Commission conference calls for greater coordination in cancer research
22 May 2001 - 22 May 2001
Philippe Busquin, the European Commissioner for Research, will attend a conference in Brussels on 22 and 23 May where he hopes to bring cancer research managers and researchers together to discuss ways of improving the coordination of their work in Europe. The Commissioner wants to remedy the acknowledged existing fragmentation of current research efforts in Europe.
'The whole subject of cancer research requires a European approach because a large, cooperative effort is needed to ensure that every European citizen will rapidly profit from the revolution of knowledge in cancer management.'
The meeting will bring together 45 leading cancer researchers, clinicians and cancer research managers from 30 countries. The aim is to promote linkages and increased coherence of European efforts related to surveillance, cooperation, transfer of knowledge and evaluation.
Professor Zur Hausen, Head of the Deutsches Krebsforschungszentrum (German cancer research centre) welcomed the initiative. 'Improving the exchange of information between leading scientists and clinicians in European cancer research clearly has the potential to lead to wider understanding of mechanisms of cancer development and to a higher quality in assessment, prevention, diagnosis and therapy. This should have [an] impact on clinical practitioners and contribute in general to improved scientific quality of European medical research,' he said.
The EU has supported cancer research for the last ten years and its proposal for the next RTD Framework programme, which will begin in 2002, includes and identifies cancer as a topic for research, particularly with the objective of integrating new genomics based tools with more conventional approaches towards curing cancer.
'The European programmes only represent a few per cent of funding for cancer research in Europe. Many actors are involved. I want to bring everyone around the table and discuss how we can better organise the massive work that is still to be done,' says Busquin.
For further information, please contact:
Dr. Baig
European Commission
Research DG
Health Research Directorate
Tel. +32-2-2963437
Fax +32-2-2955365
E-mail : shahid.baig@ec.europa.eu
Mr. Michel Claessens
European Commission
Research DG
Information and communication Unit
Tel. +32-2-2959971
Fax +32-2-2958220
E-mail: michel.claessens@ec.europa.eu
'The whole subject of cancer research requires a European approach because a large, cooperative effort is needed to ensure that every European citizen will rapidly profit from the revolution of knowledge in cancer management.'
The meeting will bring together 45 leading cancer researchers, clinicians and cancer research managers from 30 countries. The aim is to promote linkages and increased coherence of European efforts related to surveillance, cooperation, transfer of knowledge and evaluation.
Professor Zur Hausen, Head of the Deutsches Krebsforschungszentrum (German cancer research centre) welcomed the initiative. 'Improving the exchange of information between leading scientists and clinicians in European cancer research clearly has the potential to lead to wider understanding of mechanisms of cancer development and to a higher quality in assessment, prevention, diagnosis and therapy. This should have [an] impact on clinical practitioners and contribute in general to improved scientific quality of European medical research,' he said.
The EU has supported cancer research for the last ten years and its proposal for the next RTD Framework programme, which will begin in 2002, includes and identifies cancer as a topic for research, particularly with the objective of integrating new genomics based tools with more conventional approaches towards curing cancer.
'The European programmes only represent a few per cent of funding for cancer research in Europe. Many actors are involved. I want to bring everyone around the table and discuss how we can better organise the massive work that is still to be done,' says Busquin.
For further information, please contact:
Dr. Baig
European Commission
Research DG
Health Research Directorate
Tel. +32-2-2963437
Fax +32-2-2955365
E-mail : shahid.baig@ec.europa.eu
Mr. Michel Claessens
European Commission
Research DG
Information and communication Unit
Tel. +32-2-2959971
Fax +32-2-2958220
E-mail: michel.claessens@ec.europa.eu