CORDIS Archive

The aim of this key action is to promote the development of knowledge, technologies and methods, including prenormative aspects, based on multidisciplinary approaches to produce a safe, healthy, balanced and varied food supply for consumers covering the whole food chain. This requires as a priority:

- the development of safe, flexible and new and/or improved manufacturing technologies to improve food quality and consumer acceptability, while guaranteeing

- the development of tests to detect and processes to eliminate infectious and toxic agents throughout the food chain,

- research into the role of food in promoting and sustaining health with respect to diet and nutrition, toxicology, epidemiology, environmental interaction, consumer choice and public health.

The priority objectives of this key action are the fight against and control of infectious diseases, both human and animal, including zoonoses, of increasing impact, whether established, newly emerging or in resurgence, based on research seeking a better understanding of the immune system. Close attention is to be paid to:

- the development of improved or novel mono-component, multipurpose and combined vaccines, especially against viral diseases, including the support of multicentre clinical trials,

- new and improved strategies to identify and control infectious diseases, directed at treatment and prevention and based on studies on pathogenesis, emergence of resistance and immunological control,

- aspects connected with public health and care delivery systems, notably management, prevention, surveillance, behavioural aspects and response to infectious diseases (including modelling of human diseases).

This key action is aimed at helping the Community’s enterprises to exploit the advances made in life sciences and technologies, particularly in the fields of health, environment, agriculture, agro-industries and high value-added products, such as chemicals. It is aimed at developing multidisciplinary technologies based on the exploitation of the properties of micro-organisms, plants and animals, in particular at the cellular and sub-cellular levels. The objective is to understand the functioning of cells in order to develop bio-molecules and bio-processes with high added-value capable of enhancing the quality of life and health, including:

- new and innovative health processes and products, particularly from molecular engineering (for example diagnostics, antibiotics, anti-cancer agents, including plant-produced therapeutics),

- energy-efficient bio-remediation and waste bio-treatment processes,

- new biological processes and products, new processing technologies on the basis of new plant and animal characteristics for agri-food and agri-industry and high value-added chemical applications.

This key action should also aim at RTD to make cell cultures available as models for medicine, pharmacology, toxicology and environmental monitoring to substitute for animal testing and for prenormative purposes.

The aim of this key action is to achieve a better understanding of the interactions between the genetic, physiological, environmental and social factors involved in sustaining good health and so to help reduce the adverse impact on health of changes in the environment and the workplace and the immense costs to health systems arising therefrom. It covers in particular issues such as prevention and the effects on health of air pollution, heavy metals and toxic substances, noise, climatic changes and electromagnetic radiation, as well as the effects of pollution at the workplace. It includes as a priority:

- multidisciplinary approaches for achieving a better understanding of the interaction between the social and physical environment and health, including research into diseases and allergies related to or influenced by the environment and research into their treatment and prevention,

- epidemiological studies and pathogenesis research,

- the development of new methods of diagnosis, risk assessment and prevention,

- the development of processes to identify and, where possible, reduce harmful effects on health and the causes thereof.

The aim is to develop the knowledge and technologies needed for the production and exploitation of living resources, including forests, covering the whole production chain, adapted to recent adjustments in the common agricultural and fisheries policies, whil also providing the scientific basis for Community regulations and standards. Similarly, the aim is to promote the multipurpose role of forests and the sustainable management and utilisation of forest resources as an integral factor of rural development. Priority areas include:

- new and sustainable systems of production, including breeding methods, and exploitation in agriculture, forestry, fishing and aquaculture, taking into account profitability, the sustainable management of resources, product quality and employment as well as animal health and welfare,

- the integrated production and exploitation of biological materials (non-food uses),

- sustainable and multipurpose utilisation of forest resources; the integrated forestry-wood chain,

- development of methods of control, surveillance and protection, including protection of land and prevention of soil erosion,

- prelegislative research designed to provide a scientific basis for Community legislation,

- the production of new tools and models for the integrated and sustainable development of rural and other relevant areas based on optimisation of the specific potential of each area, including at regional level, diversification of activities and land use, and involvement of the people concerned.

This key action aims to help Europe meet the challenge of the growing ageing population through RTD to underpin the development of policies and interventions to extend the quality of life and independence of older people, and to reduce the need for long-term care and its consequential costs. It gives priority to multidisciplinary RTD relating to processes leading to healthy ageing, including demographic, social and economic aspects, and to interventions leading to the postponement and improved management of disability. It aims to generate competitive advantage for a wide range of health related industries and sectors. Priority areas include:

- RTD on illnesses and health problems of high morbidity(1) which are age-related and where there is a real prospect for significant prevention, treatment or delay in onset,

- RTD concerning biological, psychological, social and economic determinants of healthy ageing and of the mechanisms leading to disability and the postponement of disability,

- demographic and epidemiological research on ageing and disability trends to enable prediction of the size and nature of the ageing population as a basis for policy and planning,

- RTD to provide a basis for new approaches to delaying the onset of disability, to reducing the challenge to older people of their social and physical environment (e.g. in housing and transport) and to supporting mental and physical functioning,

- RTD concerning effective and efficient delivery of health and social care services to older people, including comparative research on the financing of long-term care and pensions.

- Chronic and degenerative diseases (in particular cancer and diabetes), cardiovascular diseases and rare diseases

Major challenges in biomedical research are the elucidation of the aetiology and pathogenesis of diseases for which there is more than one interacting cause (genetic, environmental, lifestyle) of high (e.g. cardiovascular diseases, cancer, diabetes) or low (e.g. rare diseases) morbidity. There is an urgent need to improve diagnosis, treatment, prevention and surveillance through epidemiology and applying advances in modern technology, requiring a multinational approach,

- Research into genomes and diseases of genetic origin

The aim of this activity is to identify the physiological functions of genes and to improve the understanding of the meaning of sequence information. The new knowledge and technologies deriving from this generic action should promote the exploitation of genomic information to the benefit of European health, industry and the environment. The organisation of collaboration in this area will underpin the development of expression systems to facilitate the study of genes of industrial and agronomic interest as well as the design of effective molecular and gene-based preventive and therapeutic strategies for human and animal disease,

- Neurosciences

This activity should provide new insights and understanding of the mechanisms governing the interrelationship of biological and psychological processes, to promote new diagnostic (e.g. imaging) and therapeutic approaches to neurological and psychiatric disorders and to underpin opportunities for innovation in health-care industries,

- Research relating to public health and health services

Improvement of health systems: to improve the health of European citizens and the effectiveness and cost-effectiveness of health promotion and health-care technologies and interventions, to enhance health and safety at work, to evaluate health-care models, to develop the evidence base for clinical practice and health policy and to study health variations across Europe.

Fighting drug-related problems: to prevent and, where appropriate, control drug-related health problems through establishing the psychological and socioeconomic factors involved in drug-taking and drug abuse, developing better understanding of the long-term health and social consequences of abuse, and developing more effective treatment strategies,

- Research relating to the disabled

The aim of this activity is to enhance the quality of life and independence of disabled people, notably through improving their social and physical environment and the effective and efficient delivery of the health and social care services available to them.

- The study of problems relating to biomedical ethics and bioethics in the context of respect for fundamental human values(2),

- The study of the socioeconomic aspects of development of the life sciences and technologies within the perspective of sustainable development (impact on society, the economy and employment)

In accordance with the general objectives outlined above, activities should focus, for example, on databases and collections of biological material, centres for clinical research and trials and facilities for fishery and aquaculture research.