We are proud to announce that our Vascular Anomalies Working Group (VASCA WG) application to the European Joint Programme on Rare Diseases (EJP RD) – Joint Transnational Call 2023 has been successfully accepted. This achievement marks a significant milestone in the journey towards better understanding and treating rare vascular anomalies.
The fifth Joint Transnational Call (JTC 2023) was launched in November 2022 with the participation of 21 funders from 16 countries: Belgium, Canada, France, Germany, Hungary, Ireland, Israel, Italy, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Poland, Slovakia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Turkey.
The aim of the call was to enable scientists from different countries to work together effectively on a joint interdisciplinary research project, based on complementarity and sharing of expertise, with the expected impact of using the results for the benefit of patients in the future.
The JTC 2023 call is a competitive and prestigious funding programme with a two-stage submission and evaluation process. The first step is the submission of a pre-proposal, which will be evaluated by the Scientific Evaluation Committee (SEC). The SEC selects proposals for full submission, and each of the full proposals is then evaluated by at least two additional external experts, whose reviews are sent to the project coordinators to allow them to study the reviews and comment on the experts’ arguments and evaluations. Both inputs are taken into account in a second SEC meeting and the final decisions are communicated to the applicants.
The Vascular Anomalies Working covers several rare vascular anomalies. The grant will support the NAtuRal histoRy And qualiTy of life In Vascular anomaliEs (NARRATIVE) project, a collaborative research effort funded by seven European countries. The aim of NARRATIVE is therefore to set up a natural history registry that collects clinical, genotype, imaging features, laboratory parameters, and patient-reported data in a cross-sectional study over time.
This successful application not only provides the necessary funding, but also raises the visibility and importance of rare vascular disease research. It represents a collaborative effort across borders, bringing together experts and resources towards a common goal. The project proposed by the VASCA WG is expected to have a profound impact on the lives of patients suffering from rare vascular anomalies, offering hope for better diagnosis, treatment and care.
For more information on the project, click here. Congratulations to the VASCA WG!!!