V4 conference

PROJECT SUMMARY

Public health is undergoing a renaissance in Europe. The European Union is giving increased attention to public health to fulfil its obligations from international treaties to protect the health of all European citizens (Commission of the European Communities. Brussels COM 2005, 115). Yet, the new Member States (EU10+2) have less tradition for interdisciplinary research engaging with the social sciences, less experience of quasi-market competition in research management; and fewer civil society organisations (CSOs) contributing to priority development. Quantitatively, this difference can be illustrated by less research output from the EU10 countries as compared with the EU15. A recent study by Clarke et al. (Eur J Public Health, 2007,17,1:43-9) have shown that the average annual public health publications by country per million population is 29 in EU10 whereas 256 in EU15. Nevertheless, even between the V4 countries there are distinct differences. The lowest number of research output comes from Hungary and Slovakia (1.3-5.8), while the highest from Poland (8.3-31.9) and the Czech Republic is in somewhere in between (5.8-8.3).

The main aim of this project wasto contribute to the development of public health systems in V4 countries through creating a platform for capacity and knowledge building in the field of public health research, training/education, practice and policy. This aim was carried out by means of the 4^th International SAVEZ Conference, which will be accompanied by 3 associated events: the V4 STEPS Workshop, the BCA/WHO Workshop and the Workshop on Science Communication.

For information on project outcomes please visit:

http://www.savez.sk/conferences/past/2011