In November, ReproUnion had invited international colleagues from the EU and the US to discuss collaboration and to attend a weekend-workshop on funding opportunities for the ReproUnion Infertility Cohort and Biobank.
Associate Professor at Stanford University School of Medicine, Michael Eisenberg, has followed ReproUnion for some time and commented: “The collaboration has continued to grow through exchange of ideas, and through research collaborations that revolve around improving reproductive health. I definitely encourage the continued hosting of meetings and joint projects to further foster the relationship”.
Funding consultants from the University of Copenhagen and the Capital region of Denmark’s Research & Innovation Office presented funding opportunities, such as the NIH and the next European research framework, Horizon Europe. Senior Advisor Nicolai Paulsen explained that, in the European framework, grant applications are typically evaluated according to three criteria:
1. Excellence (the proposal must go beyond the current state of the art),
2. Impact (that the project will have some effect),
3. Implementation (that the project is feasible).
If anyone should harbor any doubts about the importance of good preparation, Nicolai explained that upwards of 75% of grant proposals are never fully read by reviewers! Many applications are disqualified because they fall out of scope, while others are rejected because they fail to adhere to the formalities.
Well equipped with good advice and presentations from all five ReproUnion challenges, the workshop participants developed project outlines and planned profile papers. “It has been an inspiring two-day meeting. Most importantly, bringing the group together has strengthened the sense of coherence and paved the way for future collaborative possibilities. The participants were very productive and finished a profile paper draft that describes the ReproUnion Infertility Cohort and Biobank, and identifies multiple angles for joint funding proposals”, said Maria Sundh, ReproUnion Project Manager.
