Call for Expressions of Interests
within the 6th Framework Program

Please note that the Commission published on 20 March 2002 a call for Expressions of Interest (EoI) regarding research topics for the 6th Framework Programme. You may access all relevant information through the IST home page at www.cordis.lu/fp6/eoi-instruments/. In case you or your colleagues are preparing or have specific ideas on Integrated Projects, Networks of Excellence (of the type that will be supported in the 6th FP), or proactive initiatives that you would like us (FET) to consider in preparing the 6th Framework, please do not hesitate to submit to the Call. Note also that the deadline for submissions is on 7 June 2002. We would appreciate it if you could disseminate this information to your network members who should also feel free to disseminate it broadly within their institution.

Please, find enclosed the letter of Prof. Niilo Saranummi, the Chair of the IFMBE ProTem Group regarding the excange of information on the experssion of interest for the research within the 6th Framework.

Dear Colleagues,

I would like to ask for your co-operation with regard to the Call for Expressions of Interest (EoI) that EU Commission published on March 20th and that closes on June 7th. Below a bit more information about that call.

The assistance that I would like to ask of you is to assist us in the first instance to spread the word that this call is out, and secondly to convey information to us about individuals, groups or networks in the biomedical engineering domain that intend or have responded to this call.

These requests are made on behalf of the Protem group which has been charged with preparing the launching of a European umbrella organisation for biomedical engineering interests (provisionally named EAMBES). The group has been endorsed by all European IFMBE-affiliated societies and organisations (including ESEM and IEEE-EMBS) based on the resolution passed in a meeting in Vienna last August.

As you may know the 1st EMBEC conference in Vienna, 1999 resulted in the creation of an IFMBE appointed ad-hoc committee to look into the possibilities of establishing a "one voice mechanism" for the European biomedical engineering community. Last August 2001, the initiative took a big step forward. A meeting with the representatives of all European IFMBE affiliated societies, including ESEM and IEEE-EMBS decided unanimously to propose the creation of a "European Alliance for Medical and Biological Engineering and Sciences" (EAMBES) and appointed a Protem group to prepare the launching of this new organisation. By the end of 2001 all these societies including ESEM and IEEE-EMBS had formally endorsed this resolution. I've written progress reports on this inititative that have appeared in the IFMBE News (available on the web at: http://ifmbe-news.iee.org).

Since then the Protem group has been working to draft the Constitution and Bylaws of EAMBES and to create a business plan for its first steps. As part of the latter in early 2002 we wrote a project proposal to the 5th FP with the aim to do a cartography of European MBE and to use this data to stimulate the formation of Networks of Excellence in the MBE domain (in accordance with the stuctures that the 6th FP is expected to contain). It seems that this proposal will be accepted for funding and we expect to kick off with this CHART project after the summer holidays.

Our aim is build "the European BME community" which is able to speak with one voice, so we need find the "leaders in BME in Europe". Looking at this from the Protem group viewpoint, it would make its task much easier if it had contacts towards these emerging EiO / NoE networks and their leaders. The voice that we would like to have in Brussels has to come from these networks and groups and institutions and of course from the BME societies and industry. Creating these contacts was one of the reasons for writing the CHART proposal.

The emerging 6th FP does not have a designated "slot" where biomedical engineering interests would directly fit. However, it contains several possibilities for us. In the Life Sciences area there are "slots" in genomics research, in biomaterials and in nanobiotechnology. In the IST area there will be a "health" related theme, a theme for "people with special needs" as well as a continuation of the "Future and Emerging Technologies" theme (e.g. bionics and MBE-related robotics).

Unofficial information from persons working in the Commission is that they would very much welcome an active response from the European MBE community to the EoI Call. Personally I know that networks are being formed e.g. in medical image processing, biosignal interpretation and modelling, and biomechanics. Additionally, the current FET program is sponsoring thematic networks in our area, e.g. Neurone.

The Protem group is not intending to become involved in the actual formation of the NoE's or the replies to the EoI Call. Networks must be created by those that have the scientific competence and the interest for it. However, in order to fulfill its task of getting EAMBES of the ground with the support of the whole European MBE community it is important to identify the community. This EoI Call is an excellent opportunity for that. Furthermore, an active response from us to this will strengthen our argument that MBE interests must have better chance for funding in the future Framework Programs.

Therefore I would be very grateful for your co-operation in this. There are several EoI / NoE initiatives underway. The Protem group would like to be informed about these in order to find out how well our community is mobilising itself to meet the request of the EU Commission. My personal concern (and I hope that I'm wrong) has been that we (European biomedical engineers) are not proactive enough and thereby will miss the opportunity to get recognised as a strong field of science when ERA is being set up.

Looking forward to your replies,

Best wishes, Niilo Saranummi, chair Protem group
email: niilo.saranummi@vtt.fi