The general objective of HEALTHEQUITY-2020 is to assist Member States/regions to develop evidence-based action plans on reducing health inequalities, which also informs use of structural funds (SF) in the next cycle. This is achieved by combining available evidence & learning with social innovation to inform knowledge exchange & capacity building. The specific objectives are to: develop and test a toolkit to support the process of evidence-based action planning in participating regions; develop an accessible and interactive online website and database as a resource for use by participating regions; build capacity & competency in participating MS/regions that respects their different starting points; support participating regions to develop & adopt action plans on health inequalities that also informs their use of Structural Funds in the next period; maximise information exchange and sharing of good practice between member states and regions; ensure sustainability and longer-term benefits of the project.

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1) To build bridges in the field of long-term care particularly in the areas of disability and ageing via the exchange of knowledge
2) To improve, generate and disseminate the knowledge base in long-term care
3) To create a network of experts in the areas of bridging in long-term care which can facilitate knowledge sharing and dialogue
4) To promote and to give an award for best practice in bridging long-term care to a key experience or person
5) To produce a recommendation on “Bridging Experiences for Evidence Based Policy in Long-term Care in Europe” and to submit it to the EC and member states

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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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This is the application for the ERN on Rare craniofacial anomalies and ENT disorders.

24 experts centers from 10 countries will join in this project, focusing on three major workstreams:
1. Craniofacial anomalies
2. Cleft lip/palate and odontologic disorders
3. ENT disorders

Aim is to make high level quality of care for craniofacial anomalies and ENT disorders available to all European citizens. This will be achieved by upgrading the service level for specific conditions provided by the ERN members, and by establishing craniofacial centers in countries that currently lack this care. The work group will incorporate professionals, relevant scientific societies and representatives from patient's societies.
The workplan involves assessment of available guidelines, develop missing ones, share experiences with teaching and training and making them available for those that request it, support travelling of the professionals with high level expertise to help out teams that lack this expertise, promote colaboration with regard to research. Where possible, data will be collected in a uniform way (mainly based on the principle of the ICHOM consortium) to enable benchmarking and promote implication of best practice at all centers. All knowledge will be shared at national, European and worldwide levels.
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