Innovative Training Network in Female Reproductive Care (MATER)

MATER consortium will establish Innovative Training Network (ITN) of five academia and five industry partners from 7 European countries with the aim to train a new generation of 14 creative, entrepreneurial, innovative and ethically sensitive early-stage researchers (ESRs) in the field of female reproductive care. The consortium plans research covering the female fertility from oocyte to a birth of a healthy baby, and related innovation training programme. Research aim of the project is to contribute solving some of the most pressing challenges in female reproductive care and their ethical dilemmas, by targeting the delicate issues like infertility and pregnancy complications, and devising novel ideas to treat them, avoid miscarriages and implement genetic technologies in prenatal diagnostics. Innovation aims of the project are helping students to recognize and understand the ethical issues of their work, as well to prepare them for converting the novel knowledge and ideas into social and economic benefits. Each ESR will carry out their doctoral training jointly at two degree-awarding universities, while receiving consortium-wide practical and theoretical research-related and innovation training provided by all partners. These goals will be achieved via joint supervision of 14 doctoral students by five academic (University of Tartu, Estonia; Karolinska Institutet, Sweden; Katholieke Universiteit Leuven, Belgium; University of Helsinki and University of Oulu, Finland) and five industry (Blueprint Genetics, Finland; Igenomix, Spain; Competence Centre on Health Technologies, Estonia; Sismer, Italy and Invicta, Poland) partners. Each ESR will have two academic and one industry supervisors. The partners show outstanding scientific and ethical expertise, and form a strong and stimulating network to boost research excellence, ethical practice, effective training, clinical innovation and industrial impact, leading to increased European economic and academic competitiveness.