After systematic and detailed analysis, YSMU has developed an initial Roadmap which primarily concerns with institutional level for cancer research and requiring infrastructure which will also serve at national and society levels to have a strategic impact on cancer research in Armenia. ARICE addressed the application of regulatory standards to the research use of biological specimens and associated data, including of genomic data which is not regulated or could be complicated by a variety of organizational issues. Eventually, YSMU developed and updated the National Cancer Research RoadMap to achieve excellence in cancer research in Armenia. This document is a fundamental review and strategic plan for further research performance and its achievements.
Within the scope of the ARICE project (Twinning for the Armenian Research Infrastructure on Cancer Research), the European partners provided YSMU with 71 Standard Operating Procedures. Furthermore, YSMU for modernization and excellence of research adapted and/or developed and eventually implemented institutional documents for use in cancer research and biobanking.
The first research results were published in the "Human Genome Variation" international peer-reviewed journal authored by the YSMU scientists. The second publication of ARICE researchers from MedUniGraz, IARC and YSMU was the book entitled “Biobanks in low- and middle-income countries: relevance, setup and management” which introduces the fundamentals of biobanking and guides through the practical planning. In further, three publications devoted to core analysis of cancer in Armenia as well as ARICE methodology to strengthen cancer research were published. Several YSMU researchers and students became co-authors of another book titled “Digitalization of Medicine in Low- and Middle-Income Countries”.
The ARICE also boosted the strategic scientific thinking of the YSMU through promoting of development organizational learning and its incorporation with the research strategy of the university. In parallel, ARICE supported to the development of the Research Center of Excellence in the YSMU as one of the prerequisites required for the cutting-edge research. This supported the development of one research proposal “Digitalization and Artificial Intelligence in Medicine (DAIM)” as well as involvement in other European cancer research proposal.
Initially, online 2 training courses were organized with participation of wider audience delineating issues of state-of-the-art cancer research. During 2022-2023 Participant institutions organized 4 training courses covering broad research topics of cancer as well as research management and competence gaining in research funding. Eventually, special workshops organized by the ARICE participants during 23-24 June, 2023 were made possible of participation of more than two hundreds of national stakeholders of the ARICE project, including researchers, students, physicians and civil society participants.
Project consortium has followed the Communication and Dissemination plan to mobilize multiple stakeholder support and ensure the widest distribution of project achievements. Following to the development of project website (
http://www.arice.am(s’ouvre dans une nouvelle fenêtre)) it became accessible through the link also from the web-sites of the coordinator and partner country universities as well as Social media platforms, including Facebook, LinkedIn, Instagram, etc. An online opening conference of ARICE was officially held on February 12, 2021 gathering participants of the project consortium. To strengthen the role of medical genetics education and new master and clinical residency programs in partner universities, TV and Youtube broadcasting programs were prepared and realized. The YSMU presented its first scientific results to whole oncological society of Armenia during the first Armenian Oncological Congress of 2021. Final results of the ARICE project were summarized in the form of the conference organized by the YSMU in Yerevan, 22 June, 2023. Meanwhile ARICE project results were disseminated in different European and international stages, including ISBER 2022 and 2023, Digital Davos 2022 and 2023, World Innovation Summit for Health in Doha, 2022, ESHG 2023 conference in Glasgow.
