Help for research funding in Mediterranean countries
Concern has been voiced over the lack of participation from Mediterranean countries in biomedical projects in the Sixth Framework Programmes (FP6) including International Cooperation-Mediterranean (INCO-MED) and INCO-Mediterranean partner countries (INCO-MPC). The EU-funded 'Health of populations in the Mediterranean in the post-genomic area' (Genomed-Health) project aimed to avoid this situation in upcoming calls. Organising workshops to inform researchers on the latest progress in genomic research, the consortium also promoted networking between key institutions spanning northern Europe and their counterparts in the south of the continent. The theme of the first workshop centred on discussing the potential impact of the meteoric progress in genomics and analysing the significance for health, in particular for countries in the Mediterranean region. Following on from this, research priorities were identified for the European-Mediterranean partnership. Research priorities identified in the first workshop were the focus of its sequel. The main aim was to help selected networks to write proposals for submission to the next INCO-MPC calls. Support for the course contents was made available at seven satellite meetings. With overwhelming progress made in the field of genomics, it is crucial that research in Mediterranean countries and related healthcare keeps pace. Genomed-Health has provided a very firm platform to provide hands-on help for researchers in the Mediterranean to obtain funding. The fruits of this scheme will no doubt be mirrored by a rise in standards in healthcare.