CORDIS Archive
This page has been archived. It will no longer be updated.
"Maximising Impact"
Under the 5th FP - IST Programme, the improvement of the performance of individual projects by maximising the possibilities for interaction with other projects and stakeholders in the domain was strongly encouraged. In this context, projects have been grouped in technical areas ("Clusters"). Although most of the clustering activities have taken place informally, some of these activities have even been supported by a contractual instrument, the cluster contract.
The 6th FP has taken a step forward by providing two new instruments which encompass the notion of clustering directly into the research and demonstration activities: the Integrated Projects and Networks of Excellence.
The clusters in the Health unit, as briefly explained below, are the following:
This cluster of projects is aiming at supporting European citizens to stay healthy by researching IST technologies and systems for health promotion and disease prevention. In particular the cluster targets citizens, including those predisposed to diseases, to respond to risk factors (such as high cholesterol level, high blood pressure, or if appropriate genetic profile) by actively facilitating lifestyle changes. To illustrate, three out of four Europeans die as a result of cardiovascular diseases or of cancer. Both diseases can be prevented to a significant extent by adopting appropriate lifestyles. Unfortunately, a number of barriers impedes widespread implementation of the relevant lifestyle changes. Examples of these barriers are that relevant information about risk factors or lifestyles is unavailable to the citizens and the food producers or about the products and services to health professionals. To facilitate the citizen to implement the appropriate lifestyle changes research in the following areas in needed:
After four centuries of delivering health care in hospitals, industrialised countries are now shifting towards treating patients at the point of need. The "Intelligent Systems for Patients" cluster is a response to this evolution/change of paradigm in health. It is divided into two sub-clusters, one dealing with the delivery of home care and the second one on fostering co-operation between health professionals delivering such home care. The best interests of the patient are at the heart of all these projects. The participation of patients and family associations is encouraged.
The cluster addresses the specific needs of the health professional for IST systems that support diagnosis and treatment, for user-friendly portable environments that allow timely access to specific health information from anywhere, or for technology that facilitates continuous learning, training and collaborative work in the health domain. The added value of the cluster is centred around interoperability, standardisation, validation, awareness and dissemination. There are currently two main thematic sub-clusters: