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Guidelines for the Support of Educational Activities and Scientific Conferences
European Chapter Convention Report
More Information
Aims
Include: Congresses; Education; Care standards; Research and scientific activities; Communication; and Rules and Statutes of the Commission.
To stimulate and coordinate all aspects of epileptology across Europe, including organizing the European Congress on Epileptology.
Commission activities from January 1, 2007 through May 31, 2008
CEA meetings: three in 2007 (Roma, Feb 2007; Istanbul June 2007; Antalya October 2007). Three are planed in 2008, the first one was held in Feb 2008 in Roma
1. Congresses
The preparation of the next 2008 European Congress on Epileptology, in Berlin, is progressing very well. The organization is shared by Germany and Israel. The first financial projections, as given by IDM, are excellent, even though the total Congress budget may remain a little bit inferior to Vienna 2004, probably comparable to Helsinki 2006.
Greece was selected last year to be the host country for the 2010 ECE, and the island of Rhodos will be the Congress site. The IOC/SAC will be determined at the beginning of 2008.
The selection process for the 2012 ECE will take place at the beginning of 2008
2. Educational activities
Year 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009 Clinical pharmacology Eilat, Eilat Migrating Course Serbia, Lithuania, Czech Republic. Contribution to other courses San Servolo, Baltic Sea, San Servolo EPODES (surgery) Brno (March 2008)
This program has the ambition of being well diversified in terms of topics as well as in terms of geographic distribution across the Region: in 2007, two events were run by the CEA (Eilat and the Migrating Course), and two others were financially supported.
- EUREPA activities: The CEA continued to support financially some EUREPA activities, and to encourage a close collaboration with EUREPA in the CEA-run educational activities as well as in the ECE. The francophone and Lusophone programs received a particular interest. Several major adaptations of the legal relationships between EUREPA and the ILAE are underway, and will certainly lead to a renovated mode of collaboration between the CEA and EUREPA.
- ILAE Commission on Education activities. The CEA is represented in this commission by Bettina Schmitz and Milda Endziniene. A guideline for requesting a CEA support to educational projects is in development
- Miscellaneous contributions
3. Care Standards – Antiepileptic Drugs
- Generics: a follow-up of the discussion group that was initiated in Helsinki took place at the Convention of European Chapters in Singapore IEC. This topic will be carried on in 2008 at the Berlin ECE. The CEA will liaise with the sub-commission on Generics of the Commission on Therapeutic Strategies. – Rare epileptic diseases : No major development in 2007, but this action will be pursued next year – Contribution to the colloquium on Status Epilepticus (London, April 2007) and to the elaboration of European guidelines for the treatment of SE. This guideline was also presented and discussed with neurologists at the EFNS meeting in Brussels (August 2007) – European Project on Development of Epilepsy Surgery Program (EPODES), coordinated by Cigdem Ozkara:
- Contacts with the European Drug Agency (EMEA)
CEA is an official correspondent of the EMEA for exchanging views on AEDs. Discussions on specific issues like Orphan drugs development and use; Revision of the EMEA guideline on AEDs in 2007-2008 by the Efficacy working Party of the CHMP (decision-making committee for EU Drug approval): Holland and France will be the rapporteurs of this new guideline to be elaborated in 2007-2008. The CEA is involved in the organization of a specific Symposium, to take place just after the Eilat AED conference in Sitges, in June 2008. This Symposium will be a forum discussion between European experts, US experts, and EMEA and FDA regulators. The main points of discussion are the monotherapy approval, the IV formulations and status epilepticus, as well as trials in childhood populations, including those with epileptic encephalopathies.
4. Research and Scientific activities
- A political action in favor of Epilepsy Research was undertaken in order to promote and facilitate Epilepsy Research across the EU grant procedures, and to defend the presence of Epilepsy-related topics in the calls for EU grants (FrameWork Prog 7, 2006-2013)
A CEA workshop will be held at the beginning of 2008 for defining and expressing our research objectives and priorities. An output document will be issued and published “Epilepsy research priorities for the next decade: A representative view of the European Community”. This document is intended to serve at different political and scientific levels for diverse lobbying actions.
- A specific project on Mortality in Epilepsy, called “Mortemus”, co-directed by Ph Ryvlin and T Tomson, will benefit from a financial CEA support, because of its scientific interest, and it’s European “added-value” (A Europe-wide survey of the cases of cardio-respiratory failures –death or near-death situations, that occurred during EEG-VIDEO monitoring.
- Miscellaneous: financial support to the Zurich Meeting (State of the Art on selected research topics) and to the “Idiopathic generalized epilepsies” Symposium, Bridging basic and clinical sciences, Antalya-Turkey (2007)
5. Communication
The CEA organized a convention of European Chapters at the Singapore IEC (July 2007), and supported financially the participation of several Chapters representatives, in particular from Eastern Europe. Thereby the CEA provided an indirect financial contribution to the IEC.
The CEA contribute to the ILAE website, is active in the Global campaign, and participate to EUCARE activities.
6. Rules and Statutes
The bylaws of the CEA have been updated and will be coordinated with the other region’s statutes.
Accomplishments
See above in the activities section
Recommendations for Future Work
The main objective is to achieve an excellent ECE 2008 in Berlin, and to secure a substantial income for the ILAE, the CEA, and the organizing Chapters. These surpluses may not match what was obtained in Vienna 2004, the objective being to be comparable to Helsinki 2006.
Other objectives include - The continuation of the educational course program - A renovated partnership with EUREPA - A fruitful Chapter Convention at the Berlin ECE - An improved collaboration with the other regional commissions - Lobbying actions in favor of European research in Epilepsy
Michel Baulac
Chair
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