WORK PACKAGES

WP2. Recruitment of the ERA Chair holder

IBG’s selection committee will oversee the open, transparent and merit-based selection of a leading scientist in Rare Disease research as RareBoost’s ERA Chair holder. The selection committee and the ERA Chair holder together will outline RareBoost’s working principles, including the research approach and projects, general managerial and administrative principles, the teaching & training and networking activities, outreach and stakeholder interactions, as well as the aspect of the commercialisation of project results.

Prof. Dr. Nese Atabey leads Work Package 2. She is a group leader at IBG and the director of its Basic and Translational Research Program. She is the national coordinator of BBMRI_Tr, and the contact person for the European biobanking platform BBMRI-ERIC.

WP3. Research capacity building

The project’s main aim is to boost the quantity and quality of IBG’s Rare Disease research to achieve scientific excellence on an international level. Together with the ERA Chair holder and our stakeholders, we will define the areas in which IBG can make the most significant impact and implement tools to maximize synergies. An essential tool to this end will be RareBoost’s teaching & training activities for IBG’s researchers, technical personnel, and IBG’s Teaching Center.

Prof. Dr. Ugur OZBEK is Rareboost’s project ERA Chair holder and leads Work Package 3. His research interests include the delineation of the genetics and molecular biological mechanisms underlying the disorders of childhood/adolescence hematological malignancies, familial epilepsy syndromes, and undiagnosed rare disorders.

WP4. Soft skill capacity building

Besides, strictly research-related topics (WP3), teaching & training activities to strengthen the soft skills of all scientific, technical and administrative personnel at IBG are considered essential for RareBoost’s success. This will enhance the capacity and competitiveness of IBG’s personnel and foster their career development.

Prof. Dr. Ugur OZBEK (ERA Chair holder) leads Work Packages 4. His research interests include the delineation of the genetics and molecular biological mechanisms underlying the disorders of childhood/adolescence hematological malignancies, familial epilepsy syndromes, and undiagnosed rare disorders.

WP5. Smart specialization and innovation

To strengthen the innovative mindset of our personnel and to facilitate the translation of RareBoost’s research findings into novel approaches for diagnostic and therapeutic interventions, we will closely collaborate with our regional, national and international private and public partners. This will be connected to a robust sustainability strategy to guarantee the long-term strategic growth and the economic sustainability of IBG’s rare disease efforts.

Prof. Dr. Mehmet Inan leads Work Package 5. He is the platform leader of IBG-Pharma and Drug Analysis and Control Laboratories at IBG, with 25 years of experience in protein engineering and recombinant protein production both in the academic and private sectors.

WP6. Networking, communication and dissemination to stakeholders

RareBoost’s ambitious goals cannot be achieved by IBG alone, but only together with many partners in the academic, private and public sectors. Therefore, particular efforts will be made to establish, manage and maintain effective and beneficial mutual communication and interaction with our stakeholders. We invite everyone who wants to improve the lives of Rare Disease patients to reach out to us, so that we can find ways to combine and amplify our efforts.