| The Dutch government commissioned the World Health Organization (WHO) to develop a research agenda for Europe, based on the public health need for new medicines, the so-called priority medicines. Medicines for children and pregnant women were raised as major public health priorities of the issues cutting across disease categories. In preparation of this ERANET Coordination Action (CA), the Netherlands Organisation for Health Re-search and Development (ZonMw) conducted an inventory of research programmes on priority medicines themes in Europe sponsored by the EC (SSA Priority Medicines 003214).The inventory identified research on medicines for children as a most promising sub-area of priority medicines to focus towards. The CA will network and coordinate programme managers of national programmes to pool resources towards a common European goal and launch a joint European research programme on medicines for children (WP6). The consortium consists of key players in 9 European countries bringing together the national research councils, ministries and drug regulatory bodies/authorities which have the authority and the means to highlight research activities on the national agenda and to foster the implementation of the results of that research. By collaborating with relevant stakeholders, it develops a common research agenda on new, more effective and safer medicines for children.The CA will strengthen coordination of key players in European public research funding (WP2) and establish an European research area for medicines for children. The project explores the ethical-regulatory framework (WP3) and public-private cooperation (WP4), and make recommendations for future re-search coordination. The partners will engage in the public debate on the topic by devoting a specific task to communication strategy (WP1) and organising a stakeholder workshop (WP5). Finally, a joint call for proposals will be launched (W6) |