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Centre of Excellence for Brain Phase II of the initiative was launched
Research (MESRS), Slovakia during the year 2013, with the launch
• CIBERNED-Fundación CIEN, Spain of the 1st call for projects called “Path-
finder.” In the years 2015 and 2017, the
• Agence Nationale de la Recherche subsequent 2nd and 3rd calls were
(ANR), France launched, whereas the 4th call was
launched during 2019.
The overlapping of the members of the These calls for “Pathfinder” research
COEN group with those of the JPND projects aim to catalyze collaborative
ensures that their complementary ob- research between the different centers
jectives are developed in close coope- with a critical mass of resources and
ration with the rest. This has been ca- knowledge to drive a radical change in
rried out through a two-phase process: research in the field of neurodegene-
first conducting expert workshops to ration. Pathfinder project calls aim to
determine the scope of the needs, fo- encourage the scientific community
llowed by a call for proposals to establi- to think outside the pre-established
sh collaborative teams among the PIs frameworks, to stimulate new uncon-
assigned to the participating National ventional approaches and thus reach
Centers of Excellence. creative solutions to the challenges of
neurodegeneration research, carrying
The first phase of the COEN initiati- out high-risk/high-reward projects and
ve began at the end of 2010 and was welcoming unconventional and inno-
intended to establish common resour- vative applications.
ces and methodological approaches
to support future studies. Some of the The scientific scope of the "Pathfinder"
key issues addressed have been: the projects is very broad and applications
refinement and validation of cellular may include studies to improve our
and animal disease models; the deve- understanding of neurodegenerative
lopment of new measures to define mechanisms or create technological
patient subgroups for clinical trials; the advances to support new diagnostic
identification of new biomarkers to or therapeutic approaches. Joint no-
support translational research; the de- minations of researchers from identi-
velopment and harmonization of cog- fied Centers of Excellence are invited,
nitive test batteries for diagnosis and and projects must include researchers
follow-up of disease progression; and from two or more countries. The pro-
the establishment of common compu- jects address issues that would not be
ter platforms to improve data analysis easily funded through the standard
and exchange. grant mechanisms of COEN partners,
and it is expected that, in addition to
Cien Foundation annual report 2020 126
