BRIDGING-RD
BRIDGing the research and INnovation Gap for Rare Diseases in Europe by upgrading excellence of IMGGE
With more than 300 million people living with one or more of over 6,000 identified genetic rare diseases (RD) worldwide, the need for accurate timely diagnosis and specific and effective treatment is essential. RDs are often chronic, progressive and frequently life-threatening making the lives of family members and caregivers also strongly impacted requiring adequate genetic counseling and support.
Research and innovation (R&I) gap within Europe have already been recognized by European Union. The RD field is not an exception since diagnostic and research centers of expertise in RD put in place by EC do not reach all Widening countries.
To prevent further disparities with respect to RD across Europe, maximize investment in research and development in Serbia, and enhance long-term economic growth at the European level through stimulating development of innovative therapeutics for RD, IMGGE, a research institution from a widening country, will enhance networking activities with three top-class counterparts at EU level: KI (Karolinska Institute, Stockholm, Sweden), CNAG (National Center for Genomic Analysis, Barcelona, Spain) and UAM-CBMSO (Autonomous University of Madrid – Centro de Biologia Molecular “Severo Ochoa”, Madrid, Spain).
The overall objective of BRIDGING-RD is to upgrade IMGGE’s scientific excellence in delineating the molecular-genetic cause of RD and developing innovative therapeutics for RD, together with upgrading IMGGE’s capability to obtain funding, in order to bridge the R&I gap for RD in Europe.
BRIDGING-RD will have impact by significantly improving the scientific excellence and innovation capacity of IMGGE, raising its research reputation and research management skills. It will also impact networking and mobility of qualified scientists in the RD field, thus boosting creativity and ultimately enhancing economic growth at the European level.