Causes Workshop “Science and Innovation: Closer than Rare!”

Maria da Graça CARVALHO, and Mario DAVID under the patronage of the Presidency of the Portuguese Republic organise a workshop on rare diseases with the participation of Tonio BORG, Commissioner for Health and Consumer Policy.

The purpose of the meeting is to present the Portuguese association for rare diseases "Raríssimas" (http://www.rarissimas.pt) and to discuss the scientific research in the area of rare diseases in Europe.

The event was organized in the context of the different initiatives that will culminate in the Rare Disease Day 2014 (to be celebrated on 28 February 2014), a problem that concerns 6 to 8% of the European population: a figure that represents around 35 million patients.

In her intervention Maria da Graça Carvalho underlined that Rare diseases are a priority for the European Union and this is reflected in the focus devoted to the question in Horizon 2020 that, across the different scientific domains, includes health research.

Maria da Graça Carvalho also did the opening of the Exhibition.