Despite the difficulties faced during the last years as a consequence of the COVID-19 pandemic first (starting in 2020), and the war in Ukraine later (starting in 2022), the activities performed in the frame of the consortium have had relevant impact at different levels: for scientific community, for the secondees careers, for the institutions participating and for the civil society.
Thanks to the secondments, the participants have increased their professional potentiality and developed new skills, working in facilities and scientific-technical platforms that are not available in their home centres of origin or in institutions where the incidence of tuberculosis is around 10 times higher than in their countries of origin. In many cases they faced new professional situations, improving their language skills and empowering themselves to take on more ambitious professional challenges.
The consortium has launched 25 studies where academic and non-academic partners collaborate, contributing with different points of view and capacities to achieve results. All these projects, which are still in very early stages, are undoubtedly of great scientific importance, and will have a great impact once we have definitive results.
The project aimed to generate new technologies that allow progress in the management of patients with tuberculosis. The companies in the consortium participated in the development of different technologies, of molecular and immunological basis, for the diagnosis of patients with tuberculosis and also with non-tuberculous mycobacterial infections. This type of activity generated new techniques that they are going to introduce in the market, with the consequent innovative benefit at European level driven economic and welfare.
Finally, we believe that the project will had an impact on European policies. On one hand, there is an impact at the local level in those countries where there is a high incidence of tuberculosis (Ukraine and Moldova). Consensus documents are in elaboration regarding the utility and implication of molecular methods in the clinical management of MDR-TB patients. On the other hand, it is interesting to note the great similarities between tuberculosis and COVID-19. Both are respiratory infections, which are transmitted through the air and cause high mortality. At the moment there is a great awareness of the importance of research and science, but also of the impact it has on the health of the population, but on the economy of the countries. There is an opportunity to influence at the political level in promoting policies to control tuberculosis.
