Building genomic research capacity in south-east Europe
The strength of the European Research Area (ERA) relies upon encouraging collaboration between the scientists and research institutes that reside within the EU's 27 Member States. Combining forces is particularly important in genomics since expensive equipment is required to undertake such research. With this in mind, EU funding has been allocated to Croatia in the context of the 'Integrating and strengthening genomic research in south-eastern Europe' (Integers) project. The recipient of the support is the Centre for Functional Genomics (CFG), part of the Faculty of Medicine of the University of Zagreb. Already a well-established genomics research institute, the CFG is using the funding to add new equipment and specialised software to its laboratories. A strong emphasis is being placed on building relationships with European colleagues. Thus, members of the CFG's staff have travelled to several labs throughout the EU to become better acquainted with their counterparts. These partners and other foreign scientists have also been invited to participate in symposiums and workshops organised by the CFG in Croatia. The CFG is also exploiting the Internet to expand its visibility with a dedicated website (http://www.genome.hr(opens in new window)). The result has been increased opportunities for participation in genomic research proposals under the Seventh Framework Programme. A number of important scientific publications have also been produced. Finally, a new postgraduate course addressing the contribution of genomics to biomedical research has been launched without the aid of EU funding. Enhancing the educational capacity of the University of Zagreb's Faculty of Medicine will help attract new, young scientists to this exciting field. Through Integers, the CFG is opening the door to broader cooperation with European colleagues, and in the process, strengthening the ERA.
