Project start date: 1. 11. 2020
Project completion date: 31. 10. 2023
Project budget: a total of EUR 2 299 091, of which EUR 61 935 for the VFN, no compulsory co-financing from own resources is required
Project guarantor (department): Department of Nephrology, III. internal medicine clinic
Project registration number: 621385-EPP-1-2020-1-IT-EPPKA2-KA

VFN participates in the project as one of the partners of a twelve-member international consortium, the main researcher is Prof. MUDr. Vladimir Tesar, DrSc. from the Department of Nephrology. The project coordinator is the University of Bari Aldo Moro Bari from Italy.

Project brief:

The main goal of the project is to deepen knowledge in the field of nephrology and vascular approaches and increase the attractiveness of nephrology as a field, as the number of people interested in nephrology in European countries is declining. The project will create an innovative and multi-disciplinary educational program focused on the patient and the field of diagnostic and interventional nephrology. 

It is an international project whose further goal is to deepen international cooperation.

Practically, it will be about creating lectures, workshops and e-learning in this area.

Specific educational programs within the project include 4 areas: Molecular Pathology, Vascular Approaches, Ultrasound Examination and Peritoneal Dialysis.

Participants in the program will be selected from among young physicians before certification or postgraduate students interested in nephrology and will come from European Union countries. A total of 40 students will be included in the project, 5 from the Czech Republic.

The project is supported by the European Commission's Erasmus + program - Area of Cooperation for Innovation and the Exchange of Good Practices - Knowledge Alliances 2020:
https://eacea.ec.europa.eu/erasmus-plus/actions/key-action-2-cooperation-for-innovation-and-exchange-good-practices_en

 

English Abstract:

Chronic Kidney Disease is often accompanied by high mortality and morbidity. It also has a high socio-economic impact, while the global nephrology workforce has failed to meet the growing healthcare needs. N-PATH will develop a European Partnership between Universities and clinic centers specialized in diagnostic and interventional nephrology to (1) stimulate the appeal in nephrology among learners at European level and (2) improve the educational continuum, to develop a policy framework for the provision of high-quality services within the European health system.

The N-PATH call is now available on the following page: https://www.uniba.it/didattica/corsi-universitari-di-formazione-finalizzata/corsi-e-progetti-di-alta-formazione/2020-2021/NEPHROPATH
Foreign candidates will find a short guide for registration / enrollment and the call for applicants in the English version.
Attached you find digital flyer which linked to the call page itself.

Project Coordinator: University of Bari Aldo Moro, Italy

Partners:

• University of Milan (Italy)
• ERA-EDTA European Renal Association- European (United Kingdom)
• Academisch Medisch Centrum Bij De Universiteit van Amsterdam (The Netherlands)
• General University Hospital in Prague (The Czech Republic)
• Academic Hospital Maastricht (The Netherlands)
• Panepistimio Patron (Greece)
• Fundacio Parc Tauli (Spain)
• Eureka Srl (Italy)
• EMAC - Medical Electronics and Chemical Equipment (Italy)
• University Clinical Center Ljubljana (Slovenia)
• Vascular Access Society (The Netherlands)

Objectives:

• developing innovative and multidisciplinary educational path with a patient-centered approach - focusing on diagnostic and interventional nephrology
• fostering the knowledge transfer from research to clinical practice
• strengthening the cooperation among Universities and clinical centers

N-PATH will jointly develop 4 curricula: Molecular Pathology, Vascular Access, Ultrasound and Peritoneal Dialysis. 

Target group:

40 junior nephrologists (≤ 40 years old)

N-PATH is the most innovative European training course in interventional nephrology funded by European Commission in the framework of the Erasmus + program coordinated by the University of Bari, in collaboration with the European Renal Association (ERA-EDTA), the Vascular Access Society, important international academic centers and two companies specialized in medical training.

N-PATH will train 40 young European nephrologists from 6 different countries who will have the opportunity to interact and benefit from this engaging and exciting two-year educational path. The students will have access not only to a dedicated digital platform, but also will have the opportunity to put into practice what they have learned during the training course through different hands-on training throughout Europe, creating a 360-degree educational experience.

The nephrologists from all over Europe will be able to benefit from the training course since the online lessons, once the project is completed, will be released in open access.

The N-PATH project involving European associations such as ERA-EDTA and the Vascular Access Society, research centers and higher education institutions from six European countries: Amsterdam University Medical Center, Academic Hospital of Maastricht, General University Hospital of Prague, Parc Tauli University Hospital of Barcelona, University of Milan, University of Patras and University Medical Center of Ljubljana. Each of them, with specific skills in the nephrology field, will be supported by EUREKA, a company specialized in the field of academic publishing, and by EMAC, a company leader in the supply of advanced simulators for medical-surgical training, to create innovative advanced training course.

The admission is exclusive for second-year nephrology trainees; the call for admission will be published on the partners' websites in March 2021.