What is Joint Programming?
Joint Programming is a new collaborative approach to research in which countries come together to define a common vision, a strategic research agenda and a management structure, in order to address the ‘grand challenges’ facing EU society in the coming years.
These challenges (such as climate change, food and energy security, and neurodegenerative diseases) are considered beyond the scope and resources of any one country to tackle and would benefit from a co-ordinated approach to research.
Joint Programming in Research has been proposed in a communication of the European Commission COM(2008) 468 final, Brussels – Working together to tackle common challenges more effectively.
The JPND was established as the pilot for this unprecedented type of approach to research, and a coordinating management board between the JPND member countries was formed. The JUMPAHEAD project put in place the necessary infrastructures to support this completely new collaborative approach to European health research.
JPND launched its Research Strategy in 2012, and the first implementation of this strategy began with a phased approach to annual activities and action groups over the period of 2012-2014. The second phase, to be implemented over the period 2015-2017, is ongoing.
The concept of joint programming has been proven successful through JPND. Since 2011, ten calls for proposals have been launched, and more than 80 transnational, collaborative projects have received recommendations for funding.
2011: Optimisation of biomarkers and harmonisation of their use
2012: Genetic, epigenetic and environmental risk and protective factors
2012: Evaluation of health care policies, strategies and interventions
2013: Cross-disease analysis of pathways related to neurodegenerative diseases
2013: Preventive strategies related to neurodegenerative diseases
2014: Working groups to inform cohort studies
2015: Risk and protective factors; Longitudinal cohort approaches; and Advanced experimental models
2016: Working groups for harmonisation and alignment in brain imaging methods
2017: Pathway analysis across neurodegenerative diseases
2018: Health and Social Care Research and Innovation
In addition, three funding calls for Centres of Excellence in Neurodegeneration (COEN) were initiated under the umbrella of JPND.