HEALTH AND BIOTECHNOLOGY

2-4 October, 2014
Nova Yardinia Resort – Castellaneta Marina (Italy)

Organized in the context of the European Projects Forum “Nex-t-work”, the VII Foresight Training Course included the following initiatives:

1. Projects-Best Practice Sessions: Two EC-funded projects, DEEP (DEferiprone Evaluation in Paediatrics) and InNerMeD-I-Network, in which the Gianni Benzi Foundation was involved, were presented. The DEEP session focused on congenital haemoglobinopathies, the most common congenital rare diseases worldwide, and showcased the project’s achievements and results. The InNerMeD-I-Network session aimed to expand the network and address the needs of patients with inherited neurometabolic diseases.
2. Training Session: The three International Masters—Tourism and Culture in the Mediterranean Area (EMCT), Health, Food Safety and Related Policies for the Mediterranean Area (HEFSA), and the International Master in Regulatory Sciences (IMRS)—were officially launched. These programs were promoted by the Gianni Benzi Foundation in collaboration with Ondokuz Mayis University (OMU) and the Community of Mediterranean Universities (CMU).
3. International Conference: The conference, organized by Nex-t-work, addressed Mediterranean and European policies and the new 2020 framework. Professor Ceci emphasized the challenge of European cooperation with the Mediterranean region, particularly in promoting common research projects in health to foster development and regional integrity.
4. Focus Session: Progress and opportunities in conducting Paediatric Trials were discussed with European and non-European scientists. Organized by TEDDY—European Network of Excellence for Paediatric Clinical Research—the session included the network’s first General Assembly. TEDDY is a multidisciplinary, multinational network from 15 countries, focused on facilitating high-quality paediatric studies and research.
5. Project Session: The results of the RiMedRi Network for regenerative medicine were presented. This project aimed at integrating clinical-biological biobanks in southern Italy (Sicily).
6. Foresight “Health, Biotechnology, and ICT”: This session discussed recent novelties in the European regulatory framework, with a focus on European Reference Networks (ERNs), Biomarkers, and Good Genomics Practices (GGP) in the medicine development process. Various stakeholders participated in the discussions.

The full programme and the list of the speakers are available here.