Paving the way for cooperative health research and innovation
The EU-LAC HEALTH(opens in new window) (Defining a roadmap for cooperative health research between the EU and Latin America-Caribbean countries: a policy oriented approach) project is an EC FP7 5-year coordination and support action (CSA) funded by the European Commission (EC) which started on the 1st October 2011. Its main goal is to develop a strategic roadmap that will intensify and coordinate the bi-regional cooperation in health research and innovation between the European Union (EU), and Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC) countries. EU-LAC HEALTH has adopted a policy-oriented approach. It is advancing within the scope of the policy framework for EU-LAC cooperation in science and technology and, more specifically, is supporting the SOM (Senior Official Meetings) Working Group on Health launched by the European Union - Community of Latin American and Caribbean States Joint Initiative for Research and Innovation (EU-CELAC JIRI). Relevant steps in the project were the preparation of the Roadmap Final Consultation and the organisation of the Roadmap Consultation and Validation Workshop that helped to define the main output, a Strategic Roadmap for the EU-CELAC Joint Initiative on Health Research and Innovation (JIRI-Health). The Roadmap provides policymakers and R&D funding bodies with new insights on how to best coordinate and fund cooperative health research and innovation between the two regions: EU and LAC. The Roadmap includes the vision and mission of the Initiative, the objectives, the key principles and a scientific research agenda. It has identified 6 priority areas in health research for collaboration between the two regions: Chronic diseases, Infectious diseases, Cancer, Neurological diseases and stroke, Prevention of disease and promotion of well-being, and Health and Social Care service research. The roadmap proposes also a governance structure to ensure an effective and long-term coordination of health research and innovation funds and activities between both regions. The final project stage until its end in September 2016 will focus on pilot implementation of the EU-CELAC JIRI-Health and on dissemination of the project results to the main project stakeholders.