PHGEN II produces the first edition of "European Best Practice Guidelines for Quality Assurance, Provision and Use of Genome-based Information and Technologies". The guidelines assist Member States, Applicant and EFTA-EEA Countries with evidence-based guidance on timely and responsible integration of genome-based information and technologies into healthcare systems for the benefit of population health.
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Rare diseases (RD) have been identified as one of the paradigmatic fields in which actions conducted at the European level constitute the adequate response to their specific problems: poor recognition leading to diagnostic delay and inappropriate management including adapted social services, poor health outcomes, social burden, limited knowledge on natural history and pathophysiology leading to an insufficient development of new therapies. The low prevalence and the specificity of RD make that a global, multi-stakeholder approach, intended to gather specific expertise and to build shared strategies is necessary to address these issues.
The general objectives of RD-Action are to:
▪ Support the further development and sustainability of the Orphanet database, the biggest global repository of information on RD
▪ Contribute to solutions to ensure an appropriate codification of RD in health information systems
▪ Continue implementation of the priorities identified in Council Recommendation 2009/C151/02 and the Commission Communication (COM 2008 679) on RD, with a view to ensuring the sustainability of the recommended priority actions and to support the work of the Commission Expert Group on Rare Diseases (CEGRD).
This JA will expand and consolidate the achievements of the former JAs on RD supported by the European Commission: the Orphanet JA and the EUCERD JA. More precisely, this proposal has the ambition to help member states to implement the recommended measures adopted or to be adopted by the CEGRD and to produce the data necessary for countries to do so. Interactions between the production of data at the Orphanet database level and the implementation of policy priorities including codification will be strengthened during this JA.RD-Action large geographical coverage is key to success as it will promote the transfer of European recommendations into national policies and the collection of information and concerns from MS to the CEGRD, thus to the European Commission.

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The main objective of the European Health Forum Gastein is to facilitate the establishment of a framework for advising and developing European health policy while recognising the importance of national and regional authorities and decision-making bodies. By offering this unique platform for networking and discussion to health experts from all member states and beyond, the EHFG aims to generate and disseminate health knowledge, thereby supporting the Second Programme of Community Action in the Field of Health.

By focusing on key issues in the European health arena the Forum considers in particular the following areas, tasks and challenges:

• Discussion and promotion of the main short-term and long-term objectives of the working programme of the European Community, the member states, accession candidate countries and the regions as well as their implementation, and the further development of European health policy.

• Detailed discussion of opportunities for integration of health policy across different policy areas. Analysis and discussion of the impact of European integration, in particular the Common Market and Economic and Monetary Union on health systems, services and policies.

• Evaluation of current developments and their effects on society, health systems, and services, and in particular the changing role of citizens and patients.

• The exchange of national and regional experience in health policy development and implementation.

• The International Forum Gastein has achieved wide dissemination of health knowledge produced at the EHFG through social media, EHFG website, international press articles (online, radio, television and print) and specific publications i.e. issuing of a final conference report to disseminate results of the conference and the publication of an issue of the journal Eurohealth dedicated to the conference (planned for 2013, to be confirmed for 2014).

• Promotion and offer of a platform for promising young decision-makers and experts through the Young Forum Gastein initiative, thereby aiming at bridging the gap between research and policy-making and facilitating learning and networking.

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ASSEHS aims at activating real life stratification strategies on the ground and evaluating the results of their deployment in different European Health Services, by focusing on their utilization and added value to the delivery of care to complex frail elderly patients. In order to create valid, replicable and transferable stratification strategies, we will define deployment methodologies, analyse structural and organizational changes induced by the implementation and also their cost-effectiveness. In parallel, we will deepen in the utilities of the stratification tools in health management, policy making and clinical practice.
Additionally, we will address the issues identified during the stratification process, specifically related to tool availability and usability, data requirements and accessibility, adaptation to real life services and clinical practice circumstances, as well as clinical acceptance.

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Our objectives are reflected both in the conference programme, in the methods of preparing the event and in disseminating its major outcomes.
Objective 1 is to raise the quality of internationally comparative HSR. Main lessons will include a shared understanding on the current-state-of-the-art of cross-national health services research, as well as recommendations on how to improve its contribution to policy. These will be summarized in a special policy brief on internationally comparative HSR and an article to be submitted for publication in a peer-reviewed journal. To assure high quality of these outcomes, it is vital that lead experts from international and national knowledge centres for health services research are involved in the preparation of and participation during the event.
Objective 2 is to help national decision makers in identifying and using international research evidence. The event itself is a major element in achieving this objective. Offering a platform for linkage and exchange between researchers and the users of their products is crucial in ensuring an effective use of HSR (Lomas et al., 2003). In order to make such a platform sustainable it is also important that meeting opportunities remain possible between various stakeholders after the meeting, among others through existing infrastructures. Both by means of our website and new social media we will improve networking opportunities. We will also contribute to strengthening linkages through workshops that will be held at future events. To illustrate our recognition of their importance, workshops have already been prepared by the HSR-Europe network at AcademyHealth`s Annual Research Meeting and EHMA`s annual conference (both in June 2011) and a training session for PhD students in HSR to the EUPHA/ASPHER conference (in November 2011). While important, it should be noted that such sessions - being of limited size as part of existing venues - do not have the same potential of building synergies between communities that a special full-day working conference will have.
Objective 3 is to strengthen capacity both at the research and policy side of the health care landscape. It bears close resemblance to objective 2 and the conference will be a major element, providing a forum at which knowledge can be generated that will lower the barriers for high potential newcomers to the field to join international research activities or make use of its outcomes. To achieve this purpose, it is also crucial that specific elements will be incorporated in the conference programme, in particular regarding proposal preparation and partner selection in international (EU-funded) projects, as well as by offering an opportunity for national funding bodies to compare research agendas, thus promoting joint action and sharing of scarce resources. This should lead to strengthening international exchange and mutual learning, thus improving the capacity of users and producers of health services research.
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