Oct 25 2013
EuroNanoMed II, a European funding initiative under the ERA-NET scheme of the European Commission’s 7th Framework Programme, announced on the projects that will be funded following its 2013 joint transnational call for collaborative research projects.
8 projects, involving 42 partners from 15 countries/regions, will be funded with 7 Million € provided by EuroNanoMed II funding agencies. The research projects were selected out of 42 submitted proposals, which engaged 216 research groups from 20 EU member and associated states/regions.
The 2013 joint transnational call for proposals was launched in December 2012 to promote transnational and interdisciplinary research in Nanomedicine. This is the fourth call launched by EuroNanoMed focusing on the three main subfields of Nanomedicine: diagnostics, targeted delivery systems and regenerative medicine. The proposals were reviewed by external experts, taking into account the scientific, technical, clinical and commercial merit of the projects, followed by the evaluation of an international peer review panel. The 8 funded projects encompass all three subfields of Nanomedicine and cover diverse medical issues such as treatment and monitoring of cancer, bone fractures and allergic reactions.
Dr. Olaf Rotthaus, Chair of the Network Steering Committee of EuroNanoMed II, pointed out the scientific quality of the projects: "The projects address significant medical needs with a translational approach toward potential clinical or industrial applications.”
Dr. Natalia Martin, Coordinator of EuroNanoMed II, added: “The increased number of applications and their high scientific quality are strong indicators for the success of EuroNanoMed II. Following the accomplishments of the first period of the ERA-NET (2009 to 2011), through which 3 calls for proposals were launched, EuroNanoMed II has become a well identified and recognized funding initiative in the field of Nanomedicine. Altogether, 4 joint transnational calls are planned during the lifetime of EuroNanoMed II, the following one will be launched by the end of 2013.”
About Nanomedicine
Nanomedicine is the application of nanotechnology to medicine and healthcare. The field takes advantage of the physical, chemical and biological properties of materials at the nanometer scale to be used for diagnosis, treatment and follow-up of diseases. Given the immense potential impact of Nanomedicine on public wellbeing and on economic growth, the field is of considerable strategic importance for Europe.
About ERA-NET EuroNanoMed II
EuroNanoMed II is an ERA-NET funded under the European Commission’s 7th Framework Programme, 2012-2016, comprising 20 partners from 17 countries/regions.
The ERA-NET serves as a platform for funding agencies and ministries, to develop joint activities and programmes in order to coordinate high quality research across national borders. The aim of EuroNanoMed II is to continue fostering the competitiveness of European nanomedicine actors through the support of transnational collaborative and multidisciplinary research and technology development projects, with participants ranging from academia, clinical/public health communities, and industry (particularly small and medium-sized enterprises). Among the most important activities of EuroNanoMed II are annually launched joint transnational calls for proposals for research groups operating in the EuroNanoMed II partner countries.