EMTRAIN organized the IMI Education and Training session "Innovative Medicines Initiative: How European cohesion will help to promote IMI's education and training programmes" which was followed by a reception with coffee and snacks. The session was divided into four presentations:
1. IMI: opportunities and challenges 
Speaker: Prof. Michel Goldman (Executive Director of the Innovative Medicines Initiative)
2. Balancing act between European and national funded projects with regard on training and Horizon 2020
Speaker: Prof. Dimitri Corpakis (Head of Unit, Regional Dimension of Innovation, European Commission)
3. IMI Education and Training expansion plan
Speaker: Dr. Ghazaleh Gouya (EMTRAIN WP9 co-leader; Medical University of Vienna)
4. on-course® – expected impact on Europe's landscape of training in medicines development
Speaker: Dr. Tony Payton (EMTRAIN WP3&5 member; leader of on-course® maintenance and development team; University of Manchester)
The audience was very much interested in all the IMI E&T projects with a special focus on the recently launched EUPATI project. The various funding structures available by the European Commission and future possible sustainability plans were discussed thoroughly. on-course® raised high interest to the course providers but also to training networks outside Europe, e.g. Egypt and Singapore. The session was followed by lively discussions and networking during the following coffee reception organized by EMTRAIN.
A high amount of promotional material was distributed during the conference to the participants reflecting the high interest in on-course®. The feedback of potential course seekers was extremely positive, on-course® being a very useful database, especially in terms of clearness, comprehensiveness and possible time saving. Course providers were happy to find their courses on on-course® and those who were not yet in on-course® were highly motivated to register to these unique platform. The expansion of scientific search areas in on-course® to biotechnical and bioengineering fields as well as regional expansion to countries outside of Europe were some of the strategic input derived by the conference participants.
Special thanks go to Frederik Wittock and his team at Janssen who enabled our successful representation at ESOF2012 but also provided personal and emotional support during this special conference.
Here are some photos of the conference:
