Transnational research programme advances nanomedicine research
Building on an earlier project, ENM I, the EURONANOMED II (European network for transnational collaborative RTD projects in the field of nanomedicine) project used ERA-NET as a platform for funding agencies and ministries to develop joint activities and programmes. Overall, the goal was to coordinate high-quality research in nanomedicine across national borders. EURONANOMED II improved coordination of national programmes in nanomedicine. This was achieved by fostering a network of national/regional programme managers working closely together and learning from each other. They defined common procedures, practices and documents for each of the four joint transnational calls for proposals, and organised the implementation and follow-up of funded projects. The launch of four yearly calls helped to reduce fragmentation in key nanomedicine research fields and facilitated the support of partnerships among the majority of European nanomedicine players. This contributed to further development of the European Research Area (ERA) in nanomedicine. Project partners achieved critical mass and ensured better use of limited resources in nanomedicine research fields. They encouraged translational collaborations and brought together a sufficient number of players from academia, clinical/public health communities and industry by leveraging the 18 countries/regions that make up the consortium. The EURONANOMED II team contributed to the improvement and harmonisation of public policies designed to support collaborative, innovative research and technology development projects between the academic community, companies/SMEs and/or hospital/healthcare settings. Through mapping and analysis, it shared good practices in implementing common research programmes. Researchers updated a European strategic research agenda on nanomedicine that was used as input or reference for all project activities. It includes recommendations that highlight issues important for the future of EURONANOMED as a programme. Using the agenda as a basis, they built a self-sustained transnational funding programme in nanomedicine with regular funding initiatives. EURONANOMED II fostered the competitiveness of European nanomedicine actors. As a result, a sustainable cooperative framework for researchers within the European nanomedicine community emerged. Ultimately, research in nanotechnology will lead to practical gains in medicine.
Keywords
Nanomedicine, health, EURONANOMED II, transnational collaborative RTD