First E-Rare-2 EAB Meeting, 1st June 2011 Lisbon

The first E-Rare-2 External Advisory Board meeting took place on the 1st of June 2011 in Lisbon, Portugal. The day focused mainly on the selection of the topic(s) of the future (2012) Joint Transnational "Focused" Call for Research Projects on Rare Diseases.
 
E-Rare forsees in its programme two "general" and two "focused" joint calls. The two “focused” joint calls will enable E-Rare-2 to address themes of research on rare diseases, which needs special attention and a focused approach. More specifically, these themes may include:
 
• Improving the access to technology research platforms such as high throughput sequencing and drug screening
• Facilitating the harmonization/merging of existing national biobanks and registry databases
• Enabling a start-up for research cooperation on ultra-rare diseases for which there is currently little, if any, on-going research.
• Supporting the cooperation of young investigators to facilitate early career development and training in rare disease research.
 
The final decision regarding the selection of the topic for the 1st Focused Call for Transnational Research Projects on Rare Diseases will be taken by the E-Rare-2 Network Steering Committee in September 2011.