternative to Mailchimp for Node newsletters. |
| External | Fontjoy | Generates font pairings automatically - useful when you need to combine a heading and a body font. |
| External | Google Analytics | Free web analytics - set up a dashboard once to track website traffic instead of pulling numbers by hand. |
| External | RI-PATHS impact assessment framework | An EU-developed methodology for assessing the socio-economic impact of research infrastructures - for impact assessment beyond communications. |
| External | WAVE web accessibility evaluation tool | Free in-browser tool that flags accessibility issues (missing ALT text, low contrast, heading structure) on any web page. |
| External | Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) overview | The international standard for digital accessibility, built on four principles - perceivable, operable, understandable, robust. |
| External | Writing in the Sciences (Stanford University) | Free online course on clear scientific writing - a deeper dive for anyone who wants to improve their craft. |