Final Report Summary - SERA (Strengthening the European Research Area by Reinforcement of Romanian Research Competency in Genomics and Proteomics of Major Global Risk Diseases ...)
The fundamental concept of the SERA project was to act as a support for the reinforcement of our biomedical research (focussed on cardiovascular diseases, diabetes, obesity, and aging) and to integrate, corroborate and assess our results with those of European research groups. In addition we aimed to strengthen collaborations with researchers from Romania and thus to amplify the contribution of the Romanian science to European Research Area (ERA).
The goals of the SERA project were:
(1) to support and improve the S&T potential and the research activity of ICBP, Centre of Excellence of the EC;
(2) to participate actively to the development of research at national and regional level;
(3) to attract students to a scientific carrier offering opportunities for the education of the new generation of investigators in the European spirit;
(4) to strengthen ongoing collaborations and create the conditions for new cooperations with European research centres;
(5) to expand the collaborations with small- and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) for better exploitation of the results;
(6) to speed up the two-way transfer of knowledge between basic and clinical research for the benefit of the modern medicine.
Together, all these activities were intended to lead to improved science, intensify the participation of ICBP in the European Commission's Framework Programmes, and add value to ERA.
The strategic objectives were:
- to increase the institutional and national research competence of ICBP in cell and molecular biology, genomics and proteomics, and become a significant centre in the ERA (objective 1);
- to boost the networking with European centres and enhance participation to European Commission's Framework Programmes (objective 2);
- to increase the local job and career opportunities for young researchers (objective 3) and
- to extend the scale and scope of the centre activities to better serve the social and economic environment (objective 4).
During the project, numerous young investigators worked and performed joint experiments in European laboratories employing technologies that we planned to introduce in our research and improving their technological skills. In order to strengthen national and European networking, outstanding scientists were invited to visit and give lectures at the institute so as to expose the entire Romanian scientific community to the last scientific discoveries.
One of the main successful achievements of SERA was the organisation of the international Cardio-diabetology Research Reports and Training Unit (CDRTU) as a platform for transfer of knowledge from bench to bedside, communication and discussions on an informal basis of the problems stemming from cross-border activities - basic and clinical research. The activities of this unit pursue two major directions: (1) the dissemination of information and result reports, and (2) training activities.
It was the start of a much-needed communication between scientists and clinicians that continued throughout the SERA project. In the frame of CDRTU, scientists from ICBP were invited to lecture to meetings on atherosclerosis and / or diabetes and to discuss recent results obtained in the attempt to retard/reduce these diseases (round tables). As a second direction of CDRTU, an important activity was the yearly organisation of the advanced study school attended by about 50 researchers, medical residents, students, PhDs and clinicians.
To extend the scale and scope of our activities and broaden and diversify the R&D in ICBP, we introduced (as planned) three new research topics that started in the first year of SERA and were developed during the whole period of the project. The new topics were in good agreement to the national and European Commission's C Framework Programme goals: brain research, angiogenesis and functional genomics in diabetes and obesity.
Dissemination and exploitation of the research results was an important goal of SERA. Besides exposing our results to European scientists during workshops, symposia and short visits, we made contacts with national SMEs, discussed possible exploitation of our research data, and invited their representatives to the CDRTU activities. They participated to the opening workshop of CDRTU and we made one collaborative grant application that was funded in the second year of SERA.
The management activity of the project was well balanced, harmonious, dynamic, and flexible. There were no major problems to be solved, and no disparity between the members of the management board; the entire project work plan was successfully completed, and no major deviations were recorded. All the deliverables planned were 100 % accomplished.
Moreover, besides the planned activities, a number of actions were done without the SERA financial support, but the umbrella of SERA was helpful and gratifying. As examples, the three advanced training courses, the participation to the annual sessions of the Romanian Society for Cell Biology, the visit of lecturers from Tel Aviv University, Israel, a small symposium organised in ICBP with directors of the COST Action, a large participation at national and international scientific meetings, each event creating additional opportunities to present our achievements in the SERA project.
The goals of the SERA project were:
(1) to support and improve the S&T potential and the research activity of ICBP, Centre of Excellence of the EC;
(2) to participate actively to the development of research at national and regional level;
(3) to attract students to a scientific carrier offering opportunities for the education of the new generation of investigators in the European spirit;
(4) to strengthen ongoing collaborations and create the conditions for new cooperations with European research centres;
(5) to expand the collaborations with small- and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) for better exploitation of the results;
(6) to speed up the two-way transfer of knowledge between basic and clinical research for the benefit of the modern medicine.
Together, all these activities were intended to lead to improved science, intensify the participation of ICBP in the European Commission's Framework Programmes, and add value to ERA.
The strategic objectives were:
- to increase the institutional and national research competence of ICBP in cell and molecular biology, genomics and proteomics, and become a significant centre in the ERA (objective 1);
- to boost the networking with European centres and enhance participation to European Commission's Framework Programmes (objective 2);
- to increase the local job and career opportunities for young researchers (objective 3) and
- to extend the scale and scope of the centre activities to better serve the social and economic environment (objective 4).
During the project, numerous young investigators worked and performed joint experiments in European laboratories employing technologies that we planned to introduce in our research and improving their technological skills. In order to strengthen national and European networking, outstanding scientists were invited to visit and give lectures at the institute so as to expose the entire Romanian scientific community to the last scientific discoveries.
One of the main successful achievements of SERA was the organisation of the international Cardio-diabetology Research Reports and Training Unit (CDRTU) as a platform for transfer of knowledge from bench to bedside, communication and discussions on an informal basis of the problems stemming from cross-border activities - basic and clinical research. The activities of this unit pursue two major directions: (1) the dissemination of information and result reports, and (2) training activities.
It was the start of a much-needed communication between scientists and clinicians that continued throughout the SERA project. In the frame of CDRTU, scientists from ICBP were invited to lecture to meetings on atherosclerosis and / or diabetes and to discuss recent results obtained in the attempt to retard/reduce these diseases (round tables). As a second direction of CDRTU, an important activity was the yearly organisation of the advanced study school attended by about 50 researchers, medical residents, students, PhDs and clinicians.
To extend the scale and scope of our activities and broaden and diversify the R&D in ICBP, we introduced (as planned) three new research topics that started in the first year of SERA and were developed during the whole period of the project. The new topics were in good agreement to the national and European Commission's C Framework Programme goals: brain research, angiogenesis and functional genomics in diabetes and obesity.
Dissemination and exploitation of the research results was an important goal of SERA. Besides exposing our results to European scientists during workshops, symposia and short visits, we made contacts with national SMEs, discussed possible exploitation of our research data, and invited their representatives to the CDRTU activities. They participated to the opening workshop of CDRTU and we made one collaborative grant application that was funded in the second year of SERA.
The management activity of the project was well balanced, harmonious, dynamic, and flexible. There were no major problems to be solved, and no disparity between the members of the management board; the entire project work plan was successfully completed, and no major deviations were recorded. All the deliverables planned were 100 % accomplished.
Moreover, besides the planned activities, a number of actions were done without the SERA financial support, but the umbrella of SERA was helpful and gratifying. As examples, the three advanced training courses, the participation to the annual sessions of the Romanian Society for Cell Biology, the visit of lecturers from Tel Aviv University, Israel, a small symposium organised in ICBP with directors of the COST Action, a large participation at national and international scientific meetings, each event creating additional opportunities to present our achievements in the SERA project.
